“Gazelendvagen”: test drive of the new Russian SUV “Strela”
- July 25, 2022
- 0
Last year at the military defense forum, the Strela SUV was unexpectedly shown to the public. It was clear that the car was built quickly, but the idea
Last year at the military defense forum, the Strela SUV was unexpectedly shown to the public. It was clear that the car was built quickly, but the idea itself seemed very interesting! After all, the authors created the impossible: they made a spectacular civilian all-terrain vehicle tailored to the units of an ordinary Gazelle. However, after the exhibition, there was no more news about this project … The AvtoVzglyad portal decided during an exclusive test drive to find out what the serial prospects of this car were.
First, let’s look at the background of the “arrow” appearance. The car was developed by the Design Bureau of Youth of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and the industrial partner was the Military Industrial Company, which produces various military equipment, including the famous Tiger armored all-terrain vehicles.
For last year’s “Army”, the partners set up a running schedule to test the interest of the public. And this interest was simply astonishing! Less than 20% of all reviews were negative. In addition, many commentators (in words, but still) were willing to buy such an SUV at a price of about 2,000,000 rubles.
About the prices actually. With an annual circulation of 10,000 copies, the serial version of Strela can cost about 2,500,000 rubles. And for the development of production will require from four to five billion rubles. Money. I must say, quite uplifting: GAZ Group, to put Sobol NN on the conveyor belt, will now spend 3.25 billion rubles.
Hearing such amounts, the representative of some “Ford” or “Volkswagen” just laughed! They have ordinary restyling more expensive, but here – the development of new models. But there’s no hatred here: the Strela comes off cheap, as the frame, suspension, motor, and more come from the serial Gazelle Next.
However, certain improvements were needed. Thus, they decided to cut straight Gazelle beams to weld a kind of zigzag structure: careful readers who have looked at the photos will understand how this is done. Otherwise, the car would be disproportionately high.
The five-door body is built around the GAZ Group universal cab module, which is also trimmed in height. Because of this, I had to redraw the front doors. The rest – from the center pillar to the rear bumper – is Bauman’s own development. Like in fact the monstrous integral plumage, where the hood, wings and grille form one whole.
The five-seat saloon almost completely repeats the interior of the Gazelle Next, but for greater sturdiness the authors of the project have upholstered the seats, front panel and door cards in Alcantara. The bench in the second row consists of three separate seats. Behind it is simply a dimensionless trunk, which is not surprising given the total length of the car 5090 mm.
How does it all drive? Like a Gazelle, only a little slower. In the gearbox, the ratios need to be changed so that the 150-horsepower Cummins turbo diesel can more easily turn the large wheels with an outer diameter of 37 inches. And so a 2.5-ton off-road vehicle has enough regular capabilities of the “next” engine, brakes and suspension.
All that’s missing is four-wheel drive… But that’ll be it! Now the Gorky Automobile Plant is completing the creation of a new generation of 4×4 transmissions: with an independent front suspension, a chain transfer case and many other interesting solutions. For example, the “Strela” exhibition temporarily had rear-wheel drive only.
No one knows how long that “temporary start” will last… According to our information, the project had quite tangible serial prospects. But now, after the onset of known events, no one is willing to give any guarantees. Too bad: such an SUV would suit both the security forces and the citizen – as an alternative to the outdated “Patriot”.
On the other hand, the Industrial Development Fund has budgetary billions for the development of Russian industry and the GAZ group has free capacities after the departure of Volkswagen. And given the proximity of the conveyor belt from which the Gazelles depart, it is the Strela that could be produced instead of the Octavia and Taos …
Photo: AvtoVzglyad.
Photo: AvtoVzglyad.
Photo: AvtoVzglyad.
First, let’s look at the background of the “arrow” appearance. The car was developed by the Design Bureau of Youth of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and the industrial partner was the Military Industrial Company, which produces various military equipment, including the famous Tiger armored all-terrain vehicles.
For last year’s “Army”, the partners set up a running schedule to test the interest of the public. And this interest was simply astonishing! Less than 20% of all reviews were negative. In addition, many commentators (in words, but still) were willing to buy such an SUV at a price of about 2,000,000 rubles.
About the prices actually. With an annual circulation of 10,000 copies, the serial version of Strela can cost about 2,500,000 rubles. And for the development of production will require from four to five billion rubles. Money. I must say, quite uplifting: GAZ Group, to put Sobol NN on the conveyor belt, will now spend 3.25 billion rubles.
Hearing such amounts, the representative of some “Ford” or “Volkswagen” just laughed! They have ordinary restyling more expensive, but here – the development of new models. But there’s no hatred here: the Strela comes off cheap, as the frame, suspension, motor, and more come from the serial Gazelle Next.
However, certain improvements were needed. Thus, they decided to cut straight Gazelle beams to weld a kind of zigzag structure: careful readers who have looked at the photos will understand how this is done. Otherwise, the car would be disproportionately high.
The five-door body is built around the GAZ Group universal cab module, which is also trimmed in height. Because of this, I had to redraw the front doors. The rest – from the center pillar to the rear bumper – is Bauman’s own development. Like in fact the monstrous integral plumage, where the hood, wings and grille form one whole.
The five-seat saloon almost completely repeats the interior of the Gazelle Next, but for greater sturdiness the authors of the project have upholstered the seats, front panel and door cards in Alcantara. The bench in the second row consists of three separate seats. Behind it is simply a dimensionless trunk, which is not surprising given the total length of the car 5090 mm.
How does it all drive? Like a Gazelle, only a little slower. In the gearbox, the ratios need to be changed so that the 150-horsepower Cummins turbo diesel can more easily turn the large wheels with an outer diameter of 37 inches. And so a 2.5-ton off-road vehicle has enough regular capabilities of the “next” engine, brakes and suspension.
All that’s missing is four-wheel drive… But that’ll be it! Now the Gorky Automobile Plant is completing the creation of a new generation of 4×4 transmissions: with an independent front suspension, a chain transfer case and many other interesting solutions. For example, the “Strela” exhibition temporarily had rear-wheel drive only.
No one knows how long that “temporary start” will last… According to our information, the project had quite tangible serial prospects. But now, after the onset of known events, no one is willing to give any guarantees. Too bad: such an SUV would suit both the security forces and the citizen – as an alternative to the outdated “Patriot”.
On the other hand, the Industrial Development Fund has budgetary billions for the development of Russian industry and the GAZ group has free capacities after the departure of Volkswagen. And given the proximity of the conveyor belt from which the Gazelles depart, it is the Strela that could be produced instead of the Octavia and Taos …
Source: Avto Vzglyad
I’m Sandra Torres, a passionate journalist and content creator. My specialty lies in covering the latest gadgets, trends and tech news for Div Bracket. With over 5 years of experience as a professional writer, I have built up an impressive portfolio of published works that showcase my expertise in this field.
