Given the small number of Soviet car factories that have survived difficult perestroika times, the release of each new model is a whole event. In 1999, the Ukrainian plant "ZAZ", in an attempt to support its own brand, released a compact front-wheel drive car ZAZ-1103 "Slavuta" ...
It is hardly worth evaluating the appearance of the ZAZ-1103 Slavuta by foreign criteria. The profile is quite awkward with rectangular shapes, originally from the eighties. The heavyweight rear arches and the fifth door, too clearly separated from the body, are striking. After opening the rear door, it becomes clear that the small car disguised as a sedan belongs to the "liftback" format.
Nevertheless, even and minimal gaps, high-quality seals and good coloring of parts give away the efforts of the Zaporozhye plant to produce the highest quality product (with an eye to reality). Bumpers painted in body color are already in the basic configuration, but the side mirrors are not just disharmonious in color and size, but also because of the small area, practically nothing is visible in them. Standard 13-gauge steel discs are centerless and secured with three bolts around the circumference of the rim.
The interior of the compact car ZAZ-1103 can be said to be minimalist, with hard plastic panels and practical, but ugly upholstery. The driver's seat is comfortable, despite the small dimensions of the cabin, even a rather large person can sit down.
Visibility is sufficient, but the landing is very low, the impression is that there is already asphalt under the seat. A sticky soft plastic steering wheel just requires some kind of braiding. Unfortunately, simplicity has a downside. Most of the controls are simply miserable: a forgotten choke knob, short paddle shifters, an uninformative gearshift lever with an unusual algorithm, constantly bumping into the knee. And such a small number of buttons and switches are simply lost on the dashboard. There are a minimum of devices under the visor, and their backlighting is uneven: the speedometer, fuel and temperature indicator, the speed will have to be guessed by the behavior and sound of the car, since there is no sound insulation and the noise of the engine breaks into the cabin with the noise of the wind. You can guess about the wind with the help of door handles, from under which "siphon". On the other hand, the frank budget of the cabin, thanks to a fairly clear fit of the parts (even when driving on paving stones, nothing rattles), the absence of artificial leather and silver plastic panels looks harmonious. There is clearly not enough space for passengers on the rear sofa, but the complex transformation of the back of the rear sofa turns a modest 300 liters of trunk into 740 liters of cargo volume.
The Slavuta ZAZ-1103 car of the latest releases is equipped with four-cylinder petrol injection engines with a volume of 1.2 and 1.3 liters, providing power at the level of 63 and 66 liters. with. respectively. Both engines comply with Euro 3. The motors are aggregated by a five-speed manual transmission. The front suspension is independent of the MacPherson type, the rear is semi-independent with a transverse stabilizer. The brakes are equipped with a vacuum booster, with discs on the front wheels, and drum mechanisms on the rear wheels.
As the test drive of ZAZ-1103 Slavuta shows, the behavior of the car is quite consistent with the price and the tasks set. It responds easily to a key turn, has decent acceleration dynamics and good maneuverability in city traffic and moderate speeds on the track, it is not designed for races over 120 km / h and high-speed slalom. Braking is confident, but the rubber profile is narrow.
Taking into account the cost "ZAZ-1103" will suit "pioneers and retirees", as the first or last car, which is justified by the low initial cost of about $ 4700 and inexpensive maintenance. Alas, the last independent Ukrainian development ZAZ-1103 "Slavuta", although sold in the amount of 140,000 copies, has not been produced since January 2011, it was replaced by the Chinese clone "Chery A13" under the name "ZAZ Forza".
