VAZ 2101

VAZ 2101: which version to buy and why

If you are choosing a VAZ 2101, the catalogue gives three named versions in one generation (1970–1988, Sedan): 2101 1.2 MT, 21011 1.3 MT, and 21013 1.2 MT. There is no second generation to “step up” into.

If you are choosing a VAZ 2101, the catalogue gives three named versions in one generation (1970–1988, Sedan): 2101 1.2 MT, 21011 1.3 MT, and 21013 1.2 MT. There is no second generation to “step up” into. The buying question is therefore which of these three powertrains matches the job: the two 1.2-litre cars are numerically identical in the measured fields, and 21011 1.3 MT is the only spec that is actually different.

VAZ 2101 specs compared: three versions, one generation

All three versions share the same production window (1970-01-01 to 1988-12-31), the same Sedan body, the same kerb weight (955 kg), the same gross weight (1355 kg), the same 170 mm ground clearance, the same 39-litre tank, the same 4-speed Manual gearbox, the same RWD layout, the same front Independent, spring / rear Dependent, spring suspension, and the same Disc front / Drum rear brakes. Wheel sizes are not measured on any version. CO2 and eco class are not measured on any version. Boost is not measured on any version.

That means generation-to-generation change is not a factor here: there is 1 generation and 3 versions. What you “buy extra” is engine size and the performance that comes with it — or you do not, and keep the 1.2-litre numbers.

Engine comparison: 2101 1.2 MT vs 21011 1.3 MT vs 21013 1.2 MT

2101 1.2 MT and 21013 1.2 MT match on every engine figure in the data: 59 hp (44 kW) at 5600 rpm, 87 Nm at 3400 rpm, 1198 cc Gasoline, 4 Inline cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder, Front, longitudinal, Carburetor, compression 8.5, bore × stroke 76x66, fuel 92. On paper they are the same engine choice under two names.

21011 1.3 MT is the outlier: 69 hp (51 kW) at 5600 rpm, 96 Nm at 3400 rpm, 1294 cc, bore × stroke 79x66. Same rpm peaks, same 8.5 compression, same Carburetor, same fuel 92, same cylinder count and Inline layout. The extra 96 cc comes from a 3 mm larger bore (79 vs 76) with the same 66 stroke.

Arithmetic on those numbers:

• Displacement: 21011 1.3 MT is 96 cc larger than either 1.2 (1294 − 1198), about 8.0% more volume.
• Power: 69 − 59 = 10 hp more (about 16.9% more). In kW: 51 − 44 = 7 kW.
• Torque: 96 − 87 = 9 Nm more (about 10.3% more).
• Specific output: 2101 1.2 MT / 21013 1.2 MT = 59 hp ÷ 1.198 L ≈ 49.2 hp/L. 21011 1.3 MT = 69 hp ÷ 1.294 L ≈ 53.3 hp/L. The 1.3 does not only add litres; it makes more power per litre as well.
• Power-to-weight: kerb mass is 955 kg on all three. 2101 1.2 MT and 21013 1.2 MT = 955 ÷ 59 ≈ 16.2 kg per hp. 21011 1.3 MT = 955 ÷ 69 ≈ 13.8 kg per hp. That is 2.4 kg less mass per horsepower on the 1.3.

If the names were the only clue, 21013 1.2 MT might look like a “later” 1.2. In this dataset it is not a stronger 1.2: it copies 2101 1.2 MT exactly on the measured engine fields. Choosing between those two names is not an engine choice.

Performance and economy: what the extra 10 hp actually buys

Units as given: 0–100 in seconds, top speed as listed, consumption as listed (city / highway / combined).

21011 1.3 MT is 4 seconds quicker to 100 (18 vs 22) and 5 units faster at the top (145 vs 140). That is the whole performance spread in the catalogue. There is no automatic, no other drive, no other gearbox ratio count: every version is 4-speed Manual and RWD.

Fuel is the trade. Versus either 1.2:

• City: 11 − 9.4 = 1.6 more on 21011 1.3 MT.
• Highway: 8 − 6.9 = 1.1 more.
• Combined: 9.5 − 9.2 = 0.3 more.

