Valdai Next - just such a medium-duty truck is needed for a big city

Foreign manufacturers of trucks are leaving the Russian market. For some, this is a minus, but the GAZ Group only benefits from this.


You will say that this is not the case - the lack of competition, and the Gorky Automobile Plant does not have a wide range of trucks. GAZelle and GAZon of the Next series are good cars, but they do not cover all the needs of the market. The first one is economical and suitable for the city, but it is light-tonnage - up to 2,6 tons can be taken on board in the heaviest version.

GAZon Next is too short despite the high load capacity. You can lengthen it, but coupled with the bonnet layout, this will make the car unsuitable for urban use.


Of course, for experienced drivers, the dimensions of the GAZon are unlikely to become critical - they calmly maneuvered in a limited space even on the GAZ-53/3307. But there are few such people, and there are many unfilled vacancies.

Foreign manufacturers have long found a way out of the situation - they offer vehicles with a payload capacity of about 3,5 tons and a cabover cab. As a rule, such cars were supplied from Japan and South Korea.

There is a feeling that the GAZ Group foresaw the introduction of economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and released in 2020 a cabover truck called Valdai Next.

Features of appearance

At the first glance at the new car of the Gorky Plant, the thought does not even come to mind that it is domestic. The cabin with characteristic headlights immediately betrays the Asian origin of the model.


Of course, GAZ once had its own cabover car - the famous "Shishiga" with an index of 66, but it was created for landing. Comfort in the cabin of this model does not even smell close - what is the shift lever behind the back and the landing of the driver and passenger.

In order not to spend money on the development of a new cab, GAZ Group decided to cooperate with the Chinese manufacturer Foton. As a result, they began to supply cabs from their trucks.

The result turned out exactly as we wanted - we managed to install a five-meter van on a regular frame from GAZon Next. At the same time, the chassis was not even lengthened, which made it possible to maintain maneuverability.

The cabin of the car is quite spacious - three people fit inside. Although, sitting in the middle is not very comfortable. It is better to lower the back and use this place as a table.

If we take the appearance of Valdai Next as a whole, then the car looks modern, no worse than foreign counterparts.

Engine

Despite the carrying capacity of 3,7 tons, the truck received a motor from GAZelle Next as a power unit. This is a Chinese Cummins diesel engine with a displacement of 2,8 liters, developing 133 hp. With.


Especially for the heavier model, the engine has been modified, increasing the torque by almost 10% and reducing the power from 148 hp. With. The maximum speed from this has slightly decreased, but this is not relevant for a working car. The motor complies with the Euro-5 class and is equipped with an EGR system.

Why didn't the Gorky Automobile Plant take a more powerful power unit, with a working volume of 3,6 liters, for example? It's simple - the Chinese manufacturer Foton agreed to supply cabins only complete with engines. This suited the GAZ Group.

There was a new gearbox - a six-speed. The GAZelevskaya 5-speed manual transmission turned out to be too fragile for the increased torque.

Other technical features

According to the chassis, Valdai Next is almost completely unified with the GAZon. This is what made it possible to quickly launch the model in a series. To make the truck more convenient for urban work, some parts were taken from the usual Valdai.

From him, the model received:

✅ Rear springs
✅ Rubber-metal silent blocks
✅ Wheels smaller than the "GAZon" diameter

Thanks to improvements, the loading height was reduced to the "correct" in the city of 1,16 meters.


The cardan shaft, as befits modern commercial vehicles, does not require maintenance. Rear axle with lip cuffs. Brakes are pneumatic, disk on all wheels.

Test Drive

The most popular version of Valdai Next is a manufactured goods van. It has a length of 4,7 meters and an internal volume of 24 m3. If you count by pallets, then 8 pieces will fit.

A special retractable ladder will help you get inside the van. It seems like a trifle, but it's nice! You can work there regardless of the time of day - there are two powerful ceiling lights, LED, by the way.

Behind the wheel is comfortable for a driver of almost any build. All controls are at hand, there are shelves and pockets for documents and various small things. Landing is almost passenger, but the seat is not sprung.


The maneuverability of Valdai Next in the city is surprising - it is clear that the engineers specially modified the steering. Turning radius - 6,2 meters. For experienced drivers, a complete set with conventional side mirrors is enough. For those who are not confident in their skills, it is recommended to take versions with a camera.

Why is Valdai Next in demand?

It would seem that the new truck of the Gorky Automobile Plant received a too weak engine. Competitors often have a more powerful power unit - there are 3,6 and even 5,2 liters.

But customers who buy a Russian car think differently. The smaller the volume, the more economical the operation. For a delivery city truck, a high maximum speed is not needed.

The engine is taxed up to 150 hp. With. The 2,8-liter engine has already managed to prove its reliability on the GAZelle Next. Plus, an increase in working volume will lead to an increase in the weight of the car and a decrease in carrying capacity.

And another important point is the pricing policy. Installing a more efficient power unit would certainly affect the final cost.

The cabin does not cause any complaints, but the fact that it is bought from the Chinese is a common world practice. It would be possible to do your own, but if it is more cost-effective to take from third-party manufacturers, then it is better to do so. Although, the introduction of sanctions against the Russian Federation made it clear that this method could lead to a deadlock.


After the departure of Japanese and European trucks from the Russian market, the issue of servicing foreign-made cars became acute. They can be repaired at any service station dealing with such equipment, but there will be problems with parts and consumables.

Valdai Next is at its best in this respect - the dealer network of the GAZ Group is able to provide service to cars throughout the Russian territory. Yes, and there is no structurally complex, new and little-studied in the truck. There is nothing to break in the cabin, and the Cummins engine has long been studied up and down.

Valdai Next has one more serious plus - a pneumatic brake system. This will allow you to operate the car with a full-size trailer, if necessary. Of course, you should not overload the car, but sometimes you need to transport light but bulky goods, such as chips.


The flexible pricing policy of GAZ Group, loans and leasing will help quickly update the fleet of those who cannot immediately allocate the entire amount for this. In today's difficult conditions - this is a plus.

Buyers note that even in a cheap configuration, Valdai Next cars are already equipped with air conditioning, ABS and ESP. Foreign cars have to pay extra for these options. Fuel consumption at full load of about 16 liters per 100 km - these are the advantages of the Cummins 2,8 engine.

It is safe to conclude that the Gorky plant made an anti-sanction car. Rich equipment, design reliability can bring this truck to the class leaders. And given the current situation with sanctions, this will happen.