The Volga car was produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant for a very long time, over several decades. The designers did not rack their brains too much over the modernization of the car, and perhaps that is why a radical change of the model was needed for something more perfect that meets modern requirements.
The appearance and design of the Volga Cyber
So in 2006, the Gorky residents decided to continue their traditional cooperation with American car manufacturers and decided to update the conveyor line of passenger cars. The new Volga was based on the Chrysler Sebring, which was produced from 2000 to 2006.
In 2006, all the documentation and the necessary equipment for the production of a new passenger car were transferred to the company, for the first time the car was presented in Moscow at the Interauto exhibition, which took place in 2007 from August 29 to September 4. The new model was named Cyber GAZ, and there is some consonance with Sebring.
Volga Siber - side view
Many associate the name Siber with Siberia, but to be precise, this word is not translated from English. Siberia in English - Siberia, the creators of the car slightly reduced the word.
Initially, it was planned to produce Volga Siber with three types of engines - 2.0L, 2.4L and 2.7L. The two-liter engine was supposed to be equipped with a manual transmission, and the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder internal combustion engine and the 2.7-liter "six" were going to be equipped with an automatic transmission.
But for a number of reasons, it only went into mass production, the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod decided to abandon other options. Much is mentioned in sources of information about the presence of a two-liter engine on, but in reality such a configuration practically does not come across. Perhaps, such "Volgas" served state officials and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The interior and dashboard of the Volga Cyber
The new GAZ Volga Siber model could be called a Russian car with a very big stretch - there was practically nothing Russian in it. Only bumpers, optics, a radiator grill, and a slightly different interior were original. Many at that time joked and said that the main difference between Cyber and Serbing was the GAZ badge on the car's radiator grill.
The first copies of the Volga Cyber rolled off the assembly line in the summer of 2008 - the cars were ordered by government agencies, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Sberbank of Russia.
The cars went into retail sale only towards the middle of autumn. The machines were equipped with an automatic 4-speed transmission with electronic control - no other transmission options were envisaged at that time. Only by April 2010 the Siber began to be equipped with a manual gearbox - it was a five-speed gearbox of the NV-T350 model.
NV-T350 gearbox
The plans of the car plant were not that grandiose, but in 2009 it was supposed to produce 45 thousand units of the new brand. The plans were not destined to come true, the project was clearly a failure. There were several reasons at once - the outbreak of the crisis, which peaked at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, low demand for a car, relatively high cost and price.
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Wheels for Volga Cyber
The project was short-lived, and by the end of 2010 it was completely closed. For all the time, GAZ has produced only about 9000 Volga Cyber vehicles. In the future, the conveyor was reequipped for the assembly of Skoda and Volkswagen, and GAZ never produced its own passenger cars. But to be honest, Volga Siber can hardly be called its own model either. Although Cyber found a lot of fans, which can be seen by going to the Volgovodov forums.
The main differences between Volga Siber and Chrysler Sebring
It looks like a Chrysler Sebring car
Although the Gorky Automobile Plant has created a kind of new model, its differences from "Serbing" are minimal. Perhaps we should start with the external differences:
- Rear lights - on the "Volga" they are with ledges down in the middle, on the "Cyber" they are straight from the bottom;
- Headlights - on Cyber they look more stylish;
- Side mirrors - for GAZ Volga Siber they are larger and more convenient;
- Front bumper and radiator grill, "Volga" looks more modern;
- The rear bumper on the Cyber is more voluminous, and there are no reflectors on it.
Volga Siber has more ground clearance - American suspension is too low for Russian roads. The Siber saloon is more comfortable - it has seats with a frame from a Ford Fusion car. The rear sofa has an armrest in the middle and head restraints for passengers on the sides.
Rear passenger seats with head restraints
These elements are absent on "Serbing". In addition, the Volga's cabin is more spacious, and tall passengers will find it more comfortable than in a purely American car. There are also differences in the "Volga":
- White dials on the instrument cluster;
- The ability to shift gears in the automatic transmission using manual control;
- Larger luggage compartment;
- Stiffer suspension that is more confident on rough Russian roads.
