Lada Largus - plus three forces for rubles
Largus with a 16-valve K4M engine with a power of 105 hp. was more popular than the version with the Romanian-made 84-horsepower eight-valve K7M engine, which was frankly weak. Why "was"? But because the transition to Euro-5 was a verdict: to drive this engine into new standards means to put up with the inevitable loss of power and torque, and he is not a hero anyway. In addition, it is not produced at AVTOVAZ - therefore, it falls into the category of foreign currency components.
An elegant move was found, and for rubles: a native VAZ eight-valve VAZ-1118 was registered under the hood. Largus with such an engine costs from 497,500 rubles for a van and from 524,500 rubles for a station wagon.
The engine was assigned its own index VAZ-11189, since the supports and the entire set of attachments (power steering pump, generator, air conditioning compressor) were changed. But the essence is still the same: this engine with a lightweight connecting rod and piston group is well known to the owners of front-wheel drive Lads and Datsuns as a reliable and easy-to-maintain unit.
What did you get regarding the foreign K7M engine? Power 87 “horses” (+ 3 hp), maximum torque 140 Nm (+ 17 Nm). The maximum speed of the five-seater station wagon has increased by 2 km/h, the van and the seven-seat station wagon - by 3 km/h. Up to a hundred five-seater Largus accelerates faster by three tenths of a second, a seven-seater - by a second.
Another advantage: the French engine requires AI-95 gasoline, while ours is officially allowed 92nd, which will not be superfluous when traveling to the country and out of town in general. The fuel consumption in the service documents is the same, but I dare to assume that in life the VAZ engine will be less voracious.
To install the VAZ-11189 engine on the Largus, a reconfiguration was required: the battery was moved, the fuse box was changed, the coolant expansion tank moved to the right wing. In its place is now the air filter housing from Vesta. The air intake-resonator, of course, is also a new model. Otherwise, hoses, lines, wiring harnesses are laid.
Paired with the new engine is a five-speed JR5 gearbox, designed for torque up to 200 Nm. She is familiar from the cars of the Renault-Nissan alliance - they put her, for example, on the Sandero Stepway. The gearbox is adapted to the Russian motor: gear pairs with different gear ratios are selected. The drive of the switching mechanism is cable. But the clutch is in charge of hydraulics.
In addition, the car received a new clutch housing, common with the XRAY model, as well as a driven disc and a LuK basket.
I managed to knock out a five-seater Largus with a new engine that had just rolled off the assembly line for a short trip. If you do not open the hood, nothing gives out a domestic unit. No characteristic noises, vibrations, twitches. It is clear from acceleration that it is not a sixteen-valve, but the car drives faster than before. And it slows down well, and you feel the drive with the new amplifier right away.
They say power sells a car and torque wins the race. Largus is clearly not for competition, but in everyday life the torque reserve will not hurt. And according to this indicator, the VAZ-11189 engine is preferable to its predecessor.
By the way, the 16-valve K4M engine is now also being assembled in Togliatti, and it is also included in the Euro-5 standards. Retribution for the environment - a drop in power from 105 to 102 hp, and torque - from 148 to 145 Nm.
Since they took up the engines of the Largus family, why not reconsider the level of equipment? Now all cars have athermal windows, cabin air filters and a seat belt warning device, the interior design of the car has been redesigned. Instead of a cigarette lighter, there is a universal socket for 12 V. The wiper mechanism has been improved, thanks to which it was possible to get rid of the “French tear” - a characteristic smudge in the center of the windshield. A more efficient vacuum booster from ATE appeared in the brake system. The configurations were also slightly corrected: earlier, only the Lux modifications were equipped with the 16-valve K4M engine, now they can also be found on the Norm.
In general, concern for the environment helped Largus improve its power characteristics and not lose its price attractiveness.