“First Look: Review of the New Lada Vesta with Yandex Integration and Interior Upgrades”

“Turn right,” I hear from the speakers and look at the instrument panel, where the route is lined with a green line. It seems like this is the first time I’ve seen it. And, which is especially pleasant, for the first time, Yandex services were integrated into a domestic car as a factory solution. Specifically, in the new Vesta, which is finally coming off the assembly line in Togliatti in serial form!

Everyone was waiting for the new Vesta last spring, Lada even managed to make a presentation of the model, but due to the situation in the world, plans were forced to change. During this time, production moved from Izhevsk to Togliatti, along the way, many problems had to be solved – in fact, the localization of Vesta was far from 100%, so the car had to be created literally from scratch.

It even reached the body shop, where some stamped parts have changed, and new suppliers of paints and varnishes do not yet allow for the full range of colors – at the moment, Vesta has only two of them, but by the end of the year the palette will expand to five shades. Further more. The main thing is that this did not affect the quality of anti-corrosion treatment and painting – Vesta is produced on the same conveyor where cars were previously assembled on the B0 platform.

Vesta looks better than before – it suits both dark headlight housings (from now on – fully LED), and a redesigned front bumper. And the Cross versions received a radiator grille with honeycomb cells. The plastic lining above the license plate disappeared from the trunk lid of the Lada Vesta, the lights also lost their bulbs (except for the direction indicators – this is still done for reasons of economy). The overall length has increased by 30 mm (for Cross – by 21 mm).

And the main change of the new Lada Vesta is the interior. Buyers – and there are already a whole army of them, because more than 600 thousand Wests have been produced – are satisfied with the size of the cabin, but not with the quality of its finish. Therefore, the main efforts were thrown precisely on the interior decoration. The plastic of the front panel is now soft, new door cards have appeared, which not only look better and are more pleasant to the touch, but also expanded the space in the shoulders by 5-8 mm.

In the rear doors of Lada Vesta, pockets and compartments for bottles have finally appeared. The upholstery of the seats has been changed, new colors have been added – artificial nubuck in a combination of beige and black is especially good. And the main thing that Vesta received is a multimedia complex with a 10-inch screen and support for all Yandex services. This is music, and navigation, and a voice assistant, and the route can be displayed on the screen in front of the driver – very convenient!

It’s nice that both graphics and speed are good, and the dashboard has several options for displaying information. The functionality of the Lada Vesta system will be further expanded, and it will be updated “over the air”, via an Internet connection (it is possible either via a USB modem or via Wi-Fi from a smartphone). There is also a separate architecture for future driver assistants.

But there is still work to be done: the picture from the rear view camera leaves much to be desired, there is no dynamic marking that shows the trajectory when the steering wheel is turned, and the music did not start playing brightly, despite the 8 speakers of the audio system. But the very appearance of a convenient navigator, combined with good screens in the B-segment model, is already a breakthrough!

Technologically, there are also many changes. The main thing is that a 90-horsepower 8-valve 1.6 engine appeared under the hood of Vesta, with which we are already familiar, including from the updated Grant. But if there is enough of it with a margin, then it is completely “back to back” with the larger and heavier Vesta. There were no such cars on the test, but judging by the performance characteristics, one should not expect miracles – Vesta SW Cross with heavy 17-inch wheels accelerates to hundreds in 14 seconds, this is the most leisurely modification.

The 106-horsepower 16-valve engine is another matter. There are enough dynamics in the city, and when overtaking on two lanes, the main thing is not to be lazy to wield the five-speed mechanics lever. She still howls in second gear, but there are no complaints about the mechanism. By the way, new electronic components appeared in both motors – now instead of Bosch, domestic electronics.

The handling and smoothness of the new Vesta has not changed either, despite the new springs (now Russian) and some small suspension components. Vesta still confidently rushes along broken roads and shakes on “sharp” bumps at city speeds. Instead of TRW and Lucas brakes, there are now Chinese ones. And, according to the first sensations, they work even better. By the way, all Vestas are now equipped with rear disc brakes!

All Vestas are already equipped with ABS, but ESP is not yet included in the configuration – fine-tuning a complex system on new electronic components takes time. But the Lada Vesta is controlled reliably – it stands well in corners and does not throw up unpleasant surprises during sharp maneuvers, so there is no particular need for ESP.

In addition to LED headlights and a convenient multimedia complex, Vesta received an engine start button. But this solution was clearly planned for keyless access, which is not yet available. As a result, you still need to get the key out of your pocket and then automatically try to insert it into a non-existent ignition lock. There was also a new steering wheel with convenient buttons.

In the rest – while “denomination”. The French light and rain sensors have not yet been replaced, seat heating is again “single-stage”. The cool climate control unit from the Renault Arkana crossover also fell victim. Instead, there is an air conditioner with tight and playful handles.

But everything will be completed and added. The more powerful 1.8 engine (122 hp) has not been forgotten, in which the maslozhor has already won. In the first quarter of next year, it will be available with a CVT (it can withstand torque up to 200 Nm), and the possibility is not ruled out that the automatic transmission will be “friends” with the 1.6 engine.

Perhaps, Lada Vesta 1.8 will be available with mechanics (there used to be a Renault gearbox), because in Togliatti they want to release Vesta Sport before the end of the year! So the range of modifications will soon expand, but for now the main thing is that the market has finally received a car that has been waiting for a long time. And sales will start any day in all dealer centers of the country (and there are more than three hundred of them).

We have already published detailed prices yesterday, but let us remind you that Lada Vesta Comfort (so far this is the basic version) with a 90-horsepower engine costs 1,239,900 rubles. The equipment includes ABS, LED optics, air conditioning, front airbags, heated front seats, power mirrors and side windows. Surcharge for a 16-valve engine – 99 thousand.

The Lada Vesta SW station wagon costs 90 thousand more than the sedan, and the raised Cross modification with a clearance of 203 mm will cost at least 1,511,900 rubles. The top-end Techno equipment with a digital instrument cluster, a multimedia system with a 10-inch screen, a heated leather steering wheel, a rear-view camera and 16-inch alloy wheels is already 1,569,900 rubles.