Onboard vehicle GAZ NEXT A22R32 and A22R33 (FARMER)

Another golden mean

Daniil Minaev, photo by the author

The past year 2013 will be remembered in the history of the Gorky Automobile Plant for an important milestone - last spring, mass production of a new generation of the light-duty GAZelle family of vehicles began, which received the prefix “Next”, since the previous family of these epoch-making trucks is not yet going to leave the assembly line.

As expected, representatives of our magazine were present at the ceremony of the ceremonial launch of production of the new semi-truck, then we looked at the new product and voted for it at the COMTRANS-2013 exhibition (see “GP” No. 12, 2013), now it’s the turn to get acquainted with commercial vehicle.

Circumstances, as we know, are often stronger than us, but it also happens that they themselves work out in our favor. The standard procedure for obtaining new products for a test drive either leads to the manufacturers' press parks or becomes part of an organized event. But in the dead autumn of 2013, a colleague from my previous place of work called me and invited me to get acquainted with one of the newly received GAZ-A23R22 vans, produced directly at GAZ OJSC in Nizhny Novgorod. Of course, I agreed with pleasure, since this test format allows me to be more objective, since I have to examine an ordinary car from a retail chain, and not a specially prepared, sleek copy...

"Tadpole" semi-hooded

The white cabin and white van in the chilly autumn weather and constant precipitation limited the time for the photo shoot, and unloading at the construction site was soon to be done. “Feet in hand”, hastily filming the outside of the still clean car, I get behind the wheel. I can immediately note that the cabin, visually larger in appearance, has become significantly more spacious inside. Bah, adjustments have been added to the driver’s seat: now you can change the height, the angle of the pillow, and the lumbar support. But the steering column now moves within a small range only in the angle of inclination; there is no longer any adjustment in the longitudinal direction. Even such a modest possibility of adjusting the steering wheel was not easy for the designers, I realized, looking at the whole chain of cardan joints of the steering shaft. The steering mechanism on the Next is rack-and-pinion type, with a lower steering rack, and with a half-hood cab layout, it is quite difficult to assemble, and besides, this is the first domestic experience on cars of this class. Just how reliable are the cardan joints themselves, will they ensure a long life of the connections without backlash, since they are poorly protected from wet dirt and salt. The door, as expected, was slammed on the second attempt. And it’s not a problem, we’ve all gotten used to it a long time ago, having bought something new Russian automobile, it still needs to be additionally prepared for use: stretched, lubricated, adjusted. And the new GAZelle is no exception. Having briefly examined the painfully familiar frame, I recognized many old familiar components and assemblies there.

Gazelle-Next - manufactured goods van GAZ A23R22

"Gazelle-Next" with a manufactured goods van is suitable for any business related to the transportation of goods. The combination of proven Russian durability and unpretentiousness with European-level comfort is the main feature of the new product from GAZ.

Appearance

“Gazelle-Next” noticeably stands out on the streets among the familiar representatives of the domestic automobile industry. A massive cabin with panoramic glass, bold shapes, smooth ride - at first glance it is quite difficult to determine that this is not a foreign car.

Design Features

The carrying capacity of the Gazelle-Next is 1.5 tons. The van has high quality characteristics - sealed seams that protect the cargo from moisture and snow, a plastic coating that protects the metal from corrosion, and high structural strength as a whole. Among other things, without compromising maneuverability, the dimensions of the van have increased - 2 euro pallets can now be placed inside, and its height reaches 1.8 meters.

If the cargo does not require special temperature conditions, a manufactured goods van will be the ideal solution for its transportation. Our catalog includes other Gazelle-Next vans and special equipment, as well as manufactured goods vans for any chassis.

Service and warranty

The warranty period for Gazelle-Next is one third longer than that of the previous generation Gazelles - 3 years instead of two. If we measure the indicators in terms of kilometers driven, then this is 150 thousand kilometers instead of 80 thousand. The service interval is 20,000 km. Owners of Gazelle-Next can use the services of all GAZ service centers.

