Lada Niva Travel Receives Most Powerful Engine from Lada Vesta

AvtoVAZ has experimentally assembled a unique Lada Niva Travel equipped with the 122 hp VAZ-21179 Evo engine derived from the Lada Vesta, built to special order. To install this powertrain, engineers had to adapt it for a longitudinal layout. Ixbt.com reports on this. reports .

Externally, this Lada Niva Travel is almost indistinguishable from the standard 90 hp version — all major changes have been made under the hood. Structurally, such a solution was feasible because the base 90 hp VAZ-11184 engine already consisted of a combination of the VAZ-21179 block and the VAZ-11182 head.

The vehicle's transmission remains standard, featuring an upgraded five-speed manual gearbox. However, sources indicate that there are currently no plans for serial production of this high-performance version.

The main reason is economic: the 90 hp engine allows for excise tax avoidance and requires minimal transmission modifications. The 122 hp unit, however, would be costly for the manufacturer and could introduce additional technical complexities due to higher torque.

Recall that AvtoVAZ previously discontinued production of older Lada Niva Travel versions with the 1.7-liter, 83 hp engine. Currently, only updated models with 90 hp are rolling off the assembly line.