GAZon Next

GAZon Next is a five-ton truck manufactured at the Gorky Automobile Plant since 2014. It represents the fifth generation of GAZ trucks. The vehicle is significantly different from the previous versions of trucks, but some units, along with power units, moved from the previous GAZ-3309.

The year 2014 was the most significant for the company in Gorky. The company presented to people one of the most important new models of the decade in its own product line. It was planned that GAZon Next, like GAZelle Next, would be able to conquer not only the domestic but also foreign market. The whole model range is GAZ.

The main emphasis at the Nizhny Novgorod enterprise was on localization. The car can be confidently called “your own”. Up to 90 percent of all elements that are present in its design are produced in the Russian Federation. This is exactly what makes this vehicle a major advantage, which is guaranteed a cloudless future.

The model serves not only as a pretty model, but also as a reliable one. These qualities allow it to be the most important candidate for a leading position in the category of medium-duty trucks of the Russian Federation.

Now the Gorky Automobile Plant can offer GAZon Next dump truck and GAZon Next City – new interesting vehicles. For a bad road, the Next 4×4 GAZone was provided. In this article you will learn about payload, fuel consumption, and reviews of the new vehicle.

Car history

At the beginning of 2014, the Group of the Gorki Automobile Plant, following a series of intriguing announcements, was able to present an original car for the Russian Federation – GAZon Next. The novelty was positioned as a substitute for some well-known generations at once. Initially, the company decided to say goodbye to the GAZ-3307 car, the production of which began in the Soviet era (1987).

In about 30 years of production, the truck has become significantly outdated, despite a list of improvements. Taking into account all this, marketing specialists did not puzzle themselves and decided to name the new vehicle “Lawn”.

By the way, this is exactly the way it was accepted to call the previous editions of the company. The model even became the successor of the latest generation of GAZ-33088. Over 25 years of digging it was able to sell more than 2 000 000 models of GAZ-3307 and 33088.

Moreover, almost a million of them continue to be successfully exploited today. But taking into account the medium and small business, because of the need to upgrade the machines, began to buy foreign counterparts more often. Consumers did not want to buy outdated equipment, even if its price policy was not so high. Partly, this was the reason to design a completely new model.

GAZone Next turned out to be fully original, and in appearance has nothing in common with all its predecessors. This allowed the model to pay reasonable attention to itself and start using this car.

The President of the Russian Federation was present at the premiere of the truck, which demonstrated the importance of such an event. Manufacturers promised to potential buyers the durability of the model and excellent characteristics.

Despite the good localization of production, the car is an alloy of domestic and foreign elements. Therefore, the new GAZon Next purchased the latest generation GAZelle cab, the clutch was installed by ZF (Germany), and the braking system by Valday. A similar principle provided an opportunity to make a car of high quality.

The history of GAZON Next includes not a single family, and the car itself is just beginning to gain popularity. But the design team is sure that in the section of medium-duty trucks GAZon Next will be able to bypass many rivals. In standard equipment and platform the car can transport up to 5 thousand kilograms, which makes it one of the best among other models.

The manufacturer will be offered several versions of the design, which differ in the type of wheelbase (4×4, 4×2), clearance (315 and 265 mm), as well as the length of the platform (standard, or the presence of an extended modification).

The truck is not only a narrow profile truck, but a large family, which is divided into 3 groups: off-road, universal and urban. Off-road version is considered to be the successor of the 66th Lawn (availability of an upgraded platform and a unique technical component). The 2nd version resembles a little the standard lawn 3307, which, as a result, allowed it to get a lot of wheels, a solid height of ground clearance and good cross-country ability.

The most important drawback of this model is a solid loading height. The urban modification does not have such a disadvantage by installing wheels with a smaller diameter, but they will not be suitable for crossed roads. Any of the modifications can have two types of cabins (three- and seven-seater cabins).

Appearance

The first thing that catches your eye on the new truck is the design solution of the cabin. Its silhouette looks a little like Gazelle Next. Here you can also find angular, concise and business stylistics. The medium-duty truck has an installation of modern elegant optics, fully renovated interior, which has 3 comfortable chairs. For the first time in the history of the truck families of the Gorky Automobile Plant, the presence of plastic front fenders was used, and the cabin itself received galvanized coating.

It is important to note that the previous lawn models had a weak point – it began to rust almost immediately. The new trucks received the presence of large side mirrors – “burdocks”, which significantly improve the visibility of the driver.

As a separate option, they can be supplied with an electric heating option. The GAZon cab Next was supplemented with a massive bumper, which made the car slightly angular. The appearance of the car can not be called super attractive, but in the flow of vehicles new product can immediately stand out.

