Chevy Niva car: owner reviews, technical specifications and features

A large number of Russian car enthusiasts are interested in reviews of the Chevy Niva, because this car can be called a regular on Russian roads, it can be seen almost as often as a “classic”. Why did he so attract the attention of motorists? Is this really a reliable and high-quality car or is its appearance just the result of advertising? In this article we will bring together common owner reviews of the Chevy Niva.

Exterior and interior

The appearance of the car was developed back in the early nineties, and the first exhibition model was presented to the world in 1999, and the design has not changed since then. Although the doors look quite massive, they open easily. Two contours of rubber seals, which are equipped with doorways, create reliable insulation from water and wind.

The seating position is high and comfortable; the Chevy Niva has even more legroom than many large frame jeeps. The car also boasts an A-pillar angle and a roof that do not “press”: even tall people will not rest their heads on the roof.

Is it possible to increase the ground clearance of the Chevy Niva

The need to increase ground clearance may arise in cases where the car often travels off-road. To maintain the ability to pass difficult areas with bumps and bumps, you need to raise it.

And the higher the ground clearance of an SUV, the more confident it will behave in difficult road conditions . In addition, the increase in ground clearance helps give it an unusual and menacing appearance. But what is most valuable is that the optimal value of ground clearance affects the stability, controllability and safety of the vehicle.

There are two main ways to change the clearance of a Chevrolet Niva:

• modernization of the suspension mechanism;
• body technique.

Salon

The car is equipped with the most ordinary seats from the “eight”, but the skids are slightly modernized. The seat can be adjusted, as can the steering wheel. The front passenger is positioned far enough away from the driver that the passenger's left knee won't get in the way when changing gears, as in many passenger cars.

The salon is neat and spacious. The machine is equipped with comfortable armrests. All doors have pockets in which it is convenient to put various small items. The rear seats can be folded in parts of one to three and two to three. The plastic of the panel is soft, it does not creak, which is the problem with many domestic cars, but the gaps are large. The dashboard of the Chevy Niva differs little from the tenth AvtoVAZ family. Uniform illumination of all signs makes them easy to read both day and night. Overall, the interior design is simple and pleasant.

History of Niva production and its main modifications

The production of the Chevrolet Niva first began in the mid-1980s of the last century, but the very first version - the prototype of the modern Niva - VAZ-2123 - saw the world only in 1998. It was produced for only a short time - until 2002, production was in small quantities.

In 2002, the production license was purchased by the General Motors concern, and a new SUV based on the old one appeared - the Chevrolet Niva.

The very first Chevrolet Niva was produced in two models: L and the more advanced GLS.

Since 2006, the FAM-1 appeared, which lasted only a couple of years and was discontinued.

In 2009, a new model Niva went out of production. It currently exists in L, LC, LE, GLS, GLC and LE+ trim levels.

At the moment, the Chevrolet Niva-2 is expected to be released with an updated engine and new equipment.

Inconveniences

But, judging by the reviews of the Chevy Niva, are there any shortcomings in the ergonomics of the cabin? Unfortunately, of course there is. The main disadvantage is the location of the cup holder, cigarette lighter and radio. The pocket of the latter is located low, you need to reach for it, which is very inconvenient to do when moving. The ashtray and cigarette lighter socket are located behind the hinged lid. It can be opened completely only when the gear lever is in reverse, second and fourth gears. Otherwise it won't work. Some drivers are not even aware of the presence of a cup holder in the Chevy Niva, as it is skillfully disguised and strangely located.

In their reviews, Chevy Niva owners write that visibility through the windshield and rearview mirrors can be called satisfactory. The short hood contributes to this: on the road you can see an object located 1.5 meters in front of the bumper.

Chassis

The suspension of a light SUV does not cause problems up to 60-80 thousand km. Then, when driving over bumps, dull knocks may appear in the rear of the car. As a rule, the source is in the rear links. Upon external inspection, the rubber bands appear intact from the outside, but on the inside they are most likely already worn out.

Silent blocks last 80-100 thousand km. When knocking noises occur, they may be pulled out.

The design of wheel bearings requires their adjustment and tightening every 30 thousand km - a real anachronism. They may need to be replaced when the mileage exceeds 80-100 thousand km.

Ball ones run about 50 - 70 thousand km.

Shock absorbers last about 60-80 thousand km. When replacing them, do not carry out pulling with the car hanging, otherwise the shock absorber rod may break off-road.

The weak point in the front suspension is the rubber-metal hinges of the upper right arm due to thermal effects from the exhaust system.

After 100,000 km or 5 years of operation, it is better to replace brake hoses with new ones. Front brake hoses often fail. Front brake discs last about 60-70 thousand km, front brake pads 30-40 thousand km. The rear drums last more than 120 thousand km, the rear brake pads - about 60-80 thousand km.

