Here's some antiquities we can dig up: two old-fashioned off-road vehicles that can be bought in 2022 – the £200,000 Morgan CX-T and the £20,000 Lada Niva.
The editor-in-chief's phone woke me up: "We have planned a topic about those old antiques that still have vitality, haha!" We think you're the right executor! ”
"Haha!" I replied, "It seems pretty good!" ”
But after thinking about it for a few seconds, I reacted, "Huh? How am I the most suitable? chief editor? chief editor! ”
"Beep, beep, beep..." He hung up the phone.
The Lada Niva has been in continuous production since its birth in 1977, making it the oldest new car still on sale today. As for the Morgan Plus Four, it depends on how accurately you want to state it. As a basic concept, the "+4" was introduced in 1950 and has been on sale ever since, but Morgan will emphasize that today's "+4" is a new generation that will be reborn in 2020. Maybe it's brand new, but looking at its ash frame and fluid sports car-style exterior, no one can deny that it has ancient genes.
Usually, the two cars appear in very different columns in our magazines, the new Morgan should be test drive, and poor Lada will undoubtedly become the protagonist of some cold joke, such as a person walking into an accessories store and saying to the clerk, "Can I change the hub cover of my Lada?" The clerk thought for a moment and then replied, "It seems fair to exchange this way." ”
But want to see these two cars in the same frame on a certain page? Well, the two brands are pulled together today because both have unusual twists in their stories, and these two unexpected twists have a common story: they're both weird.
Let's start with Rada. Can I still buy a new Rada in the UK? Yes. Weird, right? Rada entered the UK in 1974 and sold 1200 and 1300, which were actually Russian-produced Fiat 124s assembled at the Tolyat plant on the Volga River under license. At first, these cars were widely praised for their durability and affordability – and since they could withstand the cold of Siberia, they were naturally suitable in britain, which was economically depressed and dilapidated in the 1970s. But by the 90s, models like the Riva and Samara had become age-old antiques, and the Lada brand had been destroyed. The UK stopped importing in 1997.
But there has always been a Lada that is different. For some reason, the Niva, a 4WD, not only avoids being reduced to a joke, but also has some niche fans as a rough but capable off-road vehicle. Part of the reason is that it was actually quite advanced when it came out. The Niva (meaning "wheat field") was developed by Lada's parent company, AvtoVAZ, inspired by new civilian 4WDs such as the Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz G. In mass production in 1977, the Niva became the world's first load-bearing SUV (monolithic body, no trapezoid frame), featuring a small but highly reliable 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, a constant-time all-wheel drive system, a high and low speed transfer case, and a central differential lock. Amazingly, its rear axle is a monolithic bridge structure, while the front suspension is a free-standing double wishbone with coil springs at the front and rear – at a time when the Land Rover 3 series was still using leaf springs derived from horse-drawn carriages.
Another reason Niva is always proud of its styling – it takes a minimalist route, with a close-to-Brutalist simplicity seen on Fiat models of the '70s. Its overall silhouette is square, the straight rear of the car looks like it has been slashed, and the treatment of the line surface is pragmatic, but it does not look rigid, and it is as lively and cute as the first panda designed by Giugiaro in 1980.
It is the niche charm of Niva that makes us choose this topic. In 2010, a graphic designer named Mark Key saw a Niva on a ski slope performing the routine task of a 4WD on a snowy road and recalled how fun it was when they were still on sale in the UK. Long story short, Mark was inspired to import one privately through a Russian agent (a process he modestly described as "quite challenging"). He later sold the car and started the Niva import business, which was completely unplanned.
This is not the anamorphic effect of the lens
- Rada's gear lever really resembles Gandalf's wand.
In 2016, Mark's modest but steady import business stopped because the still-producing Lada failed to keep up with tightening EU regulations, but with Brexit (here to cheer), the situation has changed. Mark said: "Suddenly, we (the UK) don't care so much about all these electronic tags for car inspections, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief because Niva is coming again. ”
So Mark imported it again in private name, and the one you see here is the 2021 Niva Legend, which is 44 years old, and the new model starts at just £19,595 in the UK. What's more, this is really the last batch of original first-hand cars that can be bought, as Lada's new parent company Renault will end the life of this old horse in 2023 (paving the way for the new Niva, the concept car Niva Vision has been unveiled in January 2021).
Niva stopped evolving a few years ago, and it was happy to stay in the swamp.