Specifications
The Gorky Automobile Plant established a three-year warranty on Cyber or 100,000 km mileage. The car turned out to be quite reliable, there were not so many warranty cases. The ground clearance is still too small for the Volga (140 mm), but for the American Chrysler it is even less - only 110 mm. There is no need to talk about off-road - Siber and Sebring cars are designed for flat roads with asphalt surfaces. The main technical characteristics of the Chrysler Volga are as follows:
- Air conditioning system;
- Anti-lock braking system ABS;
- Traction control ASR;
- Hydraulic power steering;
- Electric heated mirrors (electrically folding);
- CD-receiver with speakers;
- Audio amplifier;
- Central locking on all doors;
- Steering column with height adjustment;
- Electric seat adjustment (six positions).
On all Cyber trim levels, the body is galvanized and has increased corrosion resistance. Two airbags are mounted in the dashboard and in the steering wheel - for the driver and for the front passenger. The sun visors are fitted with tinted mirrors with anti-glare mirrors. The spare wheel is not a stowaway, as in the Chrysler Serbing configuration, but a full-size wheel.
Salon volga cyber complete set Chrysler Serbing
It should be noted that this is all in the basic package, which is not bad for a Russian-made car. The equipment "Lux" contains additional options:
- Genuine leather seats;
- Instrument panel with lacquered wood inserts;
- Heated driver's seat and front passenger's seat;
- Alloy wheels and tires with a radius of R16 (standard R15);
- front fog lights;
- increased number of seat adjustments (in ten directions).
The Volga Siber car was produced in total in 4 body paint options:
- black;
- silver;
- golden;
- Navy blue.
At the Interauto automobile exhibition, held in Moscow in summer 2007, GAZ Group presented to the public a new front-wheel drive sedan GAZ Siber - a “licensed copy” of the Chrysler Sebring, which inherited both the technical component and design elements from the American “source”. Exactly one year after the debut - the car entered mass production, moreover, under the trade name Volga Siber, but it only reached individuals in October 2008.
The three-volume vehicle did not last long on the conveyor - in the fall of 2010 it completed its "career" due to too low demand and the unprofitable project for the "Gorky Automobile Plant".
Outside, Volga Siber has a look, albeit not the most charming, but it looks pretty pretty, although from some angles it is not entirely proportional. At the front, the car flaunts cleverly squinted headlights and a trapezoidal "shield" of the radiator grille, "watered" with chrome, and at the back - distinctive lights and a relief folded bumper.
In profile, the sedan evokes some associations with "four-door coupes" thanks to the squat bonnet and sloping roof, but the upturned stern with a long trunk "tail" adds weight to it.
Cyber is a representative of the “mid-size class” (aka the “D” segment): it is 4858 mm long, 1792 mm wide, and 1409 mm high. A wheelbase with a length of 2743 mm fits between the axles of the car, and under its "belly" one can see a clearance of 140 mm. When equipped, the four-door weighs from 1525 to 1555 kg, depending on the configuration and the type of gearbox.
Inside, Volga Siber looks old-fashioned, but does not cause rejection: the sedan has a pretty nice interior with a four-spoke "steering wheel", sporty whitish dials of the instrument cluster and a laconic front panel with a modest air conditioning unit and a radio tape recorder with a small matrix display on the center console.
The build quality and materials are average: hard plastics are used in the car interior, diluted with wood and aluminum look inserts, and the seats (depending on the version) are dressed in dark fabric or leather.
The decoration of the four-door meets the driver and front passenger with massive seats with a wide backrest, a long cushion and a large set of electric adjustments. On the second row of seats there is a three-seater sofa with a hospitable profile and a large supply of legroom (but the sloping roof will clearly cause discomfort to tall passengers).
Cyber is well suited for cargo transportation - its trunk is designed to carry 453 liters of luggage. The useful volume can be easily increased by folding the back of the "gallery" in two sections and thus obtaining a solid rectangular opening between the saloon and the "hold". In a niche under the raised floor there is a full-size spare wheel and a set of tools.
Specifications. For Volga Siber, only one gasoline unit is provided - the engine compartment of the car is filled with an atmospheric "four" with a volume of 2.4 liters (2429 cubic centimeters) with an aluminum cylinder block, a 16-valve DOHC mechanism and a distributed "power supply" system. It develops 143 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 210 Nm of torque at 4200 rpm, and directs the entire power reserve to the front wheels through a 5-speed "mechanics" or 4-speed "automatic".
