Chevrolet OrlandoMention Chevrolet, and you can be sure that here in the UK half your audience will picture an 18-foot pink Leviathan replete with fins you could cut your fingers on. But Chevrolet has moved on, and in reality Chevrolet were never greatly into fins. The company is now General Motors' largest global brand with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries.Made in South Korea, the Orlando they say is “the perfect mix of Bold and New”. It’s a 7-seater MPV roughly the size of a Ford S-Max, powered by a choice of three engines. And I’ve got to start by saying that the ride is distinctly un-American, being quite firm and not over-bouncy. Base of the car is the same as the Cruze saloon, which is a popular motor that drives well (you can read our review of that here), so the Orlando too boasts competent handling.At the front of the car the design team has created a bold face, with a dual-port grille split by a section of body colour and a large Chevrolet bow-tie in the centre. The side profile is characterized by a gently rising shoulder line which starts at the top of the front wheel arch and runs the length of the vehicle into the rear light cluster. As for the resultant view available to the driver, that’s very good other than at the rear quarters, where the wee rear side windows aren’t man enough to be helpful when reversing round corners.I drove all three engines – one petrol and two diesels. The 1.8 petrol is as quiet as you’d want, and thanks to sensible gearing its torque is amply sufficient for an easy driving experience. The two diesels are both 2-litre capacity and share virtually the same level of refinement, with the more potent of them claiming 25% more power. The good news for buyers of that 163PS machine is that fuel consumption is no more than that of the 130PS model. Less happily, the performance isn’t that different either, with its 0-62 time of 10 seconds being just 0.3 seconds better, and the 121mph top speed beating the lesser engine by 9mph. It will make buyers look carefully at the £1,750 price differential, though only the mid-range LT spec is currently offered with both engines.Whichever engine I tried, the constant that appealed to me mightily was the turning circle – always a pleasant surprise. From a brief drive of a vehicle you soon get the feeling for the space needed to turn the thing around; and the Orlando is not a small car. Each time I tried it however, I felt it was turning on the proverbial sixpence, and though the official figure of 11.3 metres might not sound that impressive, it’s mighty competent for a car this big.A 7-seater MPV these days has to offer maximum practicality, and the Orlando does that in style. All five rear seats fold into the floor easily, with the middle row being effectively a 60/40 split arrangement. Despite the ‘theatre seating’ set-up, with each row being slightly higher than the one in front to optimise passenger vision, there’s ample head room wherever you sit. Leg room in the rear two seats is as you’d expect, not vast, but it can be maximised by persuading occupants of the middle row to recline their seat backs a little less. Luggage space is voluminous in 5-seat mode (727 litres), and more than twice that with all seats folded. In 7-seat use it’s said to be 89 litres (3.1 cu.ft.), which is about enough for a couple of toothbrushes.There are a number of differences in the colours and finishes used on parts of the interior to differentiate the trim level. Entry-level LS models are finished with a silver instrument panel and door console, black audio and center console and flat woven cloth for the seats; move up to the LT and the cabin gets a gloss black finish for the instrument panel, a leather covered steering wheel (with audio controls), and mesh type cloth for the seats; the top of the line LTZ models feature a special silver door console.Chevrolet’s new motor – which drives well and is priced very competitively – is a practical solution to transporting the larger family, or indeed the netball team. If an MPV is what you need, this one is certainly worth a try.Size: 4.65m x 1.84mEngines: Petrol: 1.8 litres – 141PSDiesel: 2.0 litres – 130 & 163PSGearbox: 5/6-speed FWDBest Consumption: Diesels (both) – 47.1mpgPrice at Mar ’11: from £16,395Full details of the Orlando are available on the manufacturer’s website: www.chevrolet.co.ukPeter Cracknell – April 2011
Chevrolet Orlando
Mention Chevrolet, and you can be sure that here in
the UK half your audience will picture an 18-foot pink
Leviathan replete with fins you could cut your fingers
on. But Chevrolet has moved on, and in reality
Chevrolet were never greatly into fins. The company is
now General Motors' largest global brand with annual
sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130
countries.
