How about an elongated, yet small Russian sedan with individual, heated rear seats upholstered in leather? No, this isn’t some mutated Lada that spent too much time in the radioactive ruins of Chernobyl, or the handiwork of some Russian dude who’s eyeballed too much vodka, but an official Lada product. It’s based on the popular Lada Vesta small sedan, and called the Vesta Signature LWB edition. Not that this kind of exercise is unheard before – remember our very own Tata Indigo CS XL?
Anyways, the Lada is more special, because, for starters, it doesn’t look awkward. The whole package, penned by ex-Mercedes-Benz designer Steve Martin, now heading the Design Division at AvtoVAZ Lada, looks lengthy, yet proportionate. As compared to the regular Vesta sedan, the Signature edition sits on a longer wheelbase that, at 2885 mm, is 250 mm longer than the standard car. The Signature edition, at 4660 mm long, is also longer by 250 mm than the regular Vesta.
Inside, all this stretching business has resulted in an added leg room of 200 mm, while the standard rear seat bench has been replaced by two aforementioned individual seats separated by a central console. No, these rear seats don’t recline like they do on a Maybach, there are no champagne chillers to be found anywhere and the sunroof doesn’t change its opacity at the touch of a button – it’s a Lada for God’s sake, and there isn’t even a sunroof. Instead all you get is dual zone climate control and dual toned leather upholstery.
However, when it comes to sheer exclusivity, the Lada Vesta Signature edition has the best of German and British luxo-barges bowled over – it is just limited to just 10 units. Yes, the Vesta Signature is an experimental model solely for internal use by top executives at the company’s Moscow office. These prototypes will be tested under real life conditions while feedback will be sought for improvements to be incorporated into the vehicle prior to an official launch. Drive-train choices, although unannounced, should include a 1.6-liter or 1.8-liter petrol engine mated to an automatic transmission.
Source: LadaVesta
