Russian-made Lada Niva surprises British reviewers

YouTuber Johnny of The Late Brake Show had a mixed-yet-exciting experience with the Lada Niva, a low-end SUV built in Russia to withstand the infamous Russian roads (or the lack thereof, such as the case may be).

The vlogger drove the car across the city and then took it along for a cross-country ride. He had been driving along a small river for a while encountering no issues whatsoever, but when he reached what seemed like a shallow mud puddle, the unexpected happened.

The puddle turned out to be a deep rut, and the car immediately dove in it nose first. Johnny was lucky to be able to escape through the tailgate just as the front part of the cabin, including the pedals, began to fill with muddy water.

A Land Rover rushed to the rescue and pulled the Niva out of its sludgy trap. That’s where the biggest surprise awaited the hapless driver: after standing still for a while to let the liquids drain, the Niva suddenly let Johnny fire up the engine and went on to ride as if nothing had happened.

In the end, the reviewer had nothing but praise in store for the off-road qualities of the affordable Russian SUV. He did lament the lack of modern amenities and features, though.