Made in South Korea,
the Orlando they say is
“the perfect mix of Bold
and New”. It’s a 7-
seater MPV roughly
the size of a Ford S-
Max, powered by a
choice of three
engines. And I’ve got
to start by saying that
the ride is distinctly un-
American, being quite
firm and not over-
bouncy. Base of the
car is the same as the
Cruze saloon, which is
a popular motor that
drives well (you can
read our review of that
here), so the Orlando too boasts competent handling.
At the front of the car the design team has created a
bold face, with a dual-port grille split by a section of
body colour and a large Chevrolet bow-tie in the
centre. The side profile is characterized by a gently
rising shoulder line which starts at the top of the front
wheel arch and runs the length of the vehicle into the
rear light cluster. As for the resultant view available to
the driver, that’s very good other than at the rear
quarters, where the wee rear side windows aren’t man
enough to be helpful when reversing round corners.
I drove all three engines – one petrol and two diesels.
The 1.8 petrol is as quiet as you’d want, and thanks to
sensible gearing its torque is amply sufficient for an
easy driving experience. The two diesels are both 2-
litre capacity and share virtually the same level of
refinement, with the more potent of them claiming
25% more power. The good news for buyers of that
163PS machine is that fuel consumption is no more
than that of the 130PS model. Less happily, the
performance isn’t that different either, with its 0-62
time of 10 seconds being just 0.3 seconds better, and
the 121mph top speed beating the lesser engine by
9mph. It will make buyers look carefully at the £1,750
price differential, though only the mid-range LT spec is
currently offered with both engines.
Whichever engine I tried, the constant that appealed
to me mightily was the turning circle – always a
pleasant surprise. From a brief drive of a vehicle you
soon get the feeling for the space needed to turn the
thing around; and the Orlando is not a small car. Each
time I tried it however, I felt it was turning on the
proverbial sixpence, and though the official figure of
11.3 metres might not sound that impressive, it’s
mighty competent for a car this big.
A 7-seater MPV these days has to offer maximum
practicality, and the Orlando does that in style. All five
rear seats fold into the floor easily, with the middle row
being effectively a 60/40 split arrangement. Despite the
‘theatre seating’ set-up, with each row being slightly
higher than the one in front to optimise passenger
vision, there’s ample head room wherever you sit. Leg
room in the rear two
seats is as you’d expect,
not vast, but it can be
maximised by
persuading occupants of
the middle row to recline
their seat backs a little
less. Luggage space is
voluminous in 5-seat
mode (727 litres), and
more than twice that
with all seats folded. In
7-seat use it’s said to be
89 litres (3.1 cu.ft.),
which is about enough
for a couple of
toothbrushes.
There are a number of
differences in the
colours and finishes
used on parts of the interior to differentiate the trim level.
Entry-level LS models are finished with a silver
instrument panel and door console, black audio and
center console and flat woven cloth for the seats; move
up to the LT and the cabin gets a gloss black finish for
the instrument panel, a leather covered steering wheel
(with audio controls), and mesh type cloth for the seats;
the top of the line LTZ models feature a special silver
door console.
Chevrolet’s new motor – which drives well and is priced
very competitively – is a practical solution to transporting
the larger family, or indeed the netball team. If an MPV
is what you need, this one is certainly worth a try.
Size:
4.65m x 1.84m
Engines:
Petrol: 1.8 litres – 141PS
Diesel: 2.0 litres – 130 & 163PS
Gearbox:
5/6-speed FWD
Best Consumption:
Diesels (both) – 47.1mpg
Price at Mar ’11:
from £16,395
Full details of the Orlando are available on the
manufacturer’s website: www.chevrolet.co.uk
Peter Cracknell – April 2011
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