Niva Trophy versus conventional Chevrolet modification - factory tuning rules!

Chevrolet Niva has not been produced since the summer of 2020, but the car itself has been preserved, only under the name Lada Niva. Among off-road enthusiasts, fishermen and hunters, this model is known as an improved modification of the Soviet SUV.


Of course, the Chevrolet Niva has enough shortcomings, but it is definitely better than the standard VAZ-2121 in all its restylings. But there is a rare car called the Chevrolet Niva Trophy - this is a factory legalized refinement that was supposed to make the best SUV out of the car.

Nothing perfect, of course, happens, in order to understand what good a modified modification has, you need to compare the standard modification with the Niva Trophy.

Who and when did the legalized tuning?

Many fans of off-road trips know that modifying a car is not only expensive and dreary. There is also the traffic police, which often does not recognize all these “bells and whistles” and fines them for them.



This is what the Chevrolet Niva Trophy is good for - it is legalized in accordance with all the rules, so you can drive safely! As is the case with such global brands as Mercedes-Benz, AMG and BRABUS, the refinement was given to third-party specialists. This is the Krumb-Service company, which at that time was the official dealer of GM-AvtoVAZ.

The cost of a modified car increased by about 30-40%. Interestingly, the Chevrolet Niva Trophy could at one time be ordered through any of the official GM-AvtoVAZ dealers. An SUV appeared in 2006.

The main improvements of the model

Experienced off-road conquerors know that the most important thing in any "jeep" is the driver and his skill. Tires are in second place. With this, the Chevrolet Niva had serious problems in the database, but the Trophy modification - everything is fine! The choice of the buyer was offered expensive BF Goodrich All-Terrain T / A or M / T on forged aluminum wheels.



To increase the patency, it was decided to install Quaife self-locking helical differentials.

Of course, any SUV will get stuck sooner or later, and the owner will have to pull it out. Chevrolet Niva Trophy is equipped with a Come-Up DV-6000S electric winch or equivalent, a special Hi-Lift jack and aluminum sand-trucks just for such cases. For most emergency situations, such an arsenal is enough, if you don’t climb into the swamps, of course.



The roof rack received additional Hella headlights so that you can move off-road even at night.

To overcome water obstacles, the car is equipped with a snorkel. In order for the electric fans not to fail in the water, they have the possibility of forced shutdown from the passenger compartment. If you press the button, a buzzer will also be activated, which will not let you forget that the fans need to be turned on after forcing a water barrier.



A regular protection of the units from below is installed, although it is deaf. It would be better to put perforated. And then the oil in the engine sump at high temperature conditions does not have time to cool. And if more dirt collects inside, then the situation will worsen.
How does a car behave on asphalt?



Of course, you should not expect better dynamics and an increase in maximum speed from the Chevrolet Niva Trophy with a standard engine. Rides like a regular Niva - and good! But maneuvers on a modified SUV are more difficult - that's for sure.

This is due to several reasons:

• ? Blocking differentials of another system
  
• ? Other shock absorbers
  

But the Chevrolet Niva Trophy is more comfortable to drive on a bad road.


Expect from a standard Nivovsky engine with a displacement of 1,7 liters and a power of 80 hp. With. some dynamics is not worth it. Things are even worse for the Chevrolet Niva Trophy - the car turned out to be about 100 kg heavier, which negatively affected acceleration.

Off-road capability

During the tests, it turned out that it is worth replacing the usual rubber with a more aggressive one on the standard Niva, and it is almost in no way inferior to the modified one. The only difference is that in the basic modification in difficult areas, it was often necessary to turn on the center differential lock.



Unexpectedly, the ground clearance turned out to be higher in the usual Niva. This suggests that the Trophy is heavier, and the rear shock absorber springs need to be installed differently - with a large number of turns.

But the stability of the modified car turned out to be higher - and this is not just some kind of sensation, but the result from the rollover stand.

Advantages

Of course, buying an old Soviet Niva as the only car is not the best idea. But Chevrolet, especially in the Trophy modification, is a compromise even for urban use.

Let's start with the advantages of the car. The first is compact dimensions. For residents of big cities, this is a plus. It's no secret that it is difficult to park a frame SUV in the center. You have to either look for a suitable place, or break the rules by driving onto sidewalks, flower beds, and so on.

The second plus of the Chevrolet Niva Trophy is the ground clearance, winch and other attributes. There is nothing to say here - such a solution allows you to move almost without borders on any surface.

Trophy’s suspension works out defects better than that of a regular Niva and cannot be compared with city sedans and station wagons.

Air conditioner and stove do their job 100%. Glasses do not sweat in the rain, no power loss was noticed during the operation of the climate system.



Excellent head light plus additional Hella headlights make the Chevrolet Niva Trophy efficient off-road in the forest even at night.
The most pleasant pluses are the cheapness of spare parts and ease of maintenance and repair. All parts are available, if desired, the car is repaired independently.

Disadvantages

The Chevrolet Niva Trophy has a little less cons than the standard model, but you can’t get away from them. The small volume of the luggage compartment was partially compensated for by the forwarding basket on the roof. But you can’t tie valuables there and leave them unattended - this is a minus.



Passengers are cramped in the back - this is tiring when traveling over distances of more than 200 km.



The only thing that the Chevrolet Niva Trophy was chronically lacking was a diesel economical engine with a displacement of 2,0 liters. More compact SUVs and do not need. But alas, this would increase the price of the car, respectively, and would seriously affect demand.

Chevrolet Niva Trophy cost its plus 35-40%. For many, improvements to standard SUVs dragged on for years and were often completed before they even started. Having bought a Trophy, it was possible to immediately get an expeditionary car without doing any modifications.

Of course, traveling in such a car is tiring, but better than the standard Niva, and even more so, the Soviet VAZ-2121 and its successor Lada 4x4.