The popularity of the car is expressed not so much in the number of models sold, in the promoted brand, in advertising chic, as in the people's heart. This love consists of many components, such as the price of the car, its equipment, exterior, interior, reliability, quality, safety, handling, maintainability, warranty period, the cost of operation. The ratio of these parameters and ultimately gives the people's popularity of the car, and not as a luxury, but as a means of transportation.
The domestic car market is slowly but surely coping with the effects of the crisis: the number of new car sales in the country continues to grow steadily. And in the top of "people's love" expectedly were companies known for their budget models: the majority of buyers are forced to choose a new car with limited finances. That is why the undisputed leader as of September remains AvtoVAZ, sold since January of this year, the largest number of cars.
However, AvtoVAZ’s example is indicative of the fact that, despite the highest sales in the country as a whole, the first place on a particular model was taken Kia - competition in the budget segment is very acute now, and it is very difficult to attract by price alone. If we take into account not only sales, but also the dynamics of their change, then the picture of the struggle in the passenger market becomes more interesting: if Kia Rio not only holds the palm, but also shows an 18% increase in sales compared to last year, then The eternal rival and co-platform, Hyundai Solaris, fell from 1 to 4 places with a 20% drop in sales.
1st place - KIA Rio
Having survived another restyling (17 years old - not a joke), this year the car won the title of the leader of Russian sales. Indeed, the Koreans managed to find the best solution for the Russian buyer - at a price that is quite acceptable by post-crisis standards, the buyer is offered both high-quality assembly, and well-chosen bundles of “motor-transmission”, and modern design. It is also important for buyers that Kia has a well-thought-out strategy for the market of original spare parts - the running parts, say, the suspensions are little different from the cheap non-original at the price, and sometimes even cheaper. Given that Rio can be serviced independently, the cost of owning a car becomes attractive.
The buyer also receives a serious set of electronic “helpers” that positively affect safety: in the top configuration, in addition to the already familiar airbags and ABS, there are systems of course stability, warning of emergency braking and so on. The car will suit those who want to drive faster: a 123-horsepower 1.6-liter engine, combined with a six-speed "mechanics", allows the Kia Rio to start quickly enough from a standstill, under the gas pedal there is a reserve for maneuvers on overtaking.
As for the cabin, it is quite acceptable for comfort, and its equipment does not refer to the two thousand years. And this is important - one of the bestsellers of the market, Renault Logan, at one time tried to take the client only with price and legendary indestructibility, but design style in the youth ... how to say it more softly ... still lost.
November 2017 promises to boost interest in a well-known car - supporting the tendency to create “near-regional” models of urban hatchbacks, Kia announced the start of sales of the Rio X-Line - an elevated hatchback in a corresponding body kit.
2 place - Lada Granta
"Grant" maintains almost stable sales - that this year, that in the same period of the past, the difference in the number of cars sold was only 6.4%.However, if last year 63 thousand cars sold from January to September would have made Grant the best-selling car of the year (but by December Solaris still took the lead), then this year the gap from Rio was already 10 thousand: buyers they are ready to give large sums for the cars with the best equipment, not to mention the principled haters of AvtoVAZ, who call this model just like the “Immigrant's Dream”. It is worth Lada Granta from 370 thousand rubles.
The car was originally created as the most budget, so that the level of equipment can not hit. In the list of engines, the 1.6-liter eight-valve, which is familiar to everyone, continues to be painfully painful - even in 2011, he added to power due to the serious relief of the connecting rod-piston group, but the roots of the Soviet G8 are still visible from afar. Moreover, if the “eight” with a break in the timing belt of the valve is not bent, then the revision of the CPG now forces you to take a closer look at the replacement belts - now the piston is guaranteed to meet with the valves. According to the VAZ tradition, the car also has a “Sport” version, if you can call it a car with 114 hp. under the hood.