So what does a 1977 car feel like in 2022? In a modern parking lot, it stands out, not because it's tall, but because it's so small and so simple, with flat and vertical windows around it, slender tires, exposed axles, under the bumpers... Nothing. As a classic configuration, it has two keys: one small for ignition and the other smaller for the car door. The interior (these new imported cars are left-hand drive) is surprisingly modern, much like a Dacia from the '90s! Niva's interior has recently undergone some upgrades, becoming more airy, with more solid seats, some Renault switch buttons, and even the luxury of offering two cup holders. Mechanically, it has changed little from that year, with an 83 hp 1.7-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine (a newer product, but still associated with the 1966 Fiat 124 engine) and a 5-speed manual transmission. It's been improving over the years in terms of finesse, but it's basically the same car. This test drive is the Deluxe Edition (£20395) with more alloy wheels, power windows, tinted glass and air conditioning than the Standard Edition, but I personally prefer the Standard Edition's steel wheels and plain purity. The combination of the deluxe version's alloy wheels and drum brakes is like sprinkling a few extra slices of pineapple on a pizza.
Let's get started. Niva's engines started with a rustic, agricultural mechanical feel, the steering wheel was unusually large, and the shift lever travel was probably the longest I've ever experienced: hanging 5 gears was like reaching into a glove box to grab something. But this is a car that requires a full body of people to devote, and you need to give it a lot of attention: if you want to drive smoothly, your hands and feet have to move constantly, but I like the effect. The speed up is a bit slow (from 0 to 100 km / h it takes... Yawn... Exactly 17 seconds), we stabilized at 90 km / h, and Niva felt very calm at this time. Push harder (top speed 140 km/h), the engine starts to groan, the transmission starts to whine, and the whole car feels very hard. So I slowed down back to 90 km / h... Everything relaxed again. It's okay to ride at this speed – it's not a Range Rover, but it's not a carriage either. I don't want to drive hundreds of kilometers, but for a short trip like a supermarket, it has a mischievous joy.
If water enters the inside of Niva, it will not cause any harm to it.
Take a short trip to the supermarket, or... Going to a nearby quarry? Because we made an appointment to go there to meet another of the over-the-norm two-car test drives.
I said earlier that there was an unexpected turn in evolution, right? Take a look at the Morgan CX-T. It is based on the Plus Four, powered by a 259-horsepower BMW 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, using Morgan's CX bonded aluminum chassis. Morgan would tell you that T stands for Trial and even make up a story about how a 3-wheeler was like in 1740, but it was actually a reinterpretation of the adventurous spirit that had already spawned models like the Ariel Nomad and the Singer ACS. It's a bit like a combination of the fantasy movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Tamiya's remote-controlled at-the-box at-law truck. I once asked James Lewis-Barned of Morgan PR how a car like this was born, and he replied firmly that it wasn't out of any market segmentation or customer analysis: "Our designers are always sketching all sorts of weird or fantastic things, and they nail the drawings to the wall as inspiration, like the mood boards that some people use when they conceive ideas." Our CEO Steve Morris saw a sketch of the car and said, 'Build it.' ’”
The uneven brown floor is within reach——
Today I and I are going home with a body of dirt.
So they did it. Morgan enlisted RalyRaid UK, a Huddersfield-based racing company that makes cars and motorcycles for the Dakar Rally, and teams up to compete. It brought a pure racing mindset to the CX-T program, so the exoskeleton you see isn't really a roll cage (that's under the roof), but an equipment rack for the toolbox, trunk, fuel tank, and spare tire. Although the exterior looks familiar, much of the car is new: custom side-out exhaust pipes, full-length underbody skid plates, a slightly raised front hatch to better dissipate heat and allow the electronics to be positioned higher, and a position-changing air intake in the trailer on the driver's side. Underneath the body, the improved suspension features a modified version of the Plus Six's wishbones and racing-spec springs and shock absorbers from rally specialist EXE-TC.
Morgan tells us that all this attention to detail justifies the car's jaw-dropping £204,000 price... Cough, well, reasonable. That's right, the money for a CX-T can buy 10 Nivas. It's just that you can't buy a CX-T, because Morgan only plans to produce 8, and they all have a name. Therefore, the price is both ridiculous... And it makes sense.
But are all these high-end modifications to mechanical parts just for showmanship? After all, crucially, the CX-T is still a rear-drive vehicle, and despite its Dakar-style wheels and tires, it still looks like it'll be stopped by the first obstacle it encounters. There is only one way to prove its capabilities.
Despite the wheels in the air,
Morgan's tradition of being fearless of testing makes it unnecessary to rescue.
Transmission, transfer case, differential lock
- All manual.
Getting down from Niva and sitting into Morgan was like getting off an old man's armchair and lying on the ground. Looking at the cab, I was sure I would never find a proper seating position, but I soon realized that in terms of ergonomics, its CX chassis was very different from the British sports car of more than half a century ago, but more like the Mazda MX-5, and the spaciousness of the interior was truly amazing. Even if you close the windows, because the lower edge of the windows is extremely low, you will feel exposed to the body. I looked down at the bare brown ground within reach and realized that today I and I were going home with a body of dirt.
The interior of the Morgan CX-T is from the Plus Four,
But added some mud.
