The newest (and coolest) GAZelle: all the details and video

Electronic assistants? There will be

After reading the advertising materials, one gets the impression that driver assistance systems are already installed on the GAZelle NN. This is wrong. There are only rain and light sensors, which for some reason the plant also classifies as an ADAS complex. They will be on all machines. In the coming months, blind spot monitoring, all-round cameras, and front and rear parking sensors will be introduced as options. Adaptive cruise control and accompanying driving assistants are a prospect for at least two to three years.

GAZelle NN. Price in Russia - from 1,899,400 ₽

Additional options

Comfortable movement around the city will be ensured by an illuminated information board, electronic route indicators, and an auto-informer with two speakers and a sound amplification device. If necessary, the driver will be able to use the microphone for emergency announcements.

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Author: Diman Petrov
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Frame? Previous

All NN modifications are equipped with rear disc brakes and a stabilization system. The frame was not changed. Its last iteration went to Next, when, after a series of tests on cars with an airbag, the front part of the power structure was changed and strengthened.

The Timken type rear axle gave way to the Spicer. It is more reliable, more modern and less noisy.

The units for GAZelles with a gross weight of 3.5 and 4.6 tons are largely unified (this saves on production), but not the same.

Changes in the cabin

If you compare them with the Next model, you will notice that the bus has become a little lower, but wider. Additional centimeters even visually make the interior more spacious. This is also facilitated by high, almost panoramic windows.

The Gazelle City salon can be configured in two configurations: for 22 and 19 seats. The seat design underwent special preliminary testing. Their base is a frame made of plastic anti-vandal material. The seat cushions are covered with synthetic, easily replaceable fabric.

The driver's seat is separated from the passenger compartment by a plastic partition, but the front door is clearly visible from it. Next to the driver there is another comfortable high-back chair equipped with a seat belt.

In the center of the cabin, opposite the doors, there is a wide platform for standing passengers, equipped with special handrails. It is also designed for bulky luggage, strollers and children's bicycles.

Bumper? Three-section

In light urban accidents, it is often not the entire front end that is damaged, but one of the corners.
Therefore, sometimes bumpers are divided into three parts vertically: central and two side. If the damage is minor, you can replace one part and save money. When they told me that a three-section bumper was also installed on the GAZelle NN, I began to look for vertical joints. But they are not there. Nizhny Novgorod has its own atmosphere, and the bumper was divided... horizontally. And the third part is the radiator grille. They say it’s technologically simpler and cheaper. In what kind of accident will such a scheme help save money? If only during a winter flight into a snowdrift...

The new instrument cluster is easy to read. The architecture is like that of a modern passenger car: analogue speedometer and tachometer, fuel level and antifreeze temperature sensors on LCD indicators and a color display in the middle.

A media system with a 9-inch screen and navigation is standard equipment. The panel has two 12V outlets and two USB ports. The pocket at the top of the panel is thought out to the smallest detail. Its lid has built-in holders for smartphones and tablets: no need to spend money on buying a separate one. Do you remember a similar detail from the very first GAZelle? How did minibus drivers keep coins under its crooked, constantly raised lid in a homemade organizer?

The interior is completely new, with Volkswagen motifs visible in it. According to Gazovites, they focused exclusively on Crafter and Sprinter. But Transit and the “French”, they say, are not on their level. But they did not forget to adapt Western values to Russia. The steering wheel is still old (with an airbag on all versions), but another one will appear soon, with heating, control of the media system and “cruise”. But a heated windshield has already been introduced.

The width of the window sill was increased at the request of drivers to make it more convenient to place a hand on it. The speakers have moved higher.

There are two USB connectors in the overhead console - for the tachograph and the DVR. The lamp is LED, there is an eyeglass case. Handle on the ceiling? Why not: the average passenger can grab hold of it on a bad road and hang up their jacket if for some reason the hook behind the rear wall is not satisfactory.

The driver's seat is luxurious. In addition to the standard adjustments, there are adjustable lumbar support, cushion length, and cushion height separately along the front and rear edges. But the main thing is that the seat is sprung, like on “adult” trucks. By turning the dial you select the driver's weight (up to 150 kg), and based on this the degree of resistance of the seat suspension is adapted. The bottle holders near the knees of the driver and passenger are no longer stationary, but retractable.

Keyless entry and push-button engine start are standard. Delivery drivers who hop in and out of the cab dozens of times a day will appreciate it. There is also a parking brake button. It’s convenient when in a second you can start the engine and remove the handbrake (the car is not trained to release it on its own).

The main “hardware” innovation is a 6-speed manual gearbox, GAZ’s own development. It is installed on NN with all motors. The resource is estimated at at least 300 thousand km, the digestible torque is up to 450 Nm. The prescribed oil change interval is once every 60 thousand km, which is rare these days. Usually they say “for the entire service life,” and the owner himself racks his brains: how not to screw up the box ahead of time, and not overpay for unnecessarily frequent replacements. With the diesel engine, the gear ratios of the first three stages have increased. Especially strong in the first, from 3.8 to 5.1. The fourth and fifth remained at the same numbers, 1 and 0.8, respectively. The sixth has 0.6. They promise that at a speed of 100 km/h, fuel economy thanks to the additional stage will be one and a half liters per hundred.

GAZelle NN will be produced in three modifications: a flatbed truck, an all-metal van and a bus. All with a Cummins 2.8 diesel engine (still 150 hp). At Next, it accounts for about half of the demand, and only diesel is used for the heaviest versions. The Evotech gasoline engine has grown in volume from 2.7 to 3.0 liters and has become more powerful: 122 horsepower instead of 107. They claim that the engine’s reliability has noticeably increased. The lion's share of Next GAZelles with this unit are sold with LPG, so the NN will immediately come in three forms: pure gasoline, bifuel for propane-butane (LPG) or methane (CNG). They promise an electric car, but no details yet. A regular electric bus route has recently appeared in Nizhny Novgorod, which is served by GAZelle NN electric vehicles.

Features of entry and exit

The main distinctive design features of the cabin are a low floor and a wide doorway with an electrically operated double door.

For wheelchair users, the automobile plant has developed a bus with a separate configuration under the “Accessible Environment” program. It is equipped with a folding ramp, allowing passengers with limited mobility and parents with a stroller to easily enter the cabin.

The area for wheelchair users is located behind the driver. To securely secure the stroller, it is equipped with soft seat cushions on one side and a folding handrail on the stand on the other. The seat is additionally equipped with a driver signal button. This configuration also includes one priority seat with a wider seat, reclining backrest and sound button.

GAZelle NN replaced Next. The price is almost 2 million rubles in the basic version.

The newest (and coolest) GAZelle: all the details and video

Technical changes

Passengers will certainly appreciate the smoothness and softness of the ride. This is provided by a new adjustable air suspension, which also reduces roll when cornering and improves overall handling.

"Gazelle City" is equipped with the latest diesel engine with turbocharging and charge air cooling with a power of 139.7 hp.

The gearbox is mechanical, 5-speed.

The basic configuration of the bus includes electric windows, a heated mirror system, pre-heating, a braking system with ABS and other useful functions.