7) Mara Kanyon / Reyndzher / Bizon
First generation (1981-1999)
SUV, MPV, Ute - Perspek 2.5 I4, Progress 2.3i I4
– Cult of Personality II - Digging the Trench 1980-1986: 1985 Mara Kanyon (4th in Counter Culture - Motorsport): Cult of Personality ][ : The Boogaloo [LORE][RD 5 FINAL RESULTS] - #244 by AndiD
– Cult of Personality II overall: (12th in Counter Culture - Motorsport)
– TRIZE’s 1980’s Budget Off-Roader challenge (3rd place): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqMCybSu1io
The Kanyon / Reyndzher** SUV family was developed in the early 1980s as an offer in the emerging ‘sport utility’ market (albeit with a small ‘s’ and a capital ‘U’) in Archana. It emerged as a more capable off-road alternative to the Irena ute - which had always been a bit of a compromise to begin with. The Kanyon was the first variant to become available and had a 4x4 drivetrain. Later on a cheaper softroader counterpart, the Reyndzher*, on the same chassis (but RWD only) was added. The Bizon was a heavy ute variant on the same chassis.
The 4x4 Kanyon: (Almost) uncompromising off-road capability
Layout-wise, this first generation was back to Mara’s roots with the Tovarish and Irena: a ladder frame chassis like the Tovarish, a 2.4m wheelbase like the Irena, the 2.5l Progress I4 engine mounted longitudinally (similar to the one in the Irena SX or base model Kavaler but in a much milder tune focused on low-end torque), double wishbones at the front (the only nod to comfort, apart from non-offroad tyres) and a coil-sprung solid axle at the rear - again, similar to the Irena’s configuration.
The Kanyon’s externally mounted rear spare wheel dominates the look for the rear
As a result, the Kanyon and Bizon (and to a lesser extent the RWD Reyndzher and Bizons) could go into (and get out of) situations where the Irena ute would have been out of its depth. Notable was the low dry weight of around 1.1 tonnes while having a certified towing capacity of easily more than half that.
The RWD Reyndzher was easy to identify through the absence of an externally mounted spare wheel at the rear, allowing a more traditional tailgate handle placement
The entire 1st generation family was initially available in short wheelbase variants only, but later also gained long wheelbase variants with five instead of three doors for the longer Kanyon / Reyndzher and either a 4-seater cabin or a longer bed for the longer Bizon.
Customers choosing the Bizon over the Irena ute were ready to trade comfort and drivability for off-road and load capability
The strictly utilitarian Kanyon and Bizon remained a strong seller in all its markets until the late 1990s due to its sole focus on off-road prowess. In contrast, the mid-1990s brought a more comfortable interior reminiscent of the recently released Zvezda to the Reyndzher in order to keep it at least somewhat competitive in the softroader SUV market, despite its archaic underpinnings. The latter could only be rectified by an entirely new generation.
After 1990, the AMM performance division even managed to shove the 5.0l Blyz V8 into a few Reyndzhers and Bizons, creating a few one-off (asphalt) performance-oriented versions for a surprisingly competitive price.
Even after the introduction of the 2nd generation, the 1st generation Kanyon stayed in production as Kanyon Klasyk, a low-cost no-frills small offroader alternative to the larger and more sophisticated subsequent generations.
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Second generation (since 2000)
TBD
Third generation (since 2010)
TBD
Fourth generation (since 2017)
– Minivans are Cool MPV Challenge (1st in Usefulness, 6th overall): 2018 Mara Reyndzher Kolektyv AMM MPV8: "Minivans Are Cool" MPV Challenge [Final Results Finally Posted] - #44 by AndiD
For the third generation, the offerings around the Kanyon / Reyndzher combo became even more diverse. The established offroad / softroad roles of the Kanyon and the Reyndzher were continued and now offered with the modernised Efektyv engine family (I4 and V8).
In addition, the Reyndzher softroader received an even more soft MPV variant (‘Kolektyv’) with the sole focus on efficient transport of eight people and hardly any attention to off-roading. The MPV was (with one exception by AMM) not offered with a V8 since the 4th gen Kavaler V8 wagon also entered into SUV/crossover territory, albeit with a deliberately more upscale positioning compared to the Reyndzher MPV.
The AMM version of the 8-seater Reyndzher Kolektyv (MPV8) was a weird experiment with a high-performance V8
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** Just try to pronounce it normally. And yes, it’s actually a word!