The appearance of a new car on the Russian market, although expected, made a powerful impression. To buyers and competitors within the country and even abroad. It becomes clear that a company can only be successful when it takes into account as many requirements and wishes of ordinary users as possible. AVTOVAZ has finally taken this problem seriously. After the release of the sedan, many people have a question: what other options will the company offer on the market? Will the cars be produced in other versions? And when will the Lada Vesta coupe, hatchback or station wagon appear?
The company's plans to increase the model range
The next premiere after Vesta will be X Ray. Then, within two years, the entire announced line will be released. Will the Lada Vesta coupe be driving along our roads in the near future? There is a demand for it, but there is no clear answer about the timing and what equipment it will have. Interest in the new car has already gone beyond borders. An interesting fact is that the first photo of the Lada Vesta coupe that appeared was the work of a Hungarian designer with the nickname X-Tomi. Naturally, this is not a photo of a real car, but only its realistic visualization. But you must admit, it’s a remarkable fact. “Spy” photos of our car are already appearing in foreign sources. There is no doubt that the real video of the Lada Vesta coupe will still appear on the Russian Internet. In the meantime, we are waiting for the addition of the family, the promise of which was stated by the company’s management.
Specifications
As for the technical part of the Lada Vesta FL Cross 2021-2022 model year, it is impossible to predict its characteristics at the moment. It is expected that the car will be built on the basis of the new CMF-B-LS architecture, which will be provided to AvtoVAZ by the French concern Renault. This will allow the developer to use more modern power plants, as well as a new transmission and equip the car with an all-wheel drive system. It is quite possible that the Renault Arkana cross-coupe will be able to share engines with the updated Vesta.
What can you expect from the Lada Vesta coupe?
Although the release date of the Lada Vesta coupe has not been announced and when this will happen is unknown, we will venture to guess what can be expected from this car. In the international classification, this type of body is given a separate niche, which reflects not so much characteristics as consumer qualities. In practice this means maximum comfort. But only for the driver and passenger. Accordingly, this is a powerful engine that provides sportiness, a luxurious interior with all the bells and whistles.
It is difficult to predict what kind of gearbox it will be. It's no secret that racing options and powerful units have their own and very demanding buyer. Preferences often settle on manual transmission, since it is the lever that gives a complete feeling of power over the car and an injection of adrenaline. However, today the coupe is also associated with executive functions. A powerful and expensive car for two as a means of transportation with a clear and ambiguous reference to the status of the owner. In such cases, automatic transmission is also provided, which is confirmed by many models of this class.
As a rule, a coupe car is not cheap. Limited editions and the selection of the configuration ordered by the client are naturally more expensive, and prices may differ significantly from the production model. And the differences can be significant, from the installation of a specific manufacturer’s radio to the color of the upholstery. Moreover, it is not a fact that this car will have air conditioning. Perhaps they will install a super-sophisticated climate control system, there are such examples too. Does a large manufacturer need such a machine? As strange as it may sound, yes. This is image and reputation. It is no coincidence that even before the release of the serial Vesta, its sports version began to participate in the WTCC world series, and I must say, very successfully. So, the appearance of a coupe most likely cannot be avoided, but the timing is still a closely guarded secret.
More details about Lada “Vesta” cars
Design
If you compare the car of the current generation and the future new product, it becomes obvious that there is practically nothing in common between them.
The front of the car will feature an X-shaped expression, which will change from the usual X-face thanks to the installation of a new radiator grille and an air intake cutout in the front bumper. In addition, the updated model has different head optics with LED equipment and chrome edging. There are additional air duct cutouts on the sides of the bumper that will house the C-shaped fog lights.
On the side, the car will receive the usual stampings on the wings and doors. And this is perhaps the only thing that is common between cars of the current and future generations. The new Lada Vesta FL Cross 2021-2022 model year will receive larger wheels that will make it even taller. In addition to the unusual design of alloy wheels, it can be noted that the car will have brake calipers painted red. The shape of the roof will completely duplicate the contours of the BMW X6.
The rear of the body of the new Lada Vesta Cross will look especially impressive. The car will have a very large rear window and a short trunk lid, on which the name “LADA” will be placed. The side lights will have a horizontal orientation and will have some similarities with similar elements of German models. The manufacturer has placed a large LED strip on the rear bumper, which acts as a backup brake light. At the bottom of the bumper there will be an air intake, as well as two large cutouts for the exhaust pipes.
The designer did not create or publish the interior of the updated Lada Vesta FL Cross 2021-2022. However, it is quite obvious that such changes in the appearance of the cross-country variation of the Lada Vesta should force the manufacturer to radically reconsider the interior of the car. Larger and more comfortable seats can be installed here, which will confirm the claims of the new Vesta to the status of a full-fledged crossover.
You can also expect more modern equipment to appear in the cabin, including the most current version of the multimedia system, controlled using a large touch display. Most likely, the air conditioning control unit will undergo adjustments, and for top modifications the installation of dual-zone climate control will be provided.
Of course, the car will definitely have parking assistance sensors, assistants to help avoid collisions with obstacles, and other modern features.
Theory
Like its predecessor roadster, Crimea-2 is built on VAZ units. The engine is a 1.6-liter VAZ-21127, the gearbox is mechanical, five-speed (“cable” VAZ-2181). Some of the suspension elements were also borrowed from Kalina. The rest was developed from scratch by students and graduates of the Baumanka formula team. The layout is mid-engine, rear-wheel drive. Crimea is based on a spatial frame on which plastic panels are hung; almost all of them remained unchanged, with the exception of bumpers, optics and, of course, the roof.
Vesta’s behavior on the track quickly makes it clear where the young, albeit untalented, developers are inferior to the experienced engineers of the automobile plant.