The choice of transmissions, however, is not bad - it is not only a mechanical “five-speed”, but also an automatic (alas, four-step), and even a “robot”. However, it is the versions with the “mechanics” that are most popular - they are both cheaper and more reliable, especially since the Japanese Jatco machine gun has already overstepped thirty years of construction.
The set of security systems is traditional - up to two airbags, ABS. Moreover, the last “Grant” is needed like air - under heavy braking, a light car tends to go sideways, keeping a trajectory for an inexperienced driver is very difficult.
3rd place - Lada Vesta
Having lived on the market for two years, "Vesta" has become very popular - while maintaining an affordable price, it has a much more pleasant looking design than the previous "works" of the plant. At the same time, cooperation with the concern Renault-Nissan brought not only a decent appearance, but also a considerable share of borrowed components: although the Vesta is equipped exclusively with domestic engines, the transmission, steering and brakes are already well known to Renault cars.
The set of security options is also quite good: already in the base configuration, the system of exchange rate stability, control of starting off on the rise is used in addition to the usual ABS. Not only the front passenger airbag, but also side airbags appear in the richer - no wonder that, according to the crash test results, AvtoVAZ's brainchild showed a solid 4 points, which is not bad in itself for the budget segment, and doubly for the Togliatti plant. It is worth "Vesta" from 567,000 rubles.
In terms of interior design and quality of fitting elements, the Vesta does not seem like an ugly duckling against the background of competitors: although the corporate “X-design”, which is reflected in the interior, is not liked by everyone, compared to the “Prior”, which “Vesta” changed on the conveyor, a huge step forward. A modern multimedia head unit, automatic climate control is already a good offer for the budget. But definitely the forte of Vesta is the suspension: while foreign cars are adapted for Russia at best, everything here is designed originally for our roads. So, with good controllability, “Vesta” still doesn’t shake the soul out of what is considered to be roads for some reason, and after Kia Rio it feels particularly good.
4th place - Hyundai Solaris
The closest relative of Kia Rio this year became the leader of anti-rating of sales: while for other models with a decrease in demand, its percentage is a few percent, Solaris failed by as much as 20 - if last year January-September they sold 66 thousand cars, then this year only 53 thousand.
And it was this year that sales of the restyled version began, which, in theory, should have supported demand. The car not only freshened outwardly, but also became safer: according to the ARCAP method, it received 16 points out of 16, overtaking all other competitors.Tellingly, Solaris in the first body received at one time almost half the score.
But, alas, the update did not help Solaris - at the price it is by no means the best option, the basic package costs already 624,900 rubles. For comparison: "Vesta" and "Grant" with the same engine are much cheaper, here at the price of the Korean "base" you can take a richer set. If we take "Solaris" in the top configuration, then its price will be over a million - and here there are already much more eminent competitors.
There are no big complaints about the interior design: it is made inexpensively, but carefully, and only the new-fashioned multifunction steering wheel slides noticeably in the hands. What exactly few people like - this is a poisonous blue backlight of all that is possible, in the twilight noticeably consuming eyes. It seems to be a trifle, but sales are made up of such trifles.
5th place - Hyundai Creta
The demand for crossovers is growing from year to year, and this allowed the Crete to shoot very successfully: having sold only 8 and a half thousand cars from January to September of last year, this year Hyundai has already sold 37 thousand, the sales growth amounted to more than 330 percent!
Indeed, Creta came out quite interesting. Already in the “base” a 123-hp motor is used, in the top version - 150-hp. So even with the loss of the full drive dynamics and maximum speed are not bad. In the combined cycle, the machine fits into 7-8 liters of consumption, depending on the type of engine and transmission.
Off-road capabilities are quite serious (of course, by crossover standards) - yet 190 mm clearance and short overhangs will often help out even without all-wheel drive. However, all-wheel drive versions are more interesting because they have replaced the semi-dependent rear suspension with an independent one: the handling of these versions of Kreta is noticeably better, and the suspension itself is more comfortable. However, before Renault, who had time to break in crossover suspension, first on Duster, and then transferred the decision on Kaptur, Hyundai is far from comfort level - on the asphalt, the Creta suspension too emphasizes the defects of the road surface.