The three-volume vehicle accelerates from zero to the first "hundred" in 11.4-13.4 seconds, and reaches its maximum speed of 185-190 km / h. In the combined cycle of movement, he "drinks" from 9.1 to 10 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers, depending on the type of gearbox.
Cyber stretches on the Chrysler JR41 front-wheel drive platform, which is borrowed from the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus models. The car has a steel body of a load-bearing configuration, and its power plant is located transversely in the front part.
Both front and rear the sedan has independent suspensions: in the first case, these are the classic MacPherson struts, and in the second - multi-link architecture ("in a circle" - with transverse stabilizers and coil springs). The four-door "sports" rack and pinion steering with hydraulic booster and disc brakes on all wheels (ventilated on the front axle) with ABS.
Prices and equipment. You can buy Volga Siber on the secondary market of Russia in the spring of 2017 at a price of 180-190 thousand rubles.
Even the simplest vehicle equipment is: two airbags, ABS, power steering, electric front seats, an audio system with six speakers, power windows for all doors, air conditioning, and heated and electrically adjustable exterior mirrors. The most "sophisticated" options can additionally boast: leather interior trim, heated front seats, fog lights, backlight cup holders for rear passengers, light-alloy "rollers" and headlight washers.
3.3 / 5 ( 3 voices)
Volga Cyber is a domestic mid-size sedan produced from 2008 to 2010. It was presented by the Russian company GAZ Group at the Interauto-2007 exhibition in Moscow on August 29, 2007. Although, during the demonstration, the model was called GAZ Siber, it was later renamed Volga Siber. The entire GAZ range.
History of creation
During the nineties, the design staff of an automobile plant in the city of Gorky was already working on a brand new Volga - a car that would replace the already obsolete car, which had its own lineage from the one designed in the mid-1960s.
No matter how sorry it may be, neither the nomenclature, nor the Volga cars designed during the post-Soviet period (3103, 3104 and 3111), could not become models that would be mass-produced.
Even the fact that several hundred models were released did not save the situation, and multiple restyling, along with modernizations for the already old Volga, could not make it modern. Even the presence of a sixteen-valve power unit did not affect the situation.
The pivot-free suspension of the "barge" remained an archaism of its time, since the appearance and ergonomic component, regardless of the model, corresponded to the fashion of the twentieth century. But in fact, a new century has already begun.
After the owner was changed at the plant in 2000, or rather, the controlling stake in GAZ OJSC was owned by Oleg Deripaska's company, small innovations began. The owner was not happy with the current situation, which is why a large-scale restructuring was carried out at GAZ, during which a whole list of projects and directions was curtailed.
The main goal pursued by Oleg Deripaska's company was to turn a loss-making enterprise into a profitable production. The situation repeated itself a little, the Gorky Automobile Plant should survive with the help of commercial equipment, which was the main focus.
Still the difficulties of the plant
It is clear that the division "Cars" in the mid-2000s managed to improve the old Volga, however, it was competitive in relation to foreign only in linear dimensions.
The Russian vehicle was losing ground in terms of comfort, ergonomics, reliability and safety. Everyone understood that a radically new car was required, which did not have common units with the previous base.
Since GAZ already had experience in buying foreign companies in order to develop its own model range (British company LDV Group), the company decided not to rack its brains and act in the same way with passenger cars.
Therefore, the owners of GAZ decided not only to acquire a license for the production of a foreign car, but even to buy the Sterling Heights Assembly assembly plant for $ 150,000,000, which belonged to the Daimler Chrysler concern.
This plant produced different cars, such as, and, and also our Volga had "twin brothers" Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus. The idea cannot be called bad, since instead of the already morally backward Volga, the Nizhny Novgorod plant planned to produce fairly modern mid-size cars, which, according to their classification and intended purpose, were analogous to the Volga.
It is also very important that the American car, if you do not pay attention to the layout with front-wheel drive, in the general concept was closer to the Gorky Automobile Plant than similar cars from Asia or Europe.
Car base
Do not forget that the Russian company had overseas roots - its debut products were Ford A and AA cars. The car, the length of which exceeded 4.8 meters, was based on the Chrysler JR41 front-wheel drive platform.
