The new Lada Niva Sport now offers a staggering 122 horsepower – beware,

A sporty version of the old SUV has entered production, featuring several styling and mechanical upgrades

Lada Niva has been making steady progress since 1977, like a 70s band from the automotive world still doing reunion tours. However, like a sequel that no one asked for, it keeps reappearing every time AvtoVAZ decides to tweak it to call it “new”. This time, it’s the Niva Sport, a “sporty” trim with a more powerful engine and some sporty aspirations. By “sporty” we mean it’ll probably do the 0-60 sprint before your coffee goes cold, but hey, let’s give it credit where it’s due.

The big news here is the Niva Sport’s new longitudinally mounted 16-valve four-cylinder engine, which develops 122 hp (91 kW / 124 PS) and 151 Nm (111 lb-ft) of torque. Of course, these numbers won’t set the Nürburgring on fire, but they’re a huge jump compared to the 82 hp (61 kW / 83 PS) and 129 Nm (95 lb-ft) the standard 1.7 model squeezes out . -liter gasoline engine powers the rest of the Niva range.

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The newfound power is paired with an upgraded five-speed manual transmission with a strengthened fifth gear, a stronger clutch housing and a single-lever transfer case. Power is transmitted to all four wheels via a permanent all-wheel drive system.

More notably, Lada incorporates “sporty suspension and braking setups” that are said to give the Niva Sport an edge over its more humble siblings in terms of driving dynamics. Of course, calling the Niva “sporty” is a bit of an overstatement – well, A lot of But these tweaks might at least make for slightly less wrestling when maneuvering anywhere that isn’t a straight line or dirt track.

Outside there’s a red sport badge on the plastic grille, a new set of 16-inch alloy wheels, wide fender extensions, extra LED lights at the front and a bonnet scoop. Oddly, Lada didn’t opt ​​for body-colored bumpers on City and Black trim, or the Bronto’s more aggressive grille and headlight housings, which would have complemented the design here.

Inside, the Niva Sport’s seats are accented with red accents, contrasting with the black interior. This theme extends to red stitching on the steering wheel, dashboard, glove box, gear lever and seats. From the available cabin photos, the Niva Sport appears to come with air conditioning, power mirrors and power windows, but lacks a sound system, although that may be added at a later date.

The automaker says the sporty models in the range are inspired by the Nivas rally, including one that recently won the 2024 Transcontinental Silk Road Rally marathon. Although the launch of the Niva Sport has been delayed several times over the past few years, the company has now officially confirmed the start of production.

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Lada has not revealed specific information about the market launch or pricing of the Niva Sport, with details to be announced at a later date. However, local media speculated that the new version could break the 2 million rubles (approximately $20,000) barrier, becoming the most expensive model in the range. For context, the current Niva range starts at 981,000 rubles ($9,800) for the austere Classic, while the off-road-focused Bronto Prestige starts at 1,485,000 rubles ($14,800).