The transmission and the engine are not quite logically tuned - yes, sharp reactions to pressing gas are pleasant in the city on asphalt, but they are starting to strain on a snow-covered track: it is harder to go out than on competing cars. But this is justified by the dimensions of the cabin - if you remember the same Duster, then the Creta will be much more spacious, both in length and in width.
Price Hyundai Creta - from 880,000 rubles.
6th place - Volkswagen Polo
If the top five sales leaders are the brainchild of the 21st century, then Polo among them can be considered a real “old man”: the history of this model began 40 years ago. The assets of the modern generation have both a solid name and good equipment, including full-time bi-xenon head optics with the function of illuminating the turning area, which is automatically activated when the steering starts moving, if the turn signals are on. In the design of the Polo there are no such screaming notes that Koreans like to sin - it is serious, and for someone it is even a bit boring. But, unlike competitors, which in the top trim levels already cost over a million, Polo retains the title of a budget car: in the “top” it will cost a little more than 800 thousand rubles.
The dynamics of the car does not hit either the base 90-horsepower engine or the top 110-horsepower. This is especially noticeable with an automatic transmission, smooth and unnoticeable in operation, but noticeably prone to a measured driving style.
Volkswagen marketers clearly counted on a more advanced generation than the creators of Kia Rio or Lada Vesta. This also affected sales - Rio did not just sell twice as much, Polo sales suffered even in comparison with last year.
7th place - Renault Duster
Duster sales in Russia fell more seriously than Polo: here the drop was already 7.3%, and this is not less than almost 3,000 cars. Restyling, in Russia, as always, late (even in Ukraine, the Renault model line is updated earlier) did not improve the demand for a car that was once snapped up at car dealerships: although Duster received a serious ground clearance, it still retained all the signs of the good old salon. Logan. If we recall the “limited series” Dakar Edition, then it even starts to amuse - the electromagnetic clutch connecting the rear-wheel drive, the “Duster” is traditionally prone to overheating under load, so the Dakar assault is clearly not worth thinking about.
Nevertheless, the “Duster” remains the best-selling Renault car in Russia - whatever one may say, it is one of the most affordable all-wheel drive cars in the country, and at the same time its reliability is not much better than that of domestic SUVs. At one time, the author had to meet even with a car whose owner drove a week with a burning oil pressure lamp: even though this petrol unit was noisier louder than a diesel engine, it continued to work.
Prices for "Duster" start at 640,000 rubles.
As an SUV "Duster" is very specific - it does not have any "iron" locks, or a low number. Nevertheless, the short first not bad replaces the lower one (in the first city it is practically useless at all), and the ABS system has learned to selectively slow down the trailing wheels, loading the differential and forcing it to transfer torque more evenly. It’s better not to go into the dirt with the “automatic” - there are only four programs, the first of which is too long.
An important advantage of the “Duster” is the presence of a turbo diesel engine in the range of engines: it is not only economical, but also very good. Therefore, even despite the high cost of diesel versions, they have good demand.
8th place - Lada X-Ray
X-Ray has demonstrated excellent results: sales growth over the past year was more than 80 percent. A great merit in this is the use of the B0 platform, which has proven itself in the Logan and many other cars. So, buying X-Ray, you can not fear for the resource of the suspension, which, although it was modernized, retained the characteristic and perfectly recognizable features, and in some things even became more reliable (for example, the designer refused to press the ball into the levers). In this case, the car, although it is clearly similar to the new Renault Sandero Stepway, still has its own “face”, and quite interesting.
The car is only available with domestic power units, recently a version with a 110-horsepower Nissan engine was discontinued. Only two gearboxes are available to choose from - mechanics and a “robot”, and so far not brought to mind: if the manual transmission when running to 100 thousand, second and third gear synchronizers pass, then with the “robot” you will not only have to change the clutch more often, but every second MOT is to adapt the setting point of the officers.