Vesta’s behavior on the track quickly makes it clear where the young, albeit untalented, developers are inferior to the experienced engineers of the automobile plant.
The interior of Vesta Sport is easy to distinguish by its original carbon fiber inserts and a steering wheel upholstered in pleasant leather.
The interior of Vesta Sport is easy to distinguish by its original carbon fiber inserts and a steering wheel upholstered in pleasant leather.
The front seats with developed lateral support and a different cushion are better than the standard West seats. But they are still inferior to the heavy-duty seats of Crimea.
The front seats with developed lateral support and a different cushion are better than the standard West seats. But they are still inferior to the heavy-duty seats of Crimea.
The architecture of the dashboard is the same as that of a regular Vesta, only the scales are painted scarlet.
The architecture of the dashboard is the same as that of a regular Vesta, only the scales are painted scarlet.
We struggled with the headlights - the seals and housing of the LED optics could not be done accurately. We found an elegant and effective solution - we tinted the headlights to hide the nuances of custom manufacturing. They look interesting: the high and low beam lenses are shrouded in LED strips, the turn signals are in the creeping line style in the manner of current Audi and Lexus models. Like the first car, the hood (remember, it is at the back) opens against movement along a complex trajectory so as not to touch the bumper. They struggled with the implementation of the sophisticated mechanism for several weeks. But most of the time was spent on setting up the suspension. After all, the kinematics were calculated from scratch (although Kalinov elements were used - steering knuckles and levers). Shock absorber calibrations and spring stiffness were also calculated taking into account mass. Everything is like adults!
A nice bonus of Vesta is that you can enjoy driving with a large group - it is still a family sedan.
A nice bonus of Vesta is that you can enjoy driving with a large group - it is still a family sedan.
Against the backdrop of the Crimea trunk, the cargo compartment of the Lada seems bottomless.
Against the backdrop of the Crimea trunk, the cargo compartment of the Lada seems bottomless.
Vesta Sport is also far from just a body kit and beautiful wheels. The main differences from the standard sedan are in technology. Reworked suspension, original brakes, increased track, which is why the front fenders had to be widened. Well, boosted to 145 hp. engine. In theory, a larger, heavier front-engined sedan doesn't stand a chance on a track against a lightweight mid-engined coupe. But in practice?
Exam
Lada clearly illustrates the advantages of a factory car over a prototype. Is this worth reproaching the creators of Crimea? In no case! The guys themselves understand perfectly well that it is impossible to build a high-quality car, especially of this class, right away. With the “second” Crimea, it became obvious: attempts to create an affordable sports car on the Kalinovsky chassis, which traces its pedigree all the way back to the G8, is a dead end. The next car will use Vesta units.
But that's not the main thing.
They plan to send the project to all leading Formula Student teams, primarily to MADI and MAMI, so that students can make changes and build their own prototypes. It turns out to be a global project of a people's sports car, created by technical universities. This way you can kill several birds with one stone. The more young minds and hands work on the car, the faster the shortcomings will be eliminated, the more prototypes will be produced and the higher the chance of getting a decent car. After all, the main task of the authors of Crimea is to design an affordable and spectacular two-seater sports car. Costing about a million rubles (the same price as a charged Lada Vesta Sport)
. VAZ units promise low-cost maintenance. Of course, no one is talking about a conveyor belt, but production in small batches is quite possible. And problems with the chassis will definitely be solved. After all, this is exactly how large automobile designers are formed - they have a lot of baggage in their heads with bumps filled with practice.
MANUFACTURERS DATA
| CRIMEA-2 | LADA VESTA SPORT | |
| Curb/gross weight | n.d. | 1322/1670 kg |
| Acceleration time 0–100 km/h | n.d. | 9.6 s |
| Maximum speed | n.d. | 193 km/h |
| Fuel/fuel reserve | AI-95 / 50 l | AI-95 / 55 l |
| Fuel consumption: urban/suburban/combined cycle | n.d. | 10.6 / 6.4 / 7.9 l / 100 km |
| ENGINE | ||
| Type | petrol | petrol |
| Location | at the base, transversely | front, transverse |
| Configuration / number of valves | P4/16 | P4/16 |
| Working volume | 1596 cm³ | 1774 cm³ |
| Power | 78 kW / 106 hp at 5800 rpm | 107 kW / 145 hp at 6000 rpm |
| Torque | 148 Nm at 4200 rpm | 184 Nm at 3600 rpm |
| TRANSMISSION | ||
| type of drive | rear | front |
| Transmission | M5 | M5 |
| Gear ratios: I / II / III / IV / V / Z.H. | 3,64 / 1,95 / 1,36 / 0,94 / 0,78 / 3,50 | 3,73 / 2,05 / 1,39 / 1,03 / 0,76 / 3,55 |
| main gear | 3,70 | 4,20 |
| CHASSIS | ||
| Suspension: front/rear | McPherson / multi-link | McPherson / elastic beam |
| Steering | rack and pinion, with electric booster | rack and pinion, with electric booster |
| Brakes: front/rear | disk, ventilated / disk, ventilated | disc, ventilated / disc |
| Tires | 225/35 R18 | 205/50 R17 |
Coupe Crimea vs. Lada Vesta Sport: a big test of popular sports cars
Time to market
The appearance of a cross-coupe based on the Lada Vesta on the Russian market is unlikely, not to mention the fact that the car will receive the same front optics as the concept in the published rendering images. Cars of this class are not in high demand in Russia, which casts doubt on the possibility of its release. However, AvtoVAZ has been launching sports modifications Vesta and Granta onto the market for several years, which are sold in small quantities. Therefore, the likelihood that the presented cross-coupe will go on sale still remains.
