I Spent 24 Hours with a Communist Car

TL;DR

The Lada Niva is a slow, rattly, 84hp Soviet relic that surprisingly outperforms modern expectations off-road.

Key Points

• 1.The Lada Niva debuted in 1977, designed by Soviet automaker AvtoVAZ for rural USSR citizens needing a rugged vehicle; it can ford 24 inches of water and 39 inches of snow.
• 2.It became Lada's top export, capturing 40% of Europe's 4WD market share and was the only Russian car ever regularly sold in Japan.
• 3.The car weighs 3,000 lbs despite being shorter than a Honda Civic, powered by a 1.7L 4-cylinder making only 84 horsepower with poor fuel economy.
• 4.Signature features include full-time 4WD with a lockable center differential, double wishbone front suspension, solid rear axle, and stamped steel unibody construction unchanged for nearly 50 years.
• 5.The test car (a 2013 model) had a dead battery requiring jump-starts throughout the trip, a flashing check engine light, and constant rattling — yet handled off-road trails with ease.
• 6.Nolan and crew camped overnight, cooking borscht (a Ukrainian dish) from scratch, acknowledging the irony of celebrating a Russian car while condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• 7.Despite its crude, tractor-like driving feel, the Niva's lightweight design allowed it to float over rocky, muddy obstacles where heavier trucks like the Tacoma would struggle.