The model can hardly be called old, because the Sebring and Stratus of this generation were launched on the assembly line in 2000, and the version for Europe was shown a year later.
For the Russian version, they decided to make an increased ground clearance, because the quality of the roads here, however, as always, is at a low level. What else was required? Everyone was convinced that this was the ideal vehicle. And in the company itself, they set their own goals.
In the first year of production, they planned to produce about 10,000 sedans, and in 2009 - already 45,000. In the future, they planned to produce a good amount at the plant - 65,000 units. But the design capacity of the enterprise itself was as much as 100,000 copies!
Further life of the sedan
Sadly, but the car entered the Russian market exactly at the moment when the financial crisis broke out in 2008. March was marked by the release of an experimental industrial batch, and in the summer they began to serially produce the Cyber.
August allowed the long-awaited deliveries of cars to begin, and a couple of months later, in October, the sedan could be freely purchased by everyone who wanted (more precisely, who had the money).
Following the fall in oil prices and the fact that the country had a large external debt, in 2008 a financial and economic crisis broke out in the Russian Federation. Banks started to suffer big losses and very quickly removed their own lending programs.
But this could not but affect ordinary consumers, who were potential buyers of Cyber. The plan for the production of sedans was immediately revised, and in 2008 it was decided to create 3,000 cars, and the next year only 10,000.
It's a pity, but with a serious price tag of more than 500 thousand rubles, the Volga was not the most interesting offer in the rapidly collapsing market. Based on this, in 2008, out of 1,717 cars produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant, only 428 were purchased by buyers.
Photo of the car Volga Cyber In fact, this was an absolute collapse, therefore, the management was forced to complete production in the spring (March) of 2009. Only 200 sedans have been produced this year.
Although, in principle, the company had difficulties with selling cars already in the 4th quarter of 2008, after which the enterprise stopped several times, which even affected the rest of the conveyors, which included commercial equipment.
And the latter, just, was the main bread of the entire plant. It is not hard to guess that due to the sharp drops in sales of new cars, the plant began to owe its suppliers and creditors about 20 billion rubles.
Attempts to help with implementation
At this stage, the plant even adopted a decree on freezing the production of standard Volgas with the possibility of defrosting them with an improved situation, but this could not solve the financial difficulties.
The company had no choice but to try to get out of the critical situation in another way - to cut about 10 thousand employees and switch to a shorter working week.
To increase the material component, the company was even able to quickly get rid of its own English asset - LDV Holdings, which produced Maxus commercial vehicles.
The government came to the rescue by submitting an order for the sale of more than 400 sedans to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, since the car was included in the list of Russian-made vehicles for centralized government procurement.
February 2009 allowed the Russian Government to adopt a decree on the provision of material support to the GAZ Group. It is worth admitting that despite this, 2009 was not very successful for Cyber - a little less than 3,000 models were released and sold.
But the sedan was lucky - a program of state support came out, which implies its inclusion in the list of cars included in the state recycling program, which allows to save about 50 thousand rubles.
In the next year, 2010, the economy gradually began to recover, and the market of the Russian Federation began to gradually rise. But due to interruptions in the supply of components, production was again frozen, producing only 5,000 vehicles this year.
Recycling program
It was possible to raise the level of sales of an unclaimed car with the help of its own car recycling program. Its essence was to provide an additional discount - 70 thousand rubles, which, together with the state recycling program, provided an opportunity for the consumer to save up to 120 thousand rubles.
Both individuals and legal entities in any region of the Russian Federation could hand over old cars when purchasing Volga Siber. The company decided to throw all its forces in order to "wake up" the inhabitants of a large country.
Volga Siber But this did not save the situation. The model continued to be unprofitable for the plant, so it was decided to close its production in October 2010. It turns out that the car was only able to hold out for a couple of years, and it never managed to survive the consequences of the financial crisis.
Volga Siber sedan photo In total, less than 9 thousand copies were produced, but not all of them were realized. Comfortable cars worked under the "Kuban-Express" taxi at airports in the Krasnodar Territory. This project was launched by the firm "Basel", which, just, was under the control of Oleg Deripaska.