Reviews

The 1.7-liter Chevy Niva engine is not very powerful, so it won’t be possible to develop any serious speed on the highway. The car does not accelerate very quickly, and in principle, accelerating it to a speed of more than one hundred and forty kilometers per hour will only be possible on a long stretch of a good road. Due to the weak engine for the car’s weight, car owners have to deal with a lack of power on severe off-road conditions, such as wet black soil. This can be stopped by purchasing high-quality off-road tires for the Chevy Niva.

In the reviews you can find another drawback - the low quality of the car’s components. As standard, it is equipped with bad tires, so after purchasing it it is better to change them immediately. After overcoming the speed threshold of 80 km/h, a noticeable vibration appears in the transfer case. It is also quite difficult to set up a simultaneous flow of air to the windows and legs in the car.

Review of Chevrolet Niva (212300-55) 1.7 4WD (2011)

In general, in order.

After some time, the front passenger seat began to creak when no one was sitting in it and you were driving on a road like paving stones. The first time it squeaked, I was so enraged that I even got out of the car and kicked it out of anger (after unsuccessfully trying to pull it through). Sometimes it also creaks in the area of ​​the right door dividing pillar, or in the right front door; attempts to understand what and where exactly lead to nothing. Sometimes the fan creaks. It's a small thing, but unpleasant. It’s annoying that when the windows are down, they dangle in the doors and rattle. Some may say nitpicking, well, I don’t like it. The rear wiper did not fit well and remained so (although this is a special case).

In winter, hydraulic compensators freeze in cold weather, although I read that they promised to fix it. After warming up everything is ok. Also, when it’s cold, 1st gear can be difficult to engage, and not always, which is why I can’t understand. The oils are good (I don’t regret it). In winter, when driving through snowdrifts, snow accumulates in the lower door seals, then ice melts and forms in them, causing the seals to lose their shape, stop working effectively, and then even begin to work in the dirt in the summer as an abrasive (to rub the paintwork). Is it really difficult to seal the ends of the seals from the factory so that nothing extra gets into them?! I found a solution, decided to fill the ends with silicone sealant, sold for construction. mat. for Bath. The asking price is 100 rubles.

The engine is not enough on the highway, but it may not be enough in the city when fully loaded, however, when off-road the lowering helps, everything is fine here. Although it would be possible to lower the series even lower, with a margin.

The purpose of 5th gear is also not clear; it pulls from 60 km/h to the maximum speed, while not allowing you to save fuel on the highway as it could, and causes acoustic discomfort on the highway, because at 100 km/h the tachometer shows approximately 2800-2850 rpm, and the engine at these speeds begins to make noise, then it gets louder. If only it had a different gear ratio, so that at 90 km/h the tachometer shows no more than 2000 rpm, then it would be possible to drive comfortably on the highway. If there is no dynamics after 100 km/h, then at least there would be more comfort and economy on the highway, especially since it doesn’t exist now.

It’s the little things that kill—the cheap imperfections. For example, upon purchase there was no backlight in the glove box (it used to be) and there is no audio preparation, as before. But what irritates me the most is the unsealed ends of the door seals, a simple thing, they ruined the paint.

And the brakes for this car are still rather weak, especially after rain and puddles, you can almost be left without brakes on wet brake discs. You need to drive and periodically dry them by lightly braking, if you rarely use them on the road (in wet weather). IT IS ENOUGH IN DRY WEATHER. But not ideal.

Overall, I am very pleased with the car as a small SUV. I installed a self-locking differential in the rear axle, the cross-country ability is excellent, I even stopped noticing many diagonals, the protection along the entire length covers the engine, gearbox, transfer case and even the cover of the front CV joint of the rear universal joint, only the rear one is open, I was still afraid of tearing the rear cover, I often sat on my belly skidded until it holds (ok). For the ideal, what is needed is a larger trunk, a more powerful engine and a transfer case so that they do not make noise or vibrate at all (a dream... ). In terms of geometric cross-country ability, everything is perfect.

I definitely recommend sealing all the ends of the door seals right away to new buyers of this car!

I almost forgot: the places where the eyes of the car are too narrow cannot be approached with a normal shackle. The rear bumper in winter shovels snow like a shovel, it gets packed into it and also melts there and forms ice (inside the bumper). I carried a huge ice pack there all winter. I love to knead snowdrifts and mud. And in the summer, in deep ruts, it can cling to the ground and tear it off (I once caught it and tore it off slightly along the right arch, then attached it back with screws), so install rear bumper protection or at least a trailer hitch, or cut off the lower skirt of the bumper so that it doesn’t cling . This did not happen with the old shnivy.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

And more about driving performance

With a frankly weak engine, even the best tires could not help if the Chevy Niva did not have a powerful reduction stage in the transfer case. The car still drives even with such an engine and achieves the maximum speed stated in the passport, which is 140 km/h. Owners consider the optimal speed to be no more than 110 km/h, since if it is higher, it becomes quite noisy in the cabin, and this also has a significant impact on fuel consumption.

