The first crossover PAZ-32053 of 2022 has been presented - a competitor to the Volkswagen Tiguan, but cheaper

Throughout its history, which lasts over 60 years, the Pavlovsk Automobile Plant has been producing small and medium-class buses. Today PAZ is part of the GAZ group and continues to develop this type of equipment. However, changes in the Russian and global markets may force the car plant to reconsider its own strategy and make large-scale changes to its model range.

This assumption is supported by the poor financial situation in which the parent company found itself. International sanctions and a decline in sales volumes on the Russian market, largely due to the negative economic situation in the country, may force PAZ management to pay attention to the passenger car segment. These machines, at least temporarily, can improve your financial situation. And the long-term cooperation between GAZ and Volkswagen opens up German technologies for the Pavlovsk Automobile Plant.

While the assumption made is at the level of speculation, an independent designer has recreated the appearance of the first crossover PAZ-32053 2021-2022. The renderings he published show that the car will become a direct competitor to the Nissan X-Trail and Volkswagen Tiguan, with which the Russian new product can share both the platform and the engine range. At the same time, the PAZ crossover will be cheaper than these models. Otherwise, the car will lose competition to European and Japanese SUVs.

Interestingly, the presented Russian crossover concept has a 5-seater interior, while many manufacturers today are seeking to expand the interior space to install a third row of seats. However, this configuration fits well within the current development trend of the segment to which the new product from PAZ belongs. In particular, in Russia there are practically no 7-seater crossovers at the price of the Tiguan. Even Chinese SUVs of this class are offered with two rows of seats.

The second remarkable detail of the presented new product is that in appearance it resembles the Tiguan. This similarity confirms the previously made assumption: the crossover from PAZ can be built on the Volkswagen MQB modular platform.

Unscheduled "groove"

Believe it or not, the PAZ-3205 was not a consequence of the planned update of the model range. On the contrary, it was the result of the refusal to produce a new model - PAZ-3203.

From 1972 to 1977, the factory workers created a whole family of buses (3 city PAZ-3203, suburban PAZ-32031, tourist PAZ-32033 and all-terrain vehicle PAZ-3204), designed to replace the “old man” PAZ-672M on the assembly line. Alas, the grandiose plans were not destined to come true. Promising solutions included in the design: a brake system with mechanisms from GAZ-53–11, rear leaf spring suspension with correction springs, a 5.5-liter ZMZ-3203 engine, as well as a 5-speed gearbox, cardan transmission and power steering from ZIL-130 , showed the broad-mindedness of the PAZ designers, and... the inability of the subcontractors to fulfill their request. The sad result is that the “3203” family died without being born...

Naturally, the plant could not come to terms with this state of affairs, and as an alternative proposal, the idea arose to crossbreed a new body with an old chassis, naturally, making all possible modifications to the latter. So, in April 1978, they first started talking about the “3205” family. The first prototype of the PAZ-3205 was assembled in the summer of 1979. Despite a significant percentage of unification and external similarity with the buses of the 3203 series, the 3205 differed in interior layout and had a number of design differences in the body. One of the significant features of the PAZ-3205 was the original pneumohydraulic braking system, which made it possible to eradicate one of the main problems of the PAZ-672 - the insufficient efficiency of service brakes with a hydraulic vacuum drive. The steering mechanism has also changed - the use of a screw - ball nut type with a built-in hydraulic booster (from MAZ-5336) made it possible to reduce the number of flexible hoses by 60%, increasing the reliability of the unit. The suspension was not left without attention: narrowing the spring track made it possible to reduce the turning radius, and elongated front springs, together with the installation of correction springs in the rear suspension, increased the smoothness of the ride.

And then the family developed. During the year, prototypes of the PAZ-3205 of the second series were released - two buses in the basic version and an urban modification of the PAZ-32051 with two automatic service doors. In 1981, two more PAZ-3205 samples were built for interdepartmental testing, which were successfully completed in 1982 with a recommendation for production. During 1983, using revised technical documentation, five pre-production samples of the PAZ-3205 were assembled in the experimental workshop, and in 1984, “3205” first appeared in the plant’s annual report as a commercial product: in November–December, five buses were manufactured at the small-scale production site.

However, for another five years, the PAZ-3205, assembled “by hand,” was just a “by-product” to the PAZ-672M. And only on January 28, 1989, the process of “marriage” of the body and chassis of the “3205” took place on the main assembly line, and not in the small series workshop. And the PAZ-3205 began its full “conveyor” life on December 1, 1989.