Technical characteristics of the Gazelle-Next car

For reference

The official manufacturer's warranty for the new Gazelle-Next car is 3 years or 150,000 km. Maintenance must be carried out every 20,000 km or once a year. The cost of a basic scope of maintenance work at an authorized service center starts from 6,000 rubles. (TO-1 – 20,000 km) up to 8800 rub. (TO-4 – 80,000 km).

Onboard vehicle GAZ NEXT A22R32 and A22R33 (FARMER)

Onboard vehicle GAZ-A22R32 “GAZelle Next Farmer”. Extended wheelbase, 2-row cab. Diesel engine Cummins ISF 2.8, power steering, ABS, Euro-4.

Onboard vehicle GAZ-A22R33 “GAZelle Next Farmer”. Extended wheelbase, 2-row cab. Gasoline engine A275 Evotech power steering, ABS, Euro-4.

The light commercial truck GAZ-A22R32 “GAZelle Next Farmer” (double seven-seat cabin + sleeper) with an extended wheelbase is designed to deliver a work crew with the necessary tools and materials to the site of repair work.
Standard equipment of the GAZelle Next Farmer car:

• socket (12V);

• audio system;

• Cruise control;

• heated mirrors;

• power steering;

• electric windows;

• additional heater;

• preheater;

• door open alarm;

• on-board trip computer;

• high capacity battery (85 Ah).

Technical characteristics of the GAZ A22R33 on-board vehicle:

CAR COSTS:

1. Onboard vehicle GAZ-A22R32 “GAZelle Next Farmer”. Extended wheelbase, 2-row cab. Diesel engine Cummins ISF 2.8, power steering, ABS, Euro-4. = 1,459,500 rub.

2. Onboard vehicle GAZ-A22R33 “GAZelle Next Farmer”. Extended wheelbase, 2-row cab. Gasoline engine A275 Evotech power steering, ABS, Euro-4. = 1,269,500 rub.

Onboard vehicle GAZelle-NEXT A22R32 and A22R33 FARMER are available in a warehouse in Samara and at the manufacturer’s site.

The GAZelle-NEXT A22R32 and A22R33 onboard vehicle can be purchased on lease, on credit, for cash and by bank transfer.

When purchasing a GAZelle-NEXT A22R32 and A22R33 FARMER car, warranty and service are provided.

Libra effect

The start of the diesel engine resulted in a decent vibration of the gearbox floor lever, the instrument panel lit up in a pleasant green color, which for some reason is out of favor with most automakers today, but in Nizhny they remained faithful to this conservative method of illumination. Personally, I like it! Go!

The window sill panels of the door trim have become convenient, located at the desired height - now those who use GAZelles for long-distance flights will not have to look for ways to independently modify them. And on the right, a standard armrest appeared, adjustable in height. In a word, everything is fine with the landing. The only thing you can find fault with is the buttons for the electric windows, which are single-stage and do not have a mode for simultaneous raising/lowering of the glass. And I also noticed signs of family traditions - a lid made of cheap plastic protruding at the edges. In a word, just some kind of “scales”. Will explain. The flaws in the design of the front panel are compensated for by the abundance of niches and drawers, which were lacking in the previous model, an electric window appeared instead of a frankly bad cable one, but its button was not completed, the sound insulation of the cabin became better, but the glazing of the rear wall disappeared. Well, in general, you understand what I mean.

But with the movement, everything is not entirely smooth. The gearbox engages well, but is still noisy, and the gear ratios are apparently again unified for the entire range of engines offered. Our Chinese diesel Cummins twists in second gear, but still has no luck in third gear. Once you stay at a traffic light a little longer, there is no talk of a traffic jam; another drawback, familiar from the previous model, reminds us of itself - the clutch basket heats up and begins to vibrate the moment it starts to engage. As the speed increases, the flaws in selecting gear ratios are smoothed out, but after 80 km/h the dynamics of the speed increase weaken before our eyes. Maybe it's a matter of running in? The electronic odometer has counted 873 km since the start of operation, there is about one ton of cargo in the van, but remembering how well the “old lady” GAZelle with the Trans-Volga “405” engine ran, all other things being equal, one becomes sad. It's time to compare an alternative power unit that is not yet offered to the masses.

