The classic SUV has received a different engine, a revised engine bay, a new interior, reworked suspension, and a galvanized body.
AVTOVAZ today, July 20, 2026, celebrates its 60th anniversary: the countdown began from the day the government decree was signed for the construction of an automobile plant in Tolyatti (Samara Region) with a capacity of 600,000 passenger cars per year. Construction of the Volga Automobile Plant began in 1967, and the first VAZ-2101 units rolled off the assembly line on April 19, 1970. In turn, production of the SUV with the index VAZ-2121 started on April 5, 1977, and production of this model continues to this day.
Moreover, over all these years, the appearance of the classic SUV, which is currently presented in Russia under the name Lada Niva Legend, has remained recognizable. At the beginning of last month, AVTOVAZ introduced a modernized Niva, details about the changes emerged recently, and today serial production of the updated SUV has started: the domestic company timed this event to coincide with the anniversary celebration.
As Kolesa.ru previously reported, during the modernization, the Niva Legend's engine was changed: now under the hood is an eight-valve VAZ-11184 with a displacement of 1.8 liters, which equips the Niva Travel SUV. The output of this engine is 90 hp, maximum torque is 153 Nm, and it reaches 80% of the peak value already at 1000 rpm. Its predecessor – a 1.7-liter engine with 83 hp (129 Nm) – has been retired. The average fuel consumption in combined mode for the updated Niva is 9 liters per 100 km (for the pre-reform version – 9.9 liters per 100 km).
Additionally, during the modernization, the classic SUV's engine bay was revised, acoustic comfort was improved, and changes were made to the manual transmission, as well as the front and rear axles. The front suspension now uses control arms unified with the Niva Travel, and the front brakes have received ventilated discs. Our correspondent Andrey Sudbin provided more details about these and other changes in his review.
The interior of the Lada Niva Legend has also received a batch of updates. Thus, the SUV has a different position for the gear shift lever, there is a standard place for a smartphone nearby, and the steering wheel comes from the Granta, so now the equipment list includes a driver's front airbag. At the same time, the impact sensor that triggers the mechanism was calibrated so that the airbag does not deploy off-road during significant contact with the ground.
Another important change was the galvanization of the body: the hood, front and rear panels, rear door, and roof of the Niva Legend received this treatment. There are few changes in the appearance of the modernized SUV: it involves a plastic fairing trim on the air intake grille on the hood, as well as a set of original two-tone 16-inch wheel rims.
Prices for the updated Lada Niva Legend will be announced later, with sales start scheduled for late August to early September. The recommended retail price for the base version of the pre-reform SUV is 1,099,000 rubles, while purchasing the top-end variant will cost at least 1,258,000 rubles. The modernized model will likely be more expensive.
Comments (0)