Without aesthetics and innovations: a test drive of the forced “heel” LADA Granta KUB
- October 14, 2022
- 0
If someone had told me a year ago that I would be waiting with genuine interest for a test drive of the LADA Granta in the “commercial heel”
If someone had told me a year ago that I would be waiting with genuine interest for a test drive of the LADA Granta in the “commercial heel” modification, I would have had to turn my finger to my temple in response. Then in Russia there were enough cars more interesting. But times have changed drastically. And now the portal “AvtoVzglyad” enthusiastically introduces LADA Granta KUB.
“Cubic” Granta from the Togliatti sedans of the same name are made by the Nizhny Novgorod company Promtekh. Its employees in the field of domestic car re-equipment for the needs of commercial transportation “ate the dog.” They started converting Gazelles into ambulances in the 1990s. And now they mount their bodies on LADA Granta, LADA Largus and LADA Niva Legend.
And if yesterday the market niche of such “remodeling” companies was rather narrow, today, when literally all foreign suppliers of LCV-class cars “suspended their activities” in the Russian market, the situation is changing dramatically. If you need to deliver small shipments of goods to shops or, for example, a small team of repairers/installers to facilities, it is difficult to find suitable transport these days. For example, try buying a new VW Caddy, Renault Kangoo, FIAT Doblo and others…
So it turns out that the reworking of Togliatti cars is waiting for some kind of golden age in the near future. Unless, of course, the “Chinese” don’t get along. Thus, the new LADA Granta KUB has every chance of becoming one of the most popular models used by courier services and small retailers.
In appearance, this car is quite different from the usual type of this type of equipment, which looks like this: a passenger car cabin attached to a van “cut out with an ax”. The exterior of the Granta KUB is much more like the look of a classic “heel” – with smooth and fairly aerodynamic contours and profile.
The car is not built according to the standard scheme, when half of the passenger compartment with a trunk is cut from the body of a passenger car, a frame is welded with wheels and a “load” is already placed on it. At Granta KUB, the floor of the cabin and the trunk did not go to demolition. Yes, they sawed off the front. But only then, to weld the body extension insert.
Thanks to this intervention, the wheelbase of the car has grown from the standard 2467 mm to 3050 mm. And the rear doors actually stayed in place – they were integrated into the van’s design. It is by the way a steel power frame with plastic panels. Thus, the loading area of the body has access both from the rear, via swing doors and from the sides – via the former passenger doors on the side. Which is very convenient for potential users, since the usable volume here is quite: it is indicated at the level of four cubic meters: 2300x1400x1450 mm.
Carrying capacity passport – 650 kg. At the same time, the developers claim that the car can be safely loaded with 750 kilograms. The structure makes it possible. The fact is that the rear suspension of LADA Granta KUB is spring-loaded with adjustable air bellows. In addition, the process of inflating and draining excess air from the “pneuma” from the passenger compartment is organized. Here, between the seats, a box with a pressure gauge and a few buttons is mounted. Judging by its appearance and sound during operation, this device is the closest relative of a banal piston compressor for inflating tires. The solution is not aesthetic, not technological, never innovative, but damn, working!
There is not much to say about the cabin of the “cube”. The usual “Grant” with a manual gearbox, the simplest “music”, “climate” and electric windows. There are no airbags: what kind of cars AVTOVAZ produces – these are the ones that get into trouble. I must say that before the test drive of the “heel” based on Granta, I was quite afraid that he would not, as they say, “go off the word completely”.
Standard 90 l. Of. An 8-valve 1.6 liter VAZ petrol engine would clearly not be enough to overcome the aerodynamic drag of a hefty “cab” behind the driver. But it turns out that the engine has been “cheated” here too. With the help of chip tuning, it was increased to 116 hp. Of. It is clear that this did not give the car the dynamics of a hypersonic rocket. Still, it became more or less possible to drive it.
I don’t know how many seconds Granta KUB accelerates to “hundreds”. I’ll say this: I managed to fire it up to such a speed without a load in the van somewhere at the end of a straight and even miles of tarmac road. But these are all trifles. A businessman is not at all interested in the “maximum speed” of a van. But for him, the question of price is extremely sensitive. LADA Granta KUB costs about 1.7 million rubles.