The brakes are well suited to the weight of the car. The braking distance at a speed of 100 km/h on a dry road surface is no more than thirty meters. The owners say that the car runs smoothly, and they also note excellent energy consumption. By the way, the Chevy Niva’s clutch is also praised in reviews. It works smoothly due to the use of an imported hydraulic cylinder with a drive for automatic compensation of the gap when the anti-friction disc wears out.

Chevrolet Niva is already a Legend!

For more than ten years now, compact Chevrolet Niva SUVs have been roaming the vast expanses of Russia from the northern latitudes to the subtropical south. Having replaced the legendary model of the Volzhsky Automobile Plant VAZ 2121, the Chevrolet Niva inherited not only the engine and transmission, but also its outstanding off-road capabilities.

It is for this reason that the Chevy Niva is forgiven for many of its shortcomings:

• hard plastic;
• “cotton” brakes;
• noisy distributor.

The rest of the car is really good. The large suspension travel and monocoque body ensure fairly comfortable movement both on city roads and on unpaved country roads. The roomy interior is equally pleasing to lovers of travel and country holidays , and the seats provide maximum comfort that a domestic SUV can provide.

But, nevertheless, one has to part with such an assistant as Niva . What should the former owner of the Shniva choose , spoiled by its off-road qualities, but with a budget limited to 500,000-600,000 rubles? The main competitors of the Chevrolet Niva today in the Russian market are very few car models with all-wheel drive. These primarily include the Taganrog Tagaz Tager, Tagaz Vortex Tingo, and Suzuki Jimny .

Fuel consumption

A separate point in owner reviews of the Chevy Niva is fuel consumption. Before discussing these figures, it is worth remembering that this car is a small but capable SUV with permanent all-wheel drive. Consumption in city mode is twelve liters per hundred, and on the highway - two liters less. Please note that the figures are for a new car without air conditioning. Owners of the Chevy Niva Le write in reviews that with the air conditioning included in this configuration, consumption increases by 1-1.5 liters.

Air conditioning and heater

Oiling of the air conditioner compressor is possible due to leakage of the discharge tube. It must be tightened carefully - the bolt may burst with little force. After a “mud bath,” the air conditioner bearings may become noisy.

According to owners' reviews, in winter, when warm air is distributed in the cabin, not enough heat reaches the feet of the rear passengers. If the heater does not work, you need to check the damper control cable. The heater radiator begins to leak after 150,000 km. The pipes will require replacement after 200,000 km.

Exploitation

The car does not bring any troubles in the form of sudden breakdowns and malfunctions to the owner, at least if you take care of the Niva and change consumables on time. However, you shouldn’t expect that nothing will break at all. The owners note that some oil seals, electrical components and bearings fail, but there are no problems with spare parts for the Chevy Niva in almost any locality in our country, and any equipment breaks down “in small ways.”

In the first couple of years of operation, the owner, judging by the reviews, has to deal with the planned replacement of torque rod bushings, silent blocks, front wheel bearings, pumps (with a mileage of more than one hundred thousand kilometers), and replacement of shock absorbers. The generator bearings will “live” about one hundred and fifty thousand kilometers, the idle speed control will last about one hundred and seventy thousand. During scheduled maintenance, regardless of whether they are done at a service center or independently, it is advisable to change the tension rollers, belts, and spark plugs.

It is also worth mentioning that the design of the Chevy Niva is quite difficult for self-repair. Perhaps this was done intentionally by AvtoVAZ engineers, so that owners would bring their cars for service as often as possible.

Chevrolet Niva. Possible malfunctions, their causes and methods of elimination

Cause of malfunction

Knocking noise from crankshaft main bearings

Usually the knock is dull, metallic. It is detected when the throttle valves are opened sharply at idle. Its frequency increases with increasing crankshaft speed. Excessive axial clearance of the crankshaft causes a sharper knock with uneven intervals, especially noticeable with a gradual increase and decrease in the crankshaft speed.

Knock of connecting rod bearings

Usually the knock of the connecting rod bearings is sharper than the knock of the main bearings. It can be heard when the engine is idling when the throttle valves are opened sharply. The location of the knock can be easily determined by turning off the spark plugs one by one.

Knock of pistons

The knock is usually not loud, muffled; caused by the “beating” of the piston in the cylinder. It is best heard at low engine speeds and under load.

Knock of intake and exhaust valves

Increased clearances in the valve mechanism cause a characteristic knocking noise, usually at regular intervals; its frequency is less than the frequency of any other knock in the engine, since the valves are driven by the camshaft, the rotation speed of which is half the speed of the crankshaft.

Excessive camshaft timing chain noise

From the general engine noise, the noise of the camshaft drive chain stands out when gaps appear between the engagement elements and is clearly audible at low crankshaft speeds.

Insufficient oil pressure at idle on a warm engine

Excessive oil pressure on a warm engine

Increased oil consumption

Engine overheating

The coolant temperature gauge needle is in the red zone of the scale. Before troubleshooting, make sure that the coolant temperature indicator and its sensor are in working order (see subsection “Control devices”).

Rapid drop in fluid level in the expansion tank

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