Lada To Retire The Five-Door Niva Legend By The End Of 2021

Sometimes even legends have to retire after many years of service. This will reportedly happen in the case of the Niva Legend 5-door, with Lada planning on ending production this December. The iconic 3-door Niva Legend however has nothing to worry about since it will march on, at least until the long-awaited all-new model arrives in 2024.

The five-door version of the Niva, codenamed VAZ-2131, is one of the many variants that appeared in the mid-90s, several years after the unveiling of the three-door in the late ’70s. Despite offering increased legroom for the rear passengers thanks to the significantly longer wheelbase (+500 mm / 19.7 inches), it was not a great seller with only 100,000 units leaving the factory since 1993, out of the 3 million units of the Niva sold since 1977.

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It is a fact that most buyers prefer the classic three-door short-wheelbase Niva which is the most capable off-road, the lighter, and the most fuel-efficient despite using the same engine. However, for all these years there was still a market for the five-door variant dubbed as an estate version of the 4×4.

Irrespective of the bodystyle, all Niva Legend models are fitted with an (ancient) 1.7-liter engine producing 82 hp (61 kW / 83 PS) and 129 Nm (95 lb-ft) of torque mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and a four-wheel-drive system.

Supply issues halted the production of the five-door Niva Legend in February, only to restart again in March. Our Australian colleagues at Drive.com.au report that the AutoVAZ factory stopped taking orders last week in order to catch up before production ends for good in December.

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In Russia, the Niva Legend five-door is currently offered in Classic, Luxe, Urban, and Black Series trim levels with prices ranging from ₽747,900 ($10,556) to ₽832,900 ($11,756). The flagship variant comes equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, integrated plastic bumpers, fog lights, heated front seats, power windows, heated mirrors, and air conditioning. The off-road-focused Bronto trim was exclusively offered as a three-door.

AutoVAZ’s decision to end production for the long-wheelbase Niva Legend was a no-brainer since the recently facelifted Niva Travel can be seen as an indirect replacement. This model is an updated version of the AvtoVaz 2123 that debuted in 1998 and was also sold as the Chevrolet Niva, but it is still significantly more modern than the fossilized Niva Legend. For the record, the Niva Travel starts from ₽820,900 ($11,587) in Russia, which is a fair price for such a vehicle.