Such a “dampness” could not help but affect sales - in sum, the X-Ray’s results for this year are very close to the Toyota RAV4, which is much more attractive in terms of equipment and comfort, and to Chevrolet Niva, which, for all its shortcomings, will bypass X-Ray outside asphalt with ease.
The cost of Lada X-Ray is from 567,000 rubles.
9th place - Toyota RAV 4
The RAV4 line has been on the market for more than 20 years, and, characteristically, the current fashion for “under-crossover” has affected it: if the car was originally exclusively four-wheel-drive, which is also shown in the name, in the third generation it became permanently connected, and in 2011 year appeared and front-wheel drive version of the car.
In the top of sales RAV4 remains the most expensive car: the minimum price of the basic configuration did not reach the half million rubles. And for the money not to buy a full drive - in this embodiment, the car has only the front, there is no choice of engines: only two-liter gasoline with 6-speed "mechanics". For the opportunity to drive with all-wheel drive will have to pay 90 thousand, but you need to consider that the transmission in this case will be variable: a good choice for the city and highway, but to move into the mud is still calmer on the "mechanics". A car with a manual and four-wheel drive is no longer buy cheaper than 171 million rubles.
Nevertheless, the RAV4 remains very interesting in appearance and modern inside the car, so even with the legendary “Toyotovskaya” reliability. The number of electronic systems is capable of arguing with a higher class of cars: in RAV4 even the system of recognition of road signs and road markings is available.Despite the futuristic interior, the location of the controls does not cause issues, except for the ESP button that was turned up: you are looking for it to your habitually to the left of the steering wheel, next to the drive control button.
10 place - Chevrolet NIVA
The cheapest and at the same time "honest" SUV of the Russian market continues to be in the top of sales. Driving its roots from the good old Niva, the Shniva has retained a single engine with a capacity of 1.7 liters, docked with a manual gearbox with a reduced number, and all-wheel drive has a mechanical center differential lock. Therefore, even despite the smell of naphthalene, and frankly tasteless design, well-known problems with build quality, poor equipment, Chevrolet Niva retains its popularity among those who just need patency. The presence of the snorkel in the list of options hints at this - you will not need to install it yourself, getting problems with the traffic police due to changes in the design of the car.
In this case, even an outdated motor, which has somehow been brought up to modern econorm, has its advantages: it is perfectly familiar to repairmen, and many Shniv owners do quite well with their own maintenance and repair. So for half a million in the younger configuration is quite an interesting choice for those who often have to move out of the asphalt.
If desired, the car can be slightly refreshed: in the top-end configuration, the LE + Chevrolet Niva receives airbags with belt pretensioners, ABS, electric equipment, an updated driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support and height. True, such a machine will cost as much as 700 thousand rubles.
Results
The natural tendency of the Russian market is a high interest in the most versatile cars: in the top sales this year, almost half of the cars have all-wheel drive equipment, and there are not only crossovers, but also cars with pronounced off-road capabilities. And, of course, the most popular cars are the most popular: in the amount of sales of all models, VAZ and Korean concerns are leading, with Renault on its heels. However, given the similarity of prices, the Russian car enthusiast still prefers more eminent brands - the example of Volkswagen and Toyota clearly indicates this.
But the most important thing is that the upward trend in demand has clearly manifested itself - if, when compared with 2015, all the leaders of the top of 2016 lost in sales, now they are showing growth. The preferences have also changed - the Solaris example is especially indicative. AvtoVAZ also strengthened its position quite well - Granta and Vesta enjoyed stable popularity, and X-Ray was able to move the Chevrolet Niva from the eighth place.
No luck yet Renault - formerly one of the bestsellers Logan left the top 10, went down one step "Duster". To some extent, the company was rescued by Kaptur, who added his share to the total sales (11th place this year), but so far there is nothing to oppose the Koreans and the VAZ to the French. Although, if you remember who is now the actual owner of the VAZ ...
