Which is better, Niva or UAZ?.

The question in the title of the article has long ago set the teeth on edge for most of the drivers. In continuation of this, you can ask: have you ever wondered which is better - salt or sugar? Both products are white, both change the taste of the finished dish, making it better and more pleasant, only put sugar in tea and cakes, and salt in meat and fish. Both salt and sugar have their own purposes. And nevertheless, returning to the old question, which is better, Niva or UAZ, you can try to understand the capabilities of each of these truly legendary cars.

A little history

To understand the essence of the problem, you just need to remember for what purpose each of these cars was created. We will talk about all the familiar UAZ - a goat (469th), or in extreme cases Hunter, and the usual three-door Niva, or its modification VAZ-21214M.

The first of these vehicles was created by order of the military and was intended for movement in any conditions, including as part of a tank column. Niva, however, was originally designed for rural residents and for moving along roads, albeit country roads, broken into splashes and flooded with water, but roads, as well as along highways and in urban conditions.

Even a simple comparison makes it possible to understand that with some similarity in purpose, these are different cars. But they complement each other, which allows us to choose the right machine for specific conditions. But it will be possible to return to its purpose a little later.

Comparison of technical characteristics

Here it should be noted right away that UAZ is closer to the generally accepted understanding of an SUV. It has a frame structure, a classic five-door body and a dependent leaf spring suspension. From the point of view of an all-terrain vehicle, almost all the formal requirements of the UAZ are fulfilled, which provides an increased weight - 2500 kg.

Niva can be conditionally considered a light SUV or rather even a crossover. She has a three-door monocoque body of the station wagon type, independent link suspension at the front and dependent at the rear. Thanks to this, its total weight is 1850 kg. In terms of dimensions, the difference is not very significant, except that the length of the UAZ is 40 cm longer, and the height of the Niva is 1.64 m versus 2.025 m for the UAZ.

The value of clearance is important for an SUV, for the Niva it is 22 cm, while for the UAZ it is 21 cm. There are other differences, but they are already more understandable for specialists.

Engine and transmission

UAZ is equipped with a 2.7-liter gasoline engine, although it can be equipped with a 2.2-liter diesel engine. In the first case, the power will be 128 hp, in the second - 113 hp. Niva, on the other hand, is always produced only with a 1.7-liter gasoline engine producing 80 hp. To some extent, this difference in the characteristics of the engines is compensated by the difference in the weight of the machines, but the influence of such a factor on the permeability is very difficult to take into account. And here it is worth noting that it is much easier to do this on an UAZ, especially if you do everything yourself. It can even be considered as a kind of blank, which can be quite simply adapted specifically for yourself.

And what is the result?

We can only say that all kinds of machines are needed, all kinds of machines are important. Each of them has its own areas of application. The Niva is tailored for a ride on not too strong off-road with the ability to move freely enough on the highway and in urban conditions. This is its purpose - to drive on broken asphalt, a country road, to go fishing, pick mushrooms, to the dacha and to other similar places. In fact, Niva is a car for people who prefer an active lifestyle. But she needs careful treatment and, with good handling, can serve for a long time.

With the UAZ, the picture is somewhat different. For all the purposes described above, it can also, of course, be used, but usually it has a different purpose. It is the favorite vehicle of off-road jeepers. Simplicity, a large selection of spare parts and the possibility of significant modernization put it practically out of competition for such use.

However, the operation of such a car requires much higher costs and the availability of skills to repair the car. As a rule, on UAZs in urban conditions and on the highway, unlike the Niva, they rarely move, their element is a forest, a field, abandoned roads or the complete absence of these. So for these purposes, you can choose UAZ, and in other cases it is better to use Niva.

The question of the superiority of one car over another, the Niva over the UAZ or vice versa, will remain as long as at least one such car remains on the move. And even though a large number of drivers have already expressed themselves on this topic and a definite opinion has been formed, the opportunity to better know the strengths and weaknesses of each car will not be superfluous.

.