We have some breaking news from the Russian automotive world. Lada has unleashed details of its brand new Kalina NFR hot hatchbank, which the manufacturer says is the fastest production vehicle they’ve ever made. Now before you get too excited about the Kalina NFR, shown above and sitting proudly behind a model who looks like she’s come straight from the set of Kill Bill, Lada doesn’t exactly have a good history of building cars with impressive performance, or perhaps cars that are impressive or even noteworthy at all, so you’ll need to lower your expectations a bit first.
So, the Kalina NFR has a 1.6L naturally-aspirated engine which Lada says is good for 100kW (134hp) and 154Nm (114lb-ft) of torque – and I can already tell we’re not off to a good start here, as that’s pretty much bang on what Toyota was getting out of their 1.6L engines in the mid-1980s. Regardless, Lada claims it’ll carry the Kalina NFR from 0-100km/h (60mph in 9.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 203km/h (126mph). Baby steps, I guess.
According to Lada, their new luke-warm hatchback has tuned suspension and steering, as well as bigger brakes when compared to the base model – though we wonder why you’d need any of those. Meanwhile, on the inside it’ll have heated seats and mirrors, perfect for those cold Russian winters, while parking sensors and an audio system featuring a 7.0-inch display will also be included.
The entry price for all this Russian awesomeness? Just US$12,139.