In addition to BMW's engine, the CX-T is also equipped with BMW's xDrive rear differential, which has three modes: fully open, full lock, and a limited-slip mode in the middle. Set up in an intermediate mode suitable for drifting, I entered the quarry and started playing. I immediately noticed that the CX-T had the perfect balance: just throw it in — the front tires have a strong grip — and slam on the throttle, and the rear of the car would curve sideways in an easy, dirt-spattered manner. The front is a slender front hatch with shutters, and the seats are almost above the rear axle, so the side slip is linear and easy to control even on smooth mud, and the combination of precise steering and responsive engine allows me to make a beautiful drift like a rally driver driving a Ford Accord in the 70s on a gravel road.
The rigidity of the aluminium chassis is reassuring: it's true that the ride feels bumpy, but given the tremors of the regular Plus Four when it encounters potholes on the road, the car's ability to filter out the undulations of off-road conditions is incredible. Confident, I ventured into more rugged areas to see how far I could drive before I was trapped.
As a result I found out that CX-T didn't want to be trapped. With its lightweight body, abundant torque and flexible wheels, it can be invincible even without a four-wheel drive system. Can you believe it? The Morgan's ground clearance is comparable to that of the Land Rover Defender (see comparison table below). I know there will be visual errors here. Although the fat tires look like they are tightly stuck in the wheel compartment and have no room to move, the suspension actually has a large compression stroke and seems to have endless "deformation" capabilities. When climbing diagonally up to the edge of a hard rock, the front wheels lift, but as the body completes the center of gravity shift and the front presses down, the rear suspension pushes the rear wheels out like a small giraffe stretching its hind legs, keeping the tires in contact with the ground and ensuring that the vehicle still has driving power.
On the steep, slippery ground, the Morgan also refused to be trapped. I found that by locking the rear differential and increasing the throttle, it could bite the road in almost any steep, rocky gully. It's crazy, I thought the CX-T would need a trailer rescue at any moment, but now I think it has the strength to be a real Dakar player.
Unlike Morgan, the Niva is a true 4WD. Locking the central differential and setting the transfer case in low gear gives it the advantage of climbing without having to assist you like the CX-T. The Rada's short wheelbase of just 2.2 meters also helps: the CX-T's strength is its ability to swing its tail like a Kinkana performance by drift master Ken Block, while the humble Niva can explore the narrower trails on the edge of the quarry.
Morgan was founded in 1910.
But this is the first time to enter this environment.
We ventured onto these trails. Surrounded by thick trees and thick mud on the ground, Niva is unhurried, unhurried, unyieldingly letting the wheels turn and moving forward with tenacity. Like the CX-T, this Lada has the advantage of being lightweight: 1285 kg, almost a ton lighter than the New Defender 90. The torque value of the 1.7-liter 4-cylinder engine does not seem like much, but it is completely sufficient here, and the speed can start climbing just past idle speed. Also like the CX-T, no matter how intimidating the body is at, a few wheels never seem to lose contact with the ground, and as I squirm through the trail, the unusually large steering wheel suddenly becomes extraordinarily handy. No wonder many farmers and hardcore off-road enthusiasts still love Niva – the basic ingredients are still correct, and what's the point of touchscreen and Bluetooth when all that's needed is traction?
So, amazingly, what both cars have in common is more than you — and I at the beginning — have imagined: yes, they are both antiques, but neither is yet at the end of their lives. They all perform well as off-road vehicles, with niva's potential deeper than Morgan's, but the CX-T's all-round capabilities are even more amazing. By their very nature, they're expensive, but Mark Key — like Morgan — doesn't worry about finding customers for Niva: In 2021, he imports dozens of Nivas.
Another quality they have in common is that they all have extremely distinct personalities—the kind of personalities that can make an avid car fan like us fall in love with stupid models that we don't even need. I'd love to drive the CX-T through the Gobi in inland Australia or North Africa, and Niva gave me the impression that it would help me escape a nuclear disaster. There is no doubt that it can survive too.
Rada Niva
Prices: from £19,595
(Test drive £20,395)
Powertrain: 1690mL
8 valves 4 cylinders, 5-speed manual, full drive
performance:
83ps @ 5000rpm，
129Nm @ 4000rpm，
0~100km/h 17.0s,
Extreme speed 142km/h
Curb weight: 1285kg
Economy: 12.1L per 100 km fuel consumption,
CO2 N/A
Listing Status: On Sale
Morgan CX-T
Price: £204,000
Powertrain: 1998mL
16-valve turbocharged 4-cylinder,
6-speed manual, rear drive
259ps @ 5500rpm，
350Nm @ 1000rpm，
0~100km/h 5.2s,
Extreme speed 240km/h
Curb weight: 1189kg
Economy: 100 km fuel consumption N/A,
Listing status: 8 cars are booked
Text:Mark Walton/Jordan Butters
Translation/Shang Hongxin