By this time, the plant had already developed and implemented 10 different modifications in metal, and “3205” became a full-fledged family. The first of them was the urban version of the PAZ-32051 with two automatic doors; in 1982, the all-wheel drive PAZ-3206 appeared, which completed testing by December 1986, but... commercial vehicles saw the light of day only in 1994.

In 1984, by order of the CPSU Central Committee, one of the built PAZ-3205 models was converted in the experimental workshop into a tourist-type bus with high-back seats, improved interior trim, stereophonic radio equipment and an insulated trunk. After the prototype was approved by representatives of the Central Committee of the Party, 10 such buses were assembled in 1985 to serve the delegates of the 27th Congress of the CPSU.

In 1985, the plant prepared technical projects for the northern and southern modifications - PAZ-320501 and PAZ-320509, respectively, embodied “in metal” in 1986.

At the same time, it was decided to include diesel engines under the hood - the domestic GAZ-542 and the Japanese Hino W04CT. The first diesel “grooves” entered testing in 1987, but due to the complexity of the layout, the “Gazovsky” engine dropped out of the race almost immediately, and the expensive Japanese diesel engine was only supplied to order in the early 90s, and its production did not exceed several dozen .

In 1987, technical specifications and technical documentation were prepared for the PAZ-3205-10 bus with propane gas equipment, prototypes of which were built in 1987 (1 piece), 1988 (2 pieces) and 1989 (1 piece).
Development work on these machines was carried out jointly with designers from the PAZ, GAZ and ZMZ plants. Production of buses of the PAZ-3205 series for 1989–2000.

Production of buses of the PAZ-3205 series for 2001–2013.

Specifications

As was shown earlier, if mass production of the first crossover PAZ-32053 2021-2022 is launched, it will be based on the Volkswagen MQB platform. This means that a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine producing up to 150 hp will become standard for the Russian new product. power. But the possibility of the appearance of a 1.5-liter supercharged engine on this model, which Volkswagen recently began installing on its cars, cannot be ruled out.

Optionally, with the crossover from PAZ they can offer a 2-liter turbocharged engine, which today is presented in two versions. Its “younger” version develops no more than 180 hp. power, “senior” - 220 hp. With each of these motors, a two-disc “robot” with 7 speeds and a plug-in all-wheel drive, implemented through an electrically controlled multi-plate clutch, are available.

Distant prospect?

And then the PAZ-3205 began the normal life of a production car. Current improvements, the emergence of new modifications, the introduction of new units and adaptation to increasingly stringent certification requirements. In this routine, a bright spot was the appearance in 2003 of an extended modification of the PAZ-4234 for operation on urban and suburban routes.

Well, at present, the “3205” family is not only not going to “retire”, but is also growing with new configurations. New engines are being adopted in the engine compartment, the appearance is changing, and unique versions are appearing, designed for specific customers abroad. Take the PAZ-3205-040 chassis, which has been steadily supplied to Cuba since 2012. The Cubans install Chinese engines on them, their own bodies and get buses with their own name “Diana”.

However, there is no need for words when you can look at the dry statistics of buses produced. It is logical that the production of the model, which celebrated its 25th anniversary, is declining, giving way to the more modern Vector family. But the most complete pessimist would probably not risk saying that the production of PAZ-3205 is being curtailed...

Tales for VIP

Over the 25 years of its existence on the assembly line, the “3205” family has acquired many interesting modifications and designs. This list includes dozens of buses, and if we talked about each of them, we could devote an entire magazine. We have collected the most striking examples of the family, emphasizing that in Pavlovo they did not sit idly by, basking in the rays of glory, but tried to keep up with the times, tracking both fashion trends and market demands, producing models in which the PAZ-3205 was sometimes don't know...

Catalog of spare parts for PAZ-3205 (3205):

Our catalog contains all the spare parts used in the PAZ-3205.
Select the node you need. To make it easier to find spare parts for the PAZ-3205, you can use the quick filter. Quick Filter by nodes:

• Body
  Window and rear window

  Windshield

• Engine

  Engine

  Engine mount

• Block and cylinder head
• crank mechanism
• Gas distribution mechanism
• Gas pipeline
• Engine lubrication system
• Oil radiator
• Oil separator
• Oil filter

Spare parts diagrams and components are presented on the website for reference purposes! We do not sell all the spare parts for the PAZ-3205 presented in this list, but many of them.