Will the dream "Apal-2154" become an unrealized dream?

LLC "Apal" from the Russian city of Togliatti is a well-known manufacturer of tuning kits that are installed on cars of the Volga Automobile Plant. This company has been working with plastic for many years. Maybe that's why a light rear-wheel drive SUV was created, in which so much and successfully used this material.

History of the creation of light SUV

Rear-wheel drive "Apal-2154 Stalker" was introduced to the public in autumn 2003. This car is the company's own development. He had a soft folding roof, a plastic body and interior, a four-cylinder VAZ-341 diesel engine produced by JSC Barnaultransmash with a working volume of 1.52 liters and most of the units of the classic Volga Lada.

"Apal-2154" passed tests and various tests, mandatory for cars. This vehicle was authorized for release. But the wide demand for rear-wheel drive cars did not have, so they were collected only on individual orders.

In 2006, the all-wheel drive "Stalker" was created and the possibility of building a van and a pickup truck on an extended base was developed.

The company "Apal" even offered not only cars, but mini-plants for their production with design documentation and equipment for enterprises, and not necessarily profile.

The idea was good, but alas ... "there is no prophet in his own country." In 2011, the all-wheel drive German TRAVEC appeared on the basis of "Stalker". It is equipped with a 1.5-liter diesel engine from Romania. This car was presented at the auto show in Frankfurt.

New in design

Russian company "Apal", creating a light SUV, used several completely new technical solutions, using both design findings and inexpensive but reliable materials, components and assemblies.

The first thing that draws attention to itself is a spatially-tubular frame welded in a special conductor made of thin-walled steel pipes. The frame of this design not only gives rigidity to the car, but also allows more freely to assemble the units.

The Russian company "Lada-List" produces multi-layer sheet plastic. It was used to create the body and interior of the off-road vehicle "Apal-2154", and using a new technology of vacuum molding.

Manufacture of plastic is a mobile process, therefore any customer can issue technical specifications for a certain appearance and design and receive special cars, including armored cars, in the shortest possible time.

Characteristics

Subsequently, a petrol engine with an injector VAZ-21214 was installed on the off-road vehicle "Apal-2154", its volume - 1.7 liters, power - 82 hp. With a mass of 950 kg with four passengers on board, the car can develop a top speed of 130 km / h, and accelerate to 100 km / h in 13.6 seconds.

The length of the car is a bit more than 3.5 m, width and height - one and a half meters. Transmission - a mechanical five-speed. Fuel tank capacity of 42 liters.

In the all-wheel drive variant the car is very similar in characteristics to "Niva", but it is 20% lighter than it.

At the request of the customer, all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive cars could be produced.

Modifications of SUV

"Apal-21541" is an all-wheel drive version of the car with a large wheelbase of 2.2 m, which allowed to use the transmission and suspension from the "Niva" without any changes. It improved the interior design and appearance of the body.

In some sources this modification is called "Stranger". But the authors themselves are not sure whether this is so, there is no reliable information on this matter.

German SUV TRAVEC on the basis of the French Renault Duster with the Romanian diesel engine 1.5 DCI capacity of 90 hp. Is very similar to the all-wheel drive "Stalker", it is heavier than 40 kg. Lovers predict a lot of disadvantages for this car, and first of all the complexity of service and replacement of spare parts.

Benefits

Light SUV has many advantages in operation and production.

Owners can not be afraid that the body of the machine will rust or rot. The plastic is resistant to external influences. Since its surface is colored in mass, scratches on it are not visible. The plastic case has a low thermal conductivity, the car is warm in winter and cool in summer.

For fans, and this is confirmed by numerous reviews, an interesting opportunity for small, in general, money to ride with a breeze in a cabriolet, lowering the roof.

The use of serial units and aggregates makes servicing convenient and inexpensive practically in any city of Russia. If necessary, the plastic panels can be removed and installed with a screwdriver only.

For potential manufacturers of inexpensive car "Apal-2154" design features and technology of its production allow on one platform to create various modifications very quickly and with small expenses. Since the SUV is easy to manufacture, it is reliable, and the cost of its production is low, at least in comparison with the traditional production of cars. Until recently, the price of the basic model was announced up to half a million rubles, which is also an indisputable advantage of the car.

A few words in conclusion

In Russia, "Apal-2154" is not produced today. Car enthusiasts are looking for it and are trying to order it both on VAZ and in the company "Apal". Lack of information and the hope that a light SUV, at the request of the population, still produce someone in the Russian expanses, will engender a lot of rumors and conjectures. But the point in the history of this car has not yet been set.