VAZ 2108: which version to buy — 1.5 MT vs 1.3 MT
If you are choosing a VAZ 2108, the catalogue has one generation (1984-01-01 to 2005-12-31), one body (Hatchback 3-door), and two named versions: 1.5 MT and 1.3 MT. There is no later generation to “wait for,” no restyle listed as a separate generation, and no automatic, no all-wheel-drive, and no extra body style in this data.
If you are choosing a VAZ 2108, the catalogue has one generation (1984-01-01 to 2005-12-31), one body (Hatchback 3-door), and two named versions: 1.5 MT and 1.3 MT. There is no later generation to “wait for,” no restyle listed as a separate generation, and no automatic, no all-wheel-drive, and no extra body style in this data. The buying question is arithmetic: six extra horsepower, twelve extra newton-metres, three seconds off 0–100, eight km/h on top speed, versus 0.9 L/100 km more mixed fuel use on the larger engine. Both versions share a 900 kg kerb weight, 1325 kg gross weight, 160 mm ground clearance, 43 L tank, Gasoline, Carburetor, 5-speed Manual, and FWD.
Specs that stay the same on every 2108 in this catalogue
Before splitting the two engines, the shared numbers decide who this car is for. Both 1.5 MT and 1.3 MT are Hatchback 3-door, Front, transverse, Inline 4 with 2 valves per cylinder, compression 9.9, fuel 92, FWD, Manual with 5 gears. Curb (kerb) weight is 900 kg; gross is 1325 kg, so payload is 425 kg on both. Ground clearance is 160 mm on both. The fuel tank is 43 L on both. Front suspension is Independent, spring; rear is Semi-independent, springorts hélicoïdaux, sem. Boost is not measured on either version. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. Wheel sizes are not measured.
That sameness is the point of a two-version catalogue: you are not choosing a different chassis, a different gearbox, or a different generation. You are choosing displacement, power, torque, acceleration, top speed, and the three consumption figures.
Engine and specs: 1.5 MT versus 1.3 MT
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement (cc) | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 MT | 70 | 106 | 1499 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | not measured | Manual | FWD |
| 1.3 MT | 64 | 94 | 1289 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | not measured | Manual | FWD |
1.5 MT is 70 hp (51 kW) at 5600 rpm and 106 Nm at 3500 rpm from 1499 cc, bore and stroke 82 x 71. 1.3 MT is 64 hp (47 kW) at 5600 rpm and 94 Nm at 3500 rpm from 1289 cc, bore and stroke 76 x 71. Peak rpm for power and torque is the same on both: 5600 and 3500. The 1.5 MT engine is 210 cc larger (1499 − 1289). Power gap is 6 hp (70 − 64) and 4 kW (51 − 47). Torque gap is 12 Nm (106 − 94). Both are Carburetor Gasoline, 4 Inline cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder, Front, transverse.
Power per litre (hp divided by displacement in litres): 1.3 MT is 64 / 1.289 ≈ 49.7 hp per litre; 1.5 MT is 70 / 1.499 ≈ 46.7 hp per litre. The smaller engine is the denser one. The extra displacement on 1.5 MT buys absolute output, not a higher specific output.
Weight per horsepower at the shared 900 kg kerb: 1.5 MT is 900 / 70 ≈ 12.9 kg per hp; 1.3 MT is 900 / 64 ≈ 14.1 kg per hp. That is about 1.2 kg per hp less mass for each horsepower on 1.5 MT.
Performance and mpg: what the extra 6 hp actually moves
| Version | 0–100 | Top speed | City | Highway | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 MT | 13 | 156 | 8.6 | 5.7 | 7.7 |
| 1.3 MT | 16 | 148 | 8.6 | 5.4 | 6.8 |
1.5 MT reaches 100 in 13 seconds and 156 km/h. 1.3 MT reaches 100 in 16 seconds and 148 km/h. The gap is 3 seconds and 8 km/h. City consumption is identical: 8.6 on both. Highway is 5.7 on 1.5 MT versus 5.4 on 1.3 MT (0.3 L/100 km more on the 1.5). Mixed is 7.7 versus 6.8 (0.9 L/100 km more on the 1.5).