The cargo in our van was placed on four Euro pallets, causing the center of gravity to shift upward. This was immediately reflected by the yaw and diagonal rocking of the car. Sensitive brakes and an excellent ZF hydraulic booster make it easy to cope with these unpleasant phenomena, but the driver will not be able to relax on a long journey. In this regard, I remembered an episode from practice. The well-worn Ford Transit served as a tractor for a trailer with racing equipment, and at the same time was a carrier of tires, tools, barrels of fuel and lubricants and all other equipment for mechanics during races. That day it was necessary to make three trips with different trailers, and darkness, rain and fatigue did not allow us to carefully load the van itself. About a ton of pieces of iron were simply thrown at random, and a trailer was also registered behind it. What is the center of mass here, where is the prudent securing of the load?! And nothing, all three runs went quite well, of course there was a difference in the car’s behavior on the road, but not as striking as that of the new GAZelle. And here again “scales”. Precise steering, tenacious brakes, but questionable tuning of the very energy-intensive suspension.

The front suspension on double wishbones has gained independence, the steering mechanism is rack and pinion.
Technical characteristics of the GAZ-A23R22

GAZelle Next farmer technical specifications

The factory warranty for cars is 36 months (3 years) or 150,000 km. The service interval for maintenance is set by the manufacturer at 20,000 km.

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Themselves with a mustache

The Gazelle-Next market niche is the golden mean between the previous generation of the Nizhny Novgorod lorry and more expensive, but time-tested and service-tested products such as Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Peugeot Boxer, Ford Transit. This was the plan, and, in my opinion, it was a success. Why do many operators, especially from the regions, prefer to purchase domestic equipment? Low prices and transport accessibility of spare parts, the possibility of independent repair and maintenance literally in the conditions of the simplest garage are still the primary trump cards of the Russian outback. But at the same time, the modern motorist is no longer ready to put up with unreasonably high fuel consumption, freeze in an uncomfortable cabin, turn a heavy steering wheel without a power steering in a parking lot, go blind due to poor headlights on the night road, or “sunbathe” on the side of the road due to systematic engine overheating. GAZelle-Next gives the feeling of a modern car, but also remains simple and friendly.

Indeed, to service it you won’t need a specialist who knows how to, and you certainly won’t have to register the replacement of almost every new light bulb in the memory of the on-board computer. Only sometimes this friendliness becomes like familiarity. For example, when you stop at a gas station and cannot properly adjust the gas nozzle to the stupid neck of the gas tank; when the door of a brand new car does not close, but slams; when the pleasant warmth of the heater gives way to unbearable stuffiness, and adjustments do not help; when in the morning the starter refuses to turn due to oxidation of the antediluvian contact design. That's the problem. And again, as has always been the case in our country, in skillful and thrifty hands these shortcomings will very quickly be eliminated, and a nice truck will simply sparkle with its novelty and practical elegance. And the handy self-taught craftsman, studying the design of a modern unit, with pleasure

An Economist's View

A new Russian car of such a class as a small-tonnage vehicle, mainly for private business, must first of all be described through the eyes of the driver, who is also the owner. But it doesn’t hurt to look at Gazelle-Next from the standpoint of today’s market for new class cars.

The cost of the car I was driving that November day was 805,000 rubles.
This is almost the maximum configuration. The minimum offer at the end of 2013 is about 650,000 rubles. The previous model 3302 sells for an average of 460,000 rubles. The closest truck in price is the Fiat Ducato, sold under the wing of Chrysler, from 929,000 rubles, Ford Transit can be purchased in Moscow for 1,120,000 rubles. The twins Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter will cost no less than RUB 1,300,000. In a word, the creators of GAZelle-Next made the right mistake by offering their product in the middle of the price range between outdated domestic equipment and the leaders of the international light commercial vehicle market. Summary

ENERGO SERVICE Trading House LLC and personally the head of the transport department, Anton Yurievich Kichigin, for their assistance in preparing the material