If we’re talking about the body itself, it’s a steelwork. As a separate option, the aluminium body can be ordered, which has increased resistance to corrosion. GAZone Next City has received a reduced loading/unloading height, which made it more adapted to work in cities.

Interior

Inside, the Next modification has become much more spacious – about 1/3 more than the Lawn 3307. When you are inside, you realize what has become more comfortable, and because of this you have a little doubt, but is this a domestic car?

The internal space is similar to the elements of Next Gazelle in many respects. It is convenient to watch the road, the driver is helped by rather high landing and massive windshield. There are also some non-standard innovations for the cars of the Gorky Automobile Plant, such as:

• Electric windows;
• Air conditioner;
• Cruise control;
• Seat heating.

And it’s all in the basic package. Volga passenger sedans can’t even dream about this, and the Russian truck has all this! In front of the driver is a 4-spokes cartoon, which looks quite modern, almost the same as in other foreign cars. GAZ-Next has a standard audio system with a CD-player, which supports the MP3 format, and also provides for mounting a pair of music speakers. The gas pedal (accelerator) has an electronic control, but time will show whether it can be considered an advantage in the quality of domestic spare parts.

Inside, it can comfortably accommodate 3 adults, although it is possible to order a double cabin with a driver and 6 passengers. Everything is quite simple, but at the same time convenient. The designers of the Gorky Automobile Plant have done a good job on comfortable landing, good ventilation and noise isolation.

They also increased the rigidity of the driver’s section with the help of Anvis supports. The driver’s seat has a large number of settings and a mechanical suspension, which minimizes the driver’s fatigue even on a long journey. The basic equipment also includes armrests. The instrument panel looks intuitive and quite clear, there is a pleasant backlighting. The central console has a free niche for installing third-party multimedia devices.

Specifications

Powertrain

In order to successfully move this vehicle, the design staff provided for the presence of the Yaroslavl turbocharged 4.4-liter diesel engine – YaMZ 5344. The engine develops 137 horsepower. It has a cooler of inflatable air. The debut version of this engine was started to be mounted on the Lawn 3309 in 2013. The engine has become quite successful, as eloquently evidenced by the award, which was received for the best innovative technology from the Adam Smith Institute.

It was they who were awarded the Yaroslavl enterprise for such an engine. The power unit was upgraded, improving it in comparison with the standard series. The technical component of the engine fully meets all European standards.

If we compare it with the “capricious” American engine Cummins, which is assembled on Chinese territory, the domestic engine better “digests” any diesel fuel, and given the Russian conditions – it is a clear advantage.

YaMZ is well-adapted to the conditions of use and well tolerated by the saturated work during low temperature conditions. If the engineering staff had decided to install an “American”, they would have been able to clearly ruin the car owners of GAZon Next.

Despite the increased volume compared to Cummins, the Yaroslavl engine operates quieter than its previous model on GAZON 3309. According to the company YaMZ-5344, it is considered one of the most modern engines, and it has a service life of up to 700 thousand kilometers.

With the help of successfully selected gearbox numbers, the maximum loads do not appear even in difficult situations, which allows the engine to operate for a longer time. YaMZ-5344 meets European standards Euro-4.

As an alternative, the American 3.76-litre Cummnins ISF powertrain will be installed, producing 152.3 horsepower. It has proved itself quite well, working with domestic fuel. It is not afraid of severe frosts, but the presence of pre-start heating is only optional here. The engine has 4 cycles, has cooling of the supplied air and liquid cooling. The American is very similar to his direct “competitor”, but not the same.

The engine also meets Euro-4 environmental standards. All versions can be accelerated to 110 km/h. Average fuel consumption per 100 kilometers will be 18 liters at a speed of 80 km/h. If you drive at 60 km/h, the fuel consumption will be reduced to 13.6 litres per hundred litres. The model is able to overcome the rise up to 30 degrees.

Transmission

Here the engineers decided to install an alternativeless 5-speed manual gearbox. But it is also noticeably different from the previous models. It is possible to control the gearbox and electronic accelerator pedal with the help of joystick.

The gearbox has become more reliable, but slightly raised the price. On 2nd and 5th speeds there are Italian synchronizers Oerlikon Graziano. Together with the grinding of gear teeth, they provide almost silent operation of the gearbox, which increases the strength of the entire unit and gives a guarantee of easy gear shifting.

In addition, this box increased the thickness of gears, installed foreign-made SKF bearings, used Simrit and Rubena seals, which eliminate the appearance of leaks.

The clutch was used from the company Sachs ZF, which, by the way, is dry and single disc. In this car, there is no need to clutch twice and reload – “Well, finally” – every owner will say!