It is worth noting that in pre-crisis times, the American car "shared" its own power unit with the "root" Volga. Starting in the summer of 2006, the GAZ-31105 came along with the same 2.4-liter Chrysler engines produced in Mexico.
Exterior
It was not easy to distinguish Siber from overseas brothers by their appearance. Yes, there were other bumpers, a different radiator grille and optics that met Russian requirements.
However, this, perhaps, ended the differences. Therefore, to call a car purely Russian simply will not rise. Also very interesting is the fact that in the process of "Russification" the appearance of the American was modified by a contractor from the outside - the British body shop Ultramotive.
Sedan Volga Cyber It is quite a shame that during the improvements by American specialists in 2003, the car had already lost an oval air intake, into which the famous Volgovskiy "whalebone" in the style of the debut 21st perfectly fit. Instead, a trapezoidal grille was installed on the Sebring, which slightly resembled the nose of a German Audi.
The front of the Cyber had the famous "whale whisker" in the mouth of the air intake, which was still on the oldest 21st model.
If we talk about the Russified variation of Cyber, then she still lost the Chrysler "birdie" on the grill, which again brought back memories of. The rear-mounted lights had central protrusions downward, and on Cyber they were straight. The front lighting of the American version looked better and more stylish.
Volga Cyber rear view The mirrors located on the sides of the GAZ car were larger, which was a more acceptable solution. The front bumper, together with the Volga's radiator grille, was more modern, and the rear bumper of the American model was voluminous and without reflectors. From the photo you can see all the similarities.
Interior
If we talk about the internal space of GAZ Cyber, then it was comfortable, since seats with a frame from Ford Fusion were used. The rear sofa had an armrest in the middle, and headrests for passengers were installed on the side. Sebring did not have these elements. Moreover, the interior was spacious only in the Russian version of the American, which allows even tall people to comfortably sit in the cabin.
How else did the Volga differ from the American sedan? The Russian had white dials on the dashboard, the ability to shift the gears of an automatic gearbox in manual mode, more luggage space and a stiffer suspension that behaved more confidently on bad roads. And these are the differences between the model and the American version. The salon itself, in general, was just heaven and earth in comparison with its predecessor.
The basic Comfort equipment had an air conditioner and other features. Already the basic Comfort equipment had an air conditioner, a pair of airbags, ABS, traction control, electric adjustment of the driver's seat in 6 directions, an audio system and other things.
The luxury version was already equipped with a leather interior with wood trim, and the driver's seat was regulated in as many as 10 directions.
The driver was presented with a comfortable and light steering wheel, behind which there were a switch for turns, lighting and a regulator for the operation of the wipers. The entire front panel was very ergonomic and stylish. There was a feeling that you really were driving a foreign car (although, it was so).
Volga Cyber dashboard A pair of massive white round gauges stood out on the dashboard, where the left one was responsible for the number of revolutions of the power unit, and the right one for the speed mode. In the left corner was the fuel level sensor, and in the right corner the engine temperature was displayed. In large circles, there were also small information displays, which showed information about the included speed, handbrake, and so on.
Interior features
The salon received a convenient and ergonomic arrangement of the air conditioning system deflectors. On the center console there were controls for controlling the climate system itself, the music system and other options. To the right, on the panel itself, you could find a small glove compartment for storing the necessary small things.
It will be extremely difficult for an ordinary person to find many differences in the interior of “Siber” and “Sebring”, because in appearance they differ only in different trim levels. In addition, there are "gas" emblems, including on the steering wheel.
On the left driver's door there are power window control buttons and other adjustments. The seats received good lateral support and head restraints. It is very comfortable to sit on them, even the basic equipment has many electrical settings for the driver's seat.
Of course, no one has forgotten the seat belts. There is enough free space above your head. There is an opening armrest between the driver and the passenger sitting next to him, in which you can also store the necessary things.
Volga Cyber photo of the back sofa The rear row of seats can accommodate up to three adult passengers with ample knee and overhead space. There are also head restraints and seat belts. If two people are sitting, then a comfortable armrest can be pulled out of the back.
There is room for two cup holders in the transmission tunnel. The luggage compartment has never been flawed on the Volga, and the Siber is no exception. The trunk turned out to be roomy and comfortable, with 453 liters of usable space.
