At the time of the start of production, the VAZ-2101 was the most comfortable in its class, one of the most modern and reliable domestic cars, which immediately made its possession a sign of prosperity and well-being. Among the most pleasant features of the VAZ-2101, motorists noted high unpretentiousness, reliability and ease of maintenance, smoothness, dynamics, interior comfort (including the good operation of the heater). Objectively, the VAZ surpassed other Soviet cars in terms of manufacturing culture, and especially interior trim, had good dynamics and controllability, a small amount of maintenance work for those years, and a fairly modern appearance (for the first years of production).