Suspension

The model got a completely different pendant. Based on the test drive, GAZon Next’s stroke is now softer, and during braking the truck does not throw from side to side, which was very often seen in GAZ-3307. The frame was of a reinforced type, although it was almost impossible to break it even on the 53rd Lawn. It has corrosion protection, where there is a cataphoresis coating. Also, the Gorky Automobile Plant started to use the ABS and ASR systems.

A few years ago, the majority would have considered the installation of such systems on our cars to be fantastic, but today it is a reality. Employees of Nizhny Novgorod enterprise were able to upgrade the front springs. The suspension has stabilizers of transverse stability (rear and front), as well as shock absorbers Tenneco, which reduce fluctuations. The use of air suspension is still only planned.

Brake system

You may be surprised, but all the wheels of the new GAZone are equipped with disc brakes. Moreover, the company has announced that it has done it, increasing efficiency. So now it is calculated on weight up to 12 000 kg. You can press the brake pedal lightly and feel a rather quick response. As mentioned above, the new and modern truck has received equipment systems such as ASR (Wabco), EBD and ABS.

With the help of ACP it is possible to reduce the slippage of rear wheels, which increases the acceleration speed. With the help of the latest introduction, the truck can move more confidently on gravel or ice. In addition, engineers have provided the possibility of switching off this system, if necessary. Brake system has a brake pad wear indicator, which has a service life of 200 thousand kilometers. If you take a modification of the Next GAZone with all-wheel drive, the basic models come with drum brakes.

Steering wheel control

The steering wheel itself is quite ergonomic, but it can only be adjusted vertically. It has a built-in radio control. In order to be convenient and pleasant to operate a medium-duty truck, it is provided with a modern hydraulic power steering from ZFLS, which works quite quietly. The steering wheel now has a reduced radius, which allows you to control it more comfortably.

Modifications

A universal model, the off-road Sadko with a rotational module and an urban model are envisaged. There is a standard and extended platform of the car. Models C41R11 and C41R31. There is also a Next C42 GAZone. The car is not only flatbed, its platform is used to make various modifications, such as:

• Tanks;
• Vans;
• Evacuators and manipulators;
• Towers;
• Dump trucks;
• Pickups;
• Special vehicles.

Starting from 2016, the Gorky Automobile Plant plans to start production of a truck tractor in series version, on the platform of which will be created trains. It will be able to transport about 10 tons, and the total weight will reach 16,800 kilograms.

However, it is unlikely that the engine used will be able to cope with such loads, so, most likely, the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod will face a new task – to develop a new power unit for the machine. There is a GAZon Next dump truck, GAZon Next pickup truck.

Cost

The cost of a flatbed truck with a single-row cabin will be from $24213. As a separate option you can set the availability of a radio, cruise control, seat heating and power windows. The model has a “urban” design, “GAZon Next City”, where there are wheels of reduced diameter, as well as reduced loading height, along with a reduced turning radius. A similar model of GAZon Next City will cost $ 153 more.

The modification with a 2-row cabin, designed for 7 seats, will be estimated at $ 25362. It is possible to order a car for your needs, but the price list will be clearly higher. The extended version of C41R31 will be estimated from $28044 with standard equipment.

Special versions are available at prices starting from $2,6052. Let the car be new, but there is already an opportunity to buy a truck from hand. The price will vary from $15,325 to $2,2987, depending on the modification, configuration and general condition of the model.

The pros and cons

We sum up

As some people say, there is a “tradition” at the car factory in Gorky – to create a new car from the very beginning, and then, without haste, to start bringing it to mind. This is a little funny, but unfortunately, it is true. Therefore, it is felt that today GAZon Next is still a wet vehicle.

It will take 3 years, then you can already confidently buy this model. However, it is necessary to give due consideration to the design shop of the plant. After all, the old machines, along with their archaic design and technical equipment, just morally outdated themselves. It is just logical to ask for a new model, otherwise, GAZ could simply lose its products.

But foreign companies do not sit idly by, so our specialists decided to release a new cargo model, which is not inferior to foreign brands in appearance and technical component. Although, to be honest, the better the “domestic” car is, the less Russian parts are in it, and there is no arguing with that. In general, the car turned out to be pleasant, fresh and mysterious.

Why mysterious? Since it has not yet been fully tested. But the power unit began to consume much less fuel, and the power was not reduced. The gearbox began to work much better (of course, it is here with German roots), the braking system and got disc brakes on all wheels, as well as electronic auxiliary systems such as ABS.

Inside, the driver also began to work much more pleasant and easier. There is plenty of free space in the cab. One thing is clear: the Gorky Automobile Plant is clearly in the right direction of development of the automotive industry. It is also pleasant that the company renews and manufactures not only new cars, but also those that are trucks. It is hoped that it will not stop there.

We advise you to read the article: GAS – history of car production.

GAZon Next photo

Test drive

Video overview