At the moment – quite budgetary. And “it will be”, because the vehicle’s type approval should not be received until November. Only with this document in hand does the manufacturer have the right to sell his vehicle in Russia. Promtech’s tentative plans are to release Granta KUB in a print run of 1,000 copies per year. But against the background of the disappearance of almost all competing models from the Russian market, the real demand for such “heels” is likely to significantly exceed the stated figure.
photo AutoView
photo AutoView
photo AutoView
“Cubic” Granta from the Togliatti sedans of the same name are made by the Nizhny Novgorod company Promtekh. Its employees in the field of domestic car re-equipment for the needs of commercial transportation “ate the dog.” They started converting Gazelles into ambulances in the 1990s. And now they mount their bodies on LADA Granta, LADA Largus and LADA Niva Legend.
And if yesterday the market niche of such “remodeling” companies was rather narrow, today, when literally all foreign suppliers of LCV-class cars “suspended their activities” in the Russian market, the situation is changing dramatically. If you need to deliver small shipments of goods to shops or, for example, a small team of repairers/installers to facilities, it is difficult to find suitable transport these days. For example, try buying a new VW Caddy, Renault Kangoo, FIAT Doblo and others…
So it turns out that the reworking of Togliatti cars is waiting for some kind of golden age in the near future. Unless, of course, the “Chinese” don’t get along. Thus, the new LADA Granta KUB has every chance of becoming one of the most popular models used by courier services and small retailers.
In appearance, this car is quite different from the usual type of this type of equipment, which looks like this: a passenger car cabin attached to a van “cut out with an ax”. The exterior of the Granta KUB is much more like the look of a classic “heel” – with smooth and fairly aerodynamic contours and profile.
The car is not built according to the standard scheme, when half of the passenger compartment with a trunk is cut from the body of a passenger car, a frame is welded with wheels and a “load” is already placed on it. At Granta KUB, the floor of the cabin and the trunk did not go to demolition. Yes, they sawed off the front. But only then, to weld the body extension insert.
Thanks to this intervention, the wheelbase of the car has grown from the standard 2467 mm to 3050 mm. And the rear doors actually stayed in place – they were integrated into the van’s design. It is by the way a steel power frame with plastic panels. Thus, the loading area of the body has access both from the rear, via swing doors and from the sides – via the former passenger doors on the side. Which is very convenient for potential users, since the usable volume here is quite: it is indicated at the level of four cubic meters: 2300x1400x1450 mm.
Carrying capacity passport – 650 kg. At the same time, the developers claim that the car can be safely loaded with 750 kilograms. The structure makes it possible. The fact is that the rear suspension of LADA Granta KUB is spring-loaded with adjustable air bellows. In addition, the process of inflating and draining excess air from the “pneuma” from the passenger compartment is organized. Here, between the seats, a box with a pressure gauge and a few buttons is mounted. Judging by its appearance and sound during operation, this device is the closest relative of a banal piston compressor for inflating tires. The solution is not aesthetic, not technological, never innovative, but damn, working!
There is not much to say about the cabin of the “cube”. The usual “Grant” with a manual gearbox, the simplest “music”, “climate” and electric windows. There are no airbags: what kind of cars AVTOVAZ produces – these are the ones that get into trouble. I must say that before the test drive of the “heel” based on Granta, I was quite afraid that he would not, as they say, “go off the word completely”.
Standard 90 l. Of. An 8-valve 1.6 liter VAZ petrol engine would clearly not be enough to overcome the aerodynamic drag of a hefty “cab” behind the driver. But it turns out that the engine has been “cheated” here too. With the help of chip tuning, it was increased to 116 hp. Of. It is clear that this did not give the car the dynamics of a hypersonic rocket. Still, it became more or less possible to drive it.
I don’t know how many seconds Granta KUB accelerates to “hundreds”. I’ll say this: I managed to fire it up to such a speed without a load in the van somewhere at the end of a straight and even miles of tarmac road. But these are all trifles. A businessman is not at all interested in the “maximum speed” of a van. But for him, the question of price is extremely sensitive. LADA Granta KUB costs about 1.7 million rubles.
At the moment – quite budgetary. And “it will be”, because the vehicle’s type approval should not be received until November. Only with this document in hand does the manufacturer have the right to sell his vehicle in Russia. Promtech’s tentative plans are to release Granta KUB in a print run of 1,000 copies per year. But against the background of the disappearance of almost all competing models from the Russian market, the real demand for such “heels” is likely to significantly exceed the stated figure.
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.