Specifications
Power unit
The experts decided that only a couple of modifications that differ only in the transmission would be enough. As a power unit, it was envisaged the presence of a four-cylinder sixteen-valve engine, the working volume of which was 2.4 liters.
Volga Cyber engine photo The motor allowed to reach 143 horsepower. This could not be called the limit, and he could not argue with the German "charged" sedans, and for a quiet ride on the Russian road it was quite enough.
It is also important that the engine was not carbureted, but already injected. The car gained the first hundred in 11.5 seconds, and its maximum speed was 200 km / h. Fuel consumption was not critical, but it was also impossible to call it minimal.
Transmission
It was either a four-speed automatic gearbox or a five-speed manual gearbox.
Suspension
For improved movement on Russian roads, specialists have tuned the sedan's suspension by increasing the rigidity of the elastic elements, which could have a good effect on handling. The rear suspension turned out to be independent, however, like the front. Springs are installed together with hydraulic shock absorbers.
Steering
It had a hydraulic booster, which made it possible to drive a rather big sedan without any difficulties.
Brake system
Already in the basic configuration, the Volga Siber had an ABS system and was supplied with disc brakes on all wheels. Moreover, the front ones were also ventilated.
| Modifications | engine's type | Engine volume | Power | Transmission | Acceleration to 100 km / h, s. | Max speed km / h |
| GAZ Cyber 2.0 MT | Petrol | 1996 cm³ | 141 h.p. | Mechanics 5 tbsp. | 11.5 | 200 |
| GAZ Cyber 2.4 MT | Petrol | 2429 cm³ | 143 h.p. | Mechanics 4 tbsp. | 11.4 | 190 |
| GAZ Cyber 2.4 AT | Petrol | 2429 cm³ | 143 h.p. | Automatic machine 4 tbsp. | 13.4 | 185 |
Volga crash test
Price and configuration
You can buy a solid sedan "Russian-American" production at a price of 200,000 rubles. The higher the cost of the car, the newer it is, with better content, which is important, because new sedans are no longer produced. Also, the price tag may depend on the trim level.
Auto Volga Siber front view The standard "Comfort" configuration includes an air conditioning system, anti-lock brakes ABS, ASR traction control, hydraulic power steering, electric heated mirrors (can be folded using an electric drive), CD-receiver with speakers, audio amplifier, central locking on all doors, a steering column with height adjustment and an electric drive for adjusting the seats in six positions.
All configurations of "Cyber" received a galvanized body, which has increased resistance to corrosion.
The dashboard, along with the steering wheel, has a pair of airbags - for the driver and the passenger sitting next to it. The sun visors received tinted anti-reflective mirrors. There is also a full-size spare tire. It is easy to see that even the standard equipment received a solid "stuffing".
Photo by Volga Siber
The "Lux" package already has genuine leather seats, a dashboard with lacquered wood inserts, a heating function for the driver's seat and the passenger sitting next to him, alloy wheels and rubber with a radius of R16 (standard equipment has 15-inch), front foglights and increased number of seat settings (10 directions). The sedan could be painted in 4 colors - the car could be black, silver, gold and dark blue.
The premiere of the Volga Siber sedan took place at the Interauto show in Moscow in 2007. The car was presented under the name GAZ Siber. The car was developed on the front-wheel drive base of the Chrysler JR41, which was used in the Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring. The design of the car was developed by the British studio UltraMotive. The designers were given the task of using American developments to create a car with the classic features of Russian cars. GAZ Volga Siber differs from American models on the same platform by a radiator grille, bumpers and headlights. To adapt to Russian roads, the ground clearance and suspension stiffness were increased. Serial production of the model began in the summer of 2008. At the same time, supplies of GAZ Volga Siber to large corporate customers began. The car appeared on the free sale only in the fall. Initially, it was planned to equip the car with engines of 2 and 2.4 liters. But only cars with 2.4-liter engines were put into mass production. The first cars were equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission. In April 2010, Volga Siber received a five-speed manual transmission.
Specifications GAZ Volga Siber
sedan
Medium car
- width 1 792mm
- length 4 858mm
- height 1 409mm
- ground clearance 140mm
- seats 5
