“Hey, Robert - how about you go in and try to get out Thomas by guile and stealth first? Look at this, I highlighted the relevant parts of this translated Avto Gazeta article for you.”
2000 Mara Kavaler Prakty 4.0
The second generation of the Mara Kavaler debuted in mid-1990s after the global market liberalisation and was the first Kavaler generation to be offered in wagon form in addition to the traditional sedan. The overall market reception of the wagon was lukewarm at best, but it hangs on to still be available in 2000 after the first facelift due to finding sufficient success in two quite different market niches:
On the one hand, there are travelling outdoor workers such as forest inspectors and construction engineers who do not want to get stuck on otherwise reasonably accessible unpaved paths and roads in case of inclement weather. Otherwise, they first and foremost need a spacious and practical daily driver for regular roads and conditions, and can appreciate the Kavaler’s affordability. On the other hand there are lower and mid-ranking state officials who want something reasonably stately and comfortable, but neither want to be seen driving an import (lest they’d be accused of not being sufficiently patriotic) nor risk getting stuck on the dirt paths to or from their dacha or hunting lodge while being able to carry (or tow) the necessary gear for their leisure activities.
For some strange reason, official promo shots of the Kavaler Prakty always seem to avoid paved surfaces…
The outdoor worker group will usually be satisfied with the more mundane 2l I4 ‘Progress’ engine (shared with the smaller Zvezda) whereas the state official group will probably rather opt for the 4l V8 ‘Blyz [Twin] Progress’ engine. The Blyz V8 essentially consists of two Progress I4s bolted together, and produces around 150 kW and 320 Nm of torque. The latter group also seems to uniformly choose ‘forest green’ as their colour of choice, making this body/colour combination of the Kavaler - usually combined with heavily tinted windows - almost synonymous with ‘state official on leisure trip’ in certain regions. This is rumoured to often make the police turn a blind eye to minor traffic infractions such as speeding or discreetly wave the car straight through checkpoints without stopping them first.
… but emphasise nature instead, despite the limited ride height and RWD only availability.
To further address the needs of these two core markets, the facelifted Kavaler Prakty is now equipped with a bullbar at the front and an offroad skidtray underneath, in addition to the manual diff locker which has already been available before the facelift. Otherwise, the wagon retains a similar combination of drivability, performance and comfort as the regular Kavaler V8 sedans.
Unlike the regular sedans, however, the wagon’s front and rear bumpers now got the same plastic treatment as the Zvezda, albeit in a brighter tone, with a higher quality material, and including the new bullbar. This does not only give an additional appearance of ruggedness, but also allows the manufacturer to satisfy the quotas set by the local insurance industry in the mid-1990s in an effort to reduce insurance premiums due to less costs for minor collisions in the process by making the cars more resilient to front and rear impacts.
“So, what do you think? Shall I go make inquiries where to get one quickly near the designated operations area?”
Euro NCAP rating.
