AvtoVAZ plans to produce two-liter engines - a long history of upgrades

Cars at the Volzhsky plant have been mass-produced since 1970. During the existence of the Soviet Union, they were considered the best among the models available to ordinary citizens. In terms of dynamics, even the classic VAZ-2101/07 cars outperformed the Volga, not to mention the front-wheel drive Lada.


During its post-Soviet history, AvtoVAZ has repeatedly experienced ups and downs, although the latter clearly prevailed. Despite the dedication of the management and designers, not all of them, of course, but there were people who lived at the plant, they had to create in conditions of lack of finances.

Along with cars, engines also developed, although not everything was smooth with them. The most successful AvtoVAZ power unit, in the end, was the Renault power unit, known under the HR16 and H4M indices.


This motor was partially localized, but not completely. After the introduction of economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and the “divorce” from Renault, AvtoVAZ cannot do it on its own.

Now LADA Granta is equipped with an eight-valve VAZ-11182 engine of its own design. The same power unit with a volume of 1,6 liters and a capacity of 90 liters. s., most likely, the updated Lada Vesta will also receive when it is again put into mass production.

But recently, the leadership of AvtoVAZ announced that it was seriously going to release a line of new engines, already with a working volume of 2,0 liters. The manufacturer promises that the range of engines will acquire not only atmospheric, but also turbocharged power units.

The new engine, in fact, will be another modernization of the old one, but global. There is really nothing difficult in its development and mass production, at least for such a serious enterprise as AvtoVAZ.

Help Porsche

The first AvtoVAZ engine, which was destined to evolve and develop for several decades, was created in cooperation with the Germans. And not some obscure ones, but with Porsche specialists.


In general, the initially eminent brand was supposed to help finalize the VAZ-2108, which they did. At the same time, an engine appeared under the index 21081 with a displacement of 1,1 liters. Many do not even know about it, but it was this power unit that became the main one for all AvtoVAZ cars, including most of the modern ones.

After a series of upgrades, the working volume increased to 1,5 liters. Then the engine got fuel injection, to the delight of AvtoVAZ fans.

The “tenth” LADA family has already begun to receive sixteen-valve engines. Around the middle of the zero years, the working volume of the long-suffering engine was increased to 1,6 liters. This was done with little bloodshed - by installing a new, higher block and, accordingly, lengthening the piston stroke.

On this, with an increase in engine capacity, they decided to stop, and only increased power, albeit slightly.

VAZ-11194

Especially for Lada Kalina, AvtoVAZ released a new engine with a displacement of 1,4 liters. Of course, they did not create it from scratch, but on the basis of the most modern VAZ-21126 power unit at that time.


The new product was made using a number of foreign components, so it was advertised as innovative. Reducing the working volume from 1,6 to 1,4 liters should have a positive effect on reducing fuel consumption. The motor itself was planned not only economical, but also quiet and reliable.

But, as often happens, the output turned out to be not at all the same engine as we wanted. The VAZ-11194 power unit loves high speeds, and this, as you might guess, does not fit in with efficiency.

Drivers disliked the "Kalinov" motor for a number of shortcomings:

✅ High fuel consumption
✅ Non-prestigious volume
✅ Poor traction at low revs
✅ The need to actively work with the gear lever
✅ Reliability issues

Therefore, the new engine was eventually recognized as unsuccessful and its production was abandoned. The VAZ-11194 was produced on the assembly line from 2007 to 2013.

Motor tuning from "Super-Auto"

While the owners of Lada cars were waiting for an engine with a displacement of at least 1,8 liters and traction at low revs, AvtoVAZ could offer them only 1.7 from Niva. This outdated power unit was suitable for a domestic crossover, and even then, in rural areas.


The private company "Super-Auto" decided to give the market what it needed - this is how an engine with a displacement of 1,8 liters appeared. Naturally, private traders did not have the opportunity to build a motor on their own, to make at least some castings. Therefore, the new engines were essentially "garage tuning".

For a volume of 1,8, a number of “piling” procedures had to be carried out. As a result, the margin of safety decreased, which led to frequent breakdowns. However, lovers of faster VAZ cars did not pay attention to this - their “swallows” still often got into accidents and the power units did not have time to fail.

By the way, in 2014 Super-Auto cooperated with Mecaprom and released updated engines with higher reliability. But AvtoVAZ did not want to cooperate with third-party manufacturers. Therefore, engines from "tuners" have never been massive.

Own 1,8 liter engine

In 2016, AvtoVAZ seemed to have made a major breakthrough - the company began to assemble new engines with an index of 21179. These power units received a working volume of 1,8 liters and developed 122 hp. With.


At first, Lada Vesta with these engines was bought well, especially since the engines were more perfect than previous models. But then it turned out that the VAZ-21179 has a number of design flaws.

Cons VAZ-21179, manifested during operation:

✅ High oil consumption
✅ "Stupid" overclocking
✅ Breakage of the crankshaft

The popularity of the “ideal” motor quickly faded away, Lada Vesta with such a power unit began to be bypassed. As a result, the engine was abandoned, replacing it with a Nissan / Renault HR16 or H4M, respectively.

More serious attempts to develop new engines by AvtoVAZ were not made until the spring of 2021.

Why did you need a two-liter power unit?

After the introduction of economic sanctions against the Russian Federation, AvtoVAZ regretted that, relying on Renault, the plant rested on its laurels. Although, no one could have imagined that the holder of the controlling stake, in fact, the owner of the company, would leave our country.


As a result, the manufacturer was left with simple 1,6-liter engines. It seemed that the VAZ-21179 needed to be revived, especially since the power unit had been modernized several times. But the "glory of the people" branded this engine unreliable, so they considered it better to develop a new series of engines with a displacement of 2,0 liters.

By the way, despite the manufacturer's assurances that the two-liter power units will be new, this is not entirely true. Where can they come from, if not from the long-suffering 1,6 liters, which have evolved since the working volume of 1,1 from the 80s?


The recipe for modernization is simple and well-established - it is enough to increase the height of the block just by the missing 400 cm3. It is stated that the power of the new motors will be from 100 to 200 hp. With. Such a wide range of engines, including turbocharged units, is enough for both existing AvtoVAZ models and future developments.

And the press service of the domestic manufacturer briefly mentioned the creation of diesel engines. But this is so, in the long term.

But they are already working on two-liter power units. It remains only to wait for their debut, although AvtoVAZ does not give any preliminary forecasts in this regard.