Tank range from the 43 L tank (tank ÷ consumption × 100): city, both versions, 43 / 8.6 × 100 ≈ 500 km. Highway, 1.5 MT 43 / 5.7 × 100 ≈ 754 km; 1.3 MT 43 / 5.4 × 100 ≈ 796 km (about 42 km more). Mixed, 1.5 MT 43 / 7.7 × 100 ≈ 558 km; 1.3 MT 43 / 6.8 × 100 ≈ 632 km (about 74 km more). If mixed mpg is the trip you actually run, 1.3 MT is the longer-legged car on the same 43 L tank.
CO2 is not measured on 1.5 MT and not measured on 1.3 MT. Eco class is not measured on both. Those fields are not a tie-breaker because they are not in the data.
Dimensions and weight: no version wins the tape measure
Kerb 900 kg, gross 1325 kg, clearance 160 mm, tank 43 L — all four figures are the same on 1.5 MT and 1.3 MT. Wheel sizes are not measured on either. There is no “lighter 1.3” in this catalogue: the 1.3 MT does not lose kerb weight with the smaller engine in these numbers. Ground clearance does not change with engine. You cannot buy more clearance or a bigger tank by picking one of these two names.
Brakes do differ in what is recorded. 1.5 MT lists front Disc and rear Drum. 1.3 MT lists front brakes not measured and rear brakes not measured. That is a data gap on 1.3 MT, not a stated “no brakes” specification. Do not treat missing brake labels as a chassis upgrade on the 1.5; treat them as measured on 1.5 MT and not measured on 1.3 MT.
Which version to choose
Choose 1.5 MT if the 0–100 and top-speed numbers are the reason you are in this model. You get 70 hp and 106 Nm against 64 hp and 94 Nm, 13 s to 100 against 16 s, 156 km/h against 148 km/h, at the same 900 kg. You pay 0.9 L/100 km extra mixed (7.7 vs 6.8) and 0.3 L/100 km extra on the highway (5.7 vs 5.4). City is a wash at 8.6. You also get the only brake labels in this set (Disc front, Drum rear). Mixed range on 43 L drops from about 632 km to about 558 km.
Choose 1.3 MT if mixed and highway consumption, and tank range, are the reason. You keep the same Hatchback 3-door, same Manual 5, same FWD, same 900 / 1325 kg, same 160 mm, same 43 L, same Carburetor Gasoline Inline 4. You give up 6 hp, 12 Nm, 3 seconds to 100, and 8 km/h on top speed. You gain 0.9 L/100 km mixed and 0.3 L/100 km highway, and you keep city at 8.6. Specific output is higher on this engine (about 49.7 vs 46.7 hp per litre), so you are not buying a “weaker tune of the same block” in the sense of worse hp per litre — you are buying 210 cc less and 6 hp less.
Do not choose by generation. There is 1 generation, years 1984-01-01–2005-12-31, 2 versions, both spanning that full window. There is no second generation in this data that adds power, cuts weight, or changes drive. A “later 2108” in this catalogue is still either 1.5 MT or 1.3 MT with the same start and stop dates.
Do not choose by gearbox or drive. Both are Manual, 5 gears, FWD. There is no Automatic row and no other drive label.
Do not choose by weight, clearance, or tank. Those four numbers do not move.
What the extra displacement buys, in one line: 210 cc, +6 hp, +12 Nm, −3 s to 100, +8 km/h, +0.9 mixed L/100 km, same city 8.6, same 900 kg. That is the entire version decision in this VAZ 2108 set.
Reliability, problems, and what this data does not contain
This catalogue does not list failure rates, spare-part life, rust, or carburetor service intervals. Reliability and problems are not measured here. Both versions are Carburetor Gasoline with the same compression 9.9; that does not prove identical durability, and it does not disprove it. Prices and asking offers are not in the data and are not a comparison axis.
If you need a figure that is blank, treat it as not measured: boost, CO2, eco class, wheel sizes on both versions; front and rear brakes on 1.3 MT. Using a blank as “does not exist on the car” is the wrong reading.
Short verdict. One generation, two Manual FWD hatchbacks, same mass. 1.5 MT is the performance pick on 70 hp / 13 s / 156 km/h. 1.3 MT is the economy pick on 6.8 mixed / 5.4 highway and the longer mixed range on 43 L. The names to match to a modification page are exactly 1.5 MT and 1.3 MT.