The extra 10 hp costs a lot in city use relative to combined: city penalty is more than five times the combined penalty (1.6 vs 0.3). Highway is in between. If most kilometres are urban, the 1.3’s consumption gap is the largest of the three measured cycles.

Tank is 39 litres on all three. Combined-range arithmetic (tank ÷ combined × 100):

• 2101 1.2 MT / 21013 1.2 MT: 39 ÷ 9.2 × 100 ≈ 424.
• 21011 1.3 MT: 39 ÷ 9.5 × 100 ≈ 411.

Difference ≈ 13 units of range on the combined figure — small next to the 4-second 0–100 gap. City-range arithmetic:

• 1.2 versions: 39 ÷ 9.4 × 100 ≈ 415.
• 21011 1.3 MT: 39 ÷ 11 × 100 ≈ 355.

That city gap (about 60) is the real economy argument against the 1.3 if the car lives in town.

CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. Do not treat missing emissions figures as “zero”; they are not in the data.

Dimensions and weight: nothing to choose

Kerb weight 955 kg, gross 1355 kg, clearance 170 mm, tank 39 litres — identical on 2101 1.2 MT, 21011 1.3 MT, and 21013 1.2 MT. Payload from the two masses: 1355 − 955 = 400 kg on every version. Wheel sizes are not measured. There is no heavier “loaded” trim in this list and no generation that added mass.

Chassis language is also shared: Independent, spring front; Dependent, spring rear; Disc front; Drum rear. You cannot pick a 2101 in this catalogue for a different brake or spring layout. The buying fork is engine and the performance/economy pair that follows from it.

Which version to choose

Choose 21011 1.3 MT if the point is pace. It is the only version with 69 hp, 96 Nm, 1294 cc, 18 to 100, and 145 top speed. You get 10 hp and 9 Nm over the 1.2 cars, about 4.1 hp/L more specific output (53.3 vs 49.2), and about 2.4 kg/hp less mass per horsepower (13.8 vs 16.2), with the same 955 kg kerb weight. The cost in the data is fuel: +1.6 city, +1.1 highway, +0.3 combined, and a shorter city tank range on the 39-litre tank. There is no other gearbox or drive to buy with that engine.

Choose 2101 1.2 MT if you want the lower consumption 1.2 with the original 1.2 name. 59 hp, 87 Nm, 1198 cc, 22 to 100, 140 top speed, 9.4 / 6.9 / 9.2. Same weight, tank, clearance, Manual 4, RWD. This is the thriftier city number (9.4 vs 11) and the slower car by 4 seconds to 100.

Choose 21013 1.2 MT only if you need that exact version name. On every measured spec in this dataset it is the same car as 2101 1.2 MT: same 59 hp, same 87 Nm, same 1198 cc, same 76x66, same 22 / 140, same 9.4 / 6.9 / 9.2, same 955 / 1355 / 170 / 39. It is not a quieter, heavier, or faster 1.2 here. If a listing uses 21013 1.2 MT, treat the catalogue numbers as the 1.2 set, not as a middle step toward 21011 1.3 MT.

There is no “newer generation” pick. One generation, 1970–1988, Sedan, three versions. Restyling is not listed as a separate generation. You are not choosing 1980s structure over 1970s structure in this table; you are choosing 1198 cc / 59 hp versus 1294 cc / 69 hp, or the same 1.2 under a second name.

What extra money cannot buy in this data. Prices are not in the dataset, so “what the extra money buys” can only mean what the extra 96 cc and 10 hp buy in measured performance versus fuel. They do not buy more gears, another drive type, more tank, more clearance, less weight, measured wheels, measured CO2, or a measured eco class. Boost is not measured on any of the three.

Short rule: need the strongest VAZ 2101 in this list → 21011 1.3 MT. Need the lower city and highway figures → 2101 1.2 MT or 21013 1.2 MT, and treat those two as the same numbers. If a source claims 21013 1.2 MT is quicker than 2101 1.2 MT, that claim is not in this catalogue.