VAZ-2107 Zhiguli / Lada 1500SL / Lada Riva ("seven") - rear-wheel drive four-door sedan of the Volga Automobile Plant with an improved exterior design. .at one time this car earned the name "Russian Mercedes" in the southern republics of the former Soviet Union, for its characteristic appearance. The car was created on the basis of the basic model of the family - VAZ 2105.
.as the "six" was once considered more prestigious than the VAZ-2103, so the VAZ-2107 Zhiguli / Lada 1500SL / Lada Riva ("seven"), produced since 1982, compared to the "five" was exclusive in itself. .on the other hand, the designers quite justifiably designed on the basis of a purely "utilitarian look" of a small car, cheap to manufacture, its "luxury" version. .the differences are already noticeable in appearance: a different solution to the front of the hood with stamping under the metal chrome grille (under which the hood rusts beautifully), new rear lights. .inside, the car fully corresponded to the then ideas of modern aesthetics (early 1980s): a "glare-free" instrument panel with a tachometer, additional service gauges and instruments. .the anatomical seats with an improved finish quality against the background of the same type of VAZ-2105 look more solid: the front backs are made completely with the headrests, in the back there is a special folding armrest. .but for such equipment sellers (and earlier the state) ask for a larger amount than even for the classic VAZ-2106 or the front-wheel drive three-door hatchback VAZ-2108. .the "seven" has improved passive safety, good all-round visibility, limited, however, by the rear pillars and high seat backs, but the advantages of dynamic engines are negated by poor assembly and the lack of anti-corrosion coating of the body. .The scourge of all rear-wheel-drive Zhiguli is also depressing - high loading height of the trunk, problems with the engine block, broken camshaft belts and loose bolt connections of cars produced in the period from 1990 to 1996.
.initially on cars VAZ-2107, -21072, -21074, four-cylinder carburetor engines were installed, respectively, models 2103, 2105 and 2106. These engines can be found with unified (since 1987) four- and five-speed (VAZ-2112) gearboxes. .the five-speed gearbox for the VAZ-21074 in 1992 was slightly modernized. Since 1990, the engines have been equipped with connecting rods of a new design, and four years later, VAZ-21011 engines with a camshaft chain drive began to be installed on a little common modification of the VAZ-21072. .all engines for the "seven" since 1995 have not been equipped with the PC-492 relay-breaker, which can be determined when braking with the parking brake by the constant glow of its warning lamp.
.for the European market, in accordance with the requirements for environmental protection, the VAZ-21073 sedan, equipped with a 1.7-liter engine with an output of 84 hp, has been produced since 1991. with central injection system and catalytic converter. .for the Chinese market, a VAZ-2107 model of the N71 series was produced with a 66-horsepower 1.45-liter short-stroke VAZ-21033-10 engine running on A-76 gasoline (the rest of the "sevens" run only on gasoline with an octane rating of at least 91). .Also, on special orders, the plant manufactures expensive VAZ-21079 sedans with a Wankel rotary-piston engine, which, if it breaks down, is very rare. True, in this case, it will be possible to repair it only at the VAZ branded service center. .for ordinary consumers, such a voracious and unstable car at high speeds, perhaps, is useless. The spring suspension on all wheels is energy-intensive and comfortable to ride. .however, the creaks of the instrument panel, the outdated ergonomics of the working space, and the non-linear run-out (uninformative steering constantly have to control the trajectory) annoy them. .large and uneven gaps between the panels of doors, hood and body - over time, these problems widen due to the natural wear and tear of the car and fatigue and deformation of the structural elements of the body.
.Many of the vehicles sold on the market are passed off by sellers as re-export vehicles by pointing to the E markings on the headlights, glass, tires, rear-view mirrors or the car's nameplate. .however, the letter E was put at the plant after special homologation tests, and the number after the letter indicates the country whose rules correspond to these components and assemblies: 1 - Germany (FRG); 2 - France; 3 - Italy; 8 - Czechoslovakia, etc. .it is also not recommended to purchase cars over eight years old (since 1990).in general, the VAZ-2107 can reasonably be called the most perfect and comfortable rear-wheel drive domestic sedan, besides, quite a few different firms are engaged in tuning "VAZ" models, and the "seven" can be retrofitted with all the bells and whistles that increase comfort or dynamics, and for "just .funny money "in comparison with foreign cars.Since 2001, a new program for the complete set of models was adopted, for the VAZ 2107 model there appeared versions - "standard" and "norm", for the VAZ 21074 - "norm" and "luxury".