GAZ-3106 is an off-road vehicle of the Gorky Automobile Plant, the development of which stopped at the prototype stage. The company’s management planned to release the 3106 as a continuation of the failed project 2308. They planned to set the retail price at the level of the Patriot UAZ.
History of the project
The family has a rich history. After the release of the next update, it was planned to launch mass production, but this did not happen.
First generation (2000)
At the heart of the GAZ-3106 Ataman 2 is a shortened chassis from the "Ataman" of the 1996 model. Fully preserved bridges, front suspension, steering, brake system and wheels. Some elements are taken from "Sable" and unified. The design of the rigid rear axle on the spring suspension allows you to set the differential lock. This provides sufficient traction on all wheels. Intermediate shafts are excluded from the design to ensure silence in the cabin. To improve the patency of the rear and front suspension made dependent.
GAZ-3106 - all-wheel drive SUV on the spar frame. Capacity - 7 people. For this there are three rows of seats. Technical units planned to assemble from parts of domestic and foreign companies (Iveco and Toyota). The prototype received a power unit GAZ-561, which has 5 cylinders and develops 141 horsepower.
For the comfort of passengers, the seats are equipped with head restraints. For safety, each seat has an inertial seat belt. The tank is installed inside the frame, it has a positive effect on passive safety. Also thanks to this arrangement, it was possible to lower the floor in the cabin, but it did not work out perfectly evenly.
The rear suspension was deprived of the mechanism of Watt, it was replaced by a Panhard mechanism. It is caused by a large number of hinges and complexity of assembly. The simplified mechanism provides good stability on the road. The suspension is tuned for use on public roads, but this does not underestimate the ability to overcome off-road.
Second Generation (2004)
The development of an SUV turned in 2001 due to lack of funding. In 2004, despite the success of the Chevy-Niva and Patriot, engineers proposed a new SUV with the old index. The retail price was planned to be set at around 10 thousand dollars. Project managers have abandoned the name "Ataman 2", so that consumers would not associate it with old designs.
A new car was built on the classic scheme of an SUV. It had a spar frame, a five-door body, dependent suspensions, four-wheel drive, a two-stage transfer case and a lockable center differential. Under the hood placed the power plant ZMZ-405, which develops 147 horsepower. The second-generation GAZ-3106 met all modern requirements: the steering column was tuned in many ways, power steering was present in the design, airbags and ABS were added for safety.
In 2005, at the international exhibition, the Gorky Automobile Plant presented two options 3106: basic and VIP. The second received a leather trim and full power. The back row has separate seats, each of which is equipped with electric. The rear seats fold 1: 2. Interior design supplemented with wooden elements on the dashboard.
In addition to external changes, technical characteristics have changed. The base engine was replaced by a 16-cylinder with a volume of 2.5 liters. He developed up to 204 horsepower. In the technical documentation, the mark of 170 km / h is indicated as the maximum speed. The standard engine developed up to 147 horsepower.
Third Generation (2005)
The final development was the SUV, which received the index 31061. The public was introduced in 2005. The wheelbase has become longer by 40 millimeters, the rear doors are enlarged to increase comfort when embarking and disembarking passengers. Of the external differences immediately catches the chrome grille, new design of headlights and bumper.
The salon is different from the 3106 VIP. It became easier, but kept the electric drive on the windows and mirrors. The back row is a ratio of 1: 2. The trunk opens like a door, a spare wheel is attached to it. The power unit GAZ-5602 has a volume of 2.13 liters and develops up to 120 horsepower.
The long-travel dependent suspension is spring-type and is supplemented with forged levers. The basis is the shortened base "Ataman". Suspension has high strength and allows you to overcome off-road at high speed.
The planetary transfer box has two stages and operates at the expense of the Morse chain. The hand-over device is supplemented with a lockable cylindrical center differential (made on the basis of the Volga gearbox; a limited slip differential can be mounted on the rear axle).
What place does GAZ-3106 take?
If one day the car is put into mass production, it will take a confident place between Chevy-Niva and UAZ Patriot. The device of the car is made according to the classical scheme of an SUV (frame and dependent suspensions on springs). It has long been tested on the first generation Ataman. The shortened wheelbase, which underlies the 3106, is better on the road.
The last generation received five seats (UAZ Patriot can accommodate 7 people). As mentioned above, each seat is equipped with a head restraint and an inertia-type safety belt. In the Patriot, the tank was taken out of the frame, which lowered the level of passive safety. In the GAZ-3106 there are problems with folding seats (the floor did not become even, this caused inconvenience when loading things in the luggage compartment).
Chassis features
Initially, the designers planned to introduce a four-wheel drive with plug-in front-wheel drive in the car. But the engineers decided to go the hard way, making a choice in favor of permanent all-wheel drive. To do this, they had to develop a new transfer case from scratch, which works through a multi-row lamellar chain. Also in its device there is a lockable center differential. 2.68 - the number of downshifts.
What can be concluded?
Off-road vehicle GAZ-3106 during the first practical tests showed acceptable results. In addition to satisfying technical performance, testers liked the level of comfort inside the cabin. All controls are in direct access, the windshield provides a good overview, an easy chair allows you to pass many kilometers without discomfort.
After the international exhibition, the 3106th became interested not only in Russia, but also abroad. Despite the great demand, to bring the project to mass production did not work. The official reason is not voiced, there are only guesses and information from unverified sources.
Volga GAZ-3106 is another promising project of a domestic manufacturer, which never reached the final consumer. If in the first years after the exhibition, people believed that an opportunity to buy an SUV would soon appear, now they have already forgotten everything about it and are no longer waiting for serial production.
