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RIVA
The van version of the Soviet-built Lada Riva estate was launched in the UK at the end of last year, but its origins go back many years to the old Fiat 124 design. It is certainly cheap, but many British operators will find it outdated and crude
"T'S NOT every day that CM road tests a Russian van. In Britain, -Soviet-built light commercials are out as common as 38-tonne Sinclair is (or any C5 for that matter). Last November, however, Lada troduced a van version of its Riva tate car. While Lada may have no story in light van building — at least this country — it is certainly not in c minor league in car production. lore than seven million Ladas have lied off the assembly lines at the giant AZ factory south of Moscow, since it aened in 1970, and well over 120,000 'them have been sold in the UK. Like many other Communist-blocJilt cars, the Lada Riva is based on an Id western design — in this case the at 124 — although all the original body ands, except the roof, have been -hinged along with the interior. All .1gines and gearboxes are now also ,ussian.
The van is not a factory-built model; ather it is a conventional estate onverted by Lada Cars' North iumberside import centre. Like the 'eugeot 305 and Bedford Astra van it is
■ ased on an unmodified (save for the Ilanked-in rear windows) estate car Pody. But unusually, it keeps both rear ide doors. As well as giving it extra oachng flexibility, it can also double as a tew carrier when fitted with Lada's iptional folding rear seat (in place of the tandard van's wooden floor and fixed tee barrier). At the same time, it ..scapes car tax.
While this dual-purpose concept is fairly common on the Continent, UK manufacturers have so far chosen not to exploit it.
Like the estate, the Riva van comes with the choice of either a 48kW (64hp) 1.3-litre or 54k W (724) 1.5-litre petrol engine. The lower-powered model — called the 370 van — has a four-speed gearbox, the top-of-the-range 870 van offers a five-speed overdrive-top unit. Payload on both vans is around 390kg.
PERFORMANCE Ilaving briefly driven a 1.ada 370 back in November 1985 at its launch, we were keen to see how the Soviet-built van would perform around our test route. But after a fortnight of engine troubles we were left with a less than favourable impression. During its stay with us the 370 required attention from Lada dealers on no less than five occasions for a variety of faults. These included: • Engine not developing full power — new points • Engine still not developing maximum power — points and dwell angle readjusted • Engine stalling — faulty microswitchcontrolled overide-idle economy device • Engine misfiring, not developing full power — tank debris and dirt in float chamber • Engine not developing full power — manufacturing fault in points set.
While it would be unfair to suggest that our van was typical of Lada's product range, any operator facing the same problems on a new vehicle might wonder if he had bought the right van.
When our van was running well it returned an acceptable fuel consumption of 8.77 litres/Mkrn (32.18mpg) at a brisk 69knilh (43mph).
The 1.3-litre engine may not he the most powerful on the market but it is capable of maintaining 113kmibh (70mph) on the motorway and will pull top gear at 48km/h (3(1mph) fully laden without any real problems, even if its mid-range power is not so impressive. PAYLOAD The idea of a dual-purpose light commercial may be promising, but the Riva van's loading characteristics do not help its promotion. Its long rear overhang makes it quite easy to overload the rear axle yet remain within the van's 1.51 tonnes gross weight limit. Only by placing our 390kg test cargo well ahead of the rear wheelarches could we run legally with a maximum load.
If the van is used as a four-seater, any additional cargo carried will certainly have to be limited to avoid overloading the hack axle.
Whatever its use, the optional rear spring helper pack priced at i:36, or replacement, extra-heavy-duty shock absorbers (both available from dealers) are worth fitting — if only to counteract the Riva van's pronounced nose-up attitude when fully laden.
BODYWORK
From the outside, the estate-to-van conversion is fairly well executed, although the filler applied around the blanked-in windows is rather uneven. Slightly more disturbing were the small rust spots that had started around the A and B posts on our 370 van — rather premature for a C-registration vehicle.
Converting the van to a four-seater, is simple enough. The rear seat back (which tilts forward to Corm the forward load deck) ,ind rear floor are covered in a 5mm-thick plywood skin, which has metal runners fitted to prevent load damage. Folded forward, the rear seat base acts as a load barrier.
DRIVING COMPARTMENT
Cmnpared with West European vans die Riva has a distinctly old-fashioned driving compartment. Its simple. if sombre, trim finish is not helped by the overwhelming predominance of black in the dashboard, door panels, seat covers and carpet. There is no contrasting colour or seat stripe to liven It up.
Most instruments are visible during the day, but at night it is a case of feeling around to find the unlit switches and heater controls.
Once located, they are extremely stiff La operate. Features such as the beam adjuster and headlamp wash/wipe are standard and counterbalance the general lack of sophistication.
CONTROLS The worst aspect of the Riva van must surely be its controls. When the van is unladen the steering is heavy, particularly at slow speeds. and on the motorway it is imprecise.
Driving fast around twisting A-roads the laden van seems to drift into corners and then require extra correction on the wheel halfway through.
The gear change, despite its precise change pattern, has a very notchy feel. Indeed, quickly changing up from third to fourth around ô4-I )kinili (40-50niph) frequently results in an audible clunk.
While there was nothing wrong with the efficiency of the Riva's brakes 83 per cent on our roller tester its overall braking characteristics could certainly be Unproved.
During normal braking, initial pedal pressure seems to have little effect on deceleration so you press much harder, which tends to lock everything up.
For the unwary, this lack of progression can come as a unpleasant surprise, and takes a little while to adjust to. On our test van the front brakes also developed a squeal at low speeds.
The laden Riva gives a soft but comfortable ride with a fair amount of body roll though nothing alarming. The ride of the van unladen is noticeably livelier, with a marked Unprovernent in cornering.
Visibility from the comfortable driver's seat is helped by the standard internally adjustable wing mirrors and rear tailgate wash/wipe. The 370's square front end gives an initial exaggerated impression of the Vall'S width, although this soon passes.
MAINTENANCE
One of the main selling points of the Lada range apart from its price has been its ease of servicing, particularly for the do-it-yourself owner. Inside the 370's engine compartment most service points are easy to reach, although the alternator is tucked away under the battery and is awkward to reach.
Parts prices, too, look pretty competitive especially those routine service items such as oil and air filters and brake pads. And these, coupled with a DIY maintenance approach, could keep operating costs low.
SUMMARY
Even taking into account our early problems with the 370 Riva, our overriding impression of the Lada is that it still lacks the sophistication both in its driveline and interior that today's operators are demanding, and getting.
The dual purpose van/estate car option is unlikely to attract fleet operators. but it will certainly appeal to self-employed business men who want the space of a van but need the four seats of a car. And this market will be less likely to be put off by die Riva's lower than average load volume and payload.
But by far the biggest asset of the Riva 370 is its price at 2,995 plus VAT only one other model, the Yugo van, is cheaper. Yet for anyone prepared to spend an extra 12578 there is the 1.1litre CitroL'n Visa van with a 500kg-plus payload and a massive 2.7m3 load volume all in a modern, attractive purpose-built body.
Although the Riva van's initial price and maintenance costs are lower than those of many competitors, its secondhand values will also be accordingly lower a point worth bearing in mind. In the end you only get what you pay for.
• by Brian Weatherley