Chevrolet - It's still not a brand that rolls off the tongue when the man on the street is asked to name a people-carrier.
After the Zafiras, Galaxies, Tourans, Sedonas etc., people generally struggle to name many more. However I really believe that things are about to change as a result of Chevrolet's new compact MPV.
Having just spent a week in the company of the new Chevrolet Orlando I am convinced that this excellent value-for-money seven-seater will be a winner. It comes with no pretences: it doesn't claim to be fast, powerful, a technological innovator, or indeed any other ground-breaking marvel. What it does deliver on though, without a doubt, is value!
It's a big car, and very comfortable with it! It has acres of space, presented in a very versatile configuration, allowing anything from the full seven-seat to the 2nd and 3rd rows folded flat for superb load lugging ability. The boot space with all seats up isn't huge, but there again it's no smaller than any of the others in its class either. However with seats down there's a veritable cavern in there. The load floor is, if anything, a little high, but it's easily accessible and very flat, which makes sliding in the bigger stuff very easy indeed.
Comfort levels are high too. The cabin has a real touch of class to it and the ergonomics are obviously well though-out. The driving position is high and comfortable, with very good all-round visibility. There are two Isofix child seat mountings in the second row and lots of nifty storage pockets and drinks holders scattered around. I particularly liked the storage pocket tucked away behind the radio fascia.
On the road, the 1.8 litre petrol is what I would describe as a little 'stretched'. For a car of over one and a half tons the engine seemed a little underpowered, especially when loaded up and doing battle with some of the longer motorway climbs. It always seemed to be calling for another gear, whether on a level cruise, where the revs seemed to be very high in 5th, or on an uphill climb, where it seemed to labour at times. However we mustn't take away the fact that this is a car that would be in its element on the school run or ferrying the kids around. It returned a healthy 400 miles plus with plenty to spare on a single tank and every passenger was contentedly non-committal - praise in itself. Our tribe are very open with their criticisms, but in this case had very little to say. This I will take as a great compliment to the Orlando. I am reliably informed that the diesel VCDi derivatives return far better performance and economy.
Handling was reasonable, with the one marked exception of straight-line stability. When trying to follow the M42's waist-trimming 'narrow bit', where breathing-in is essential to squeeze between the artics in the ultra-slim lane widths, there's a very disconcerting tendency for the steering to 'weave' from side to side, and as a result, holding a straight course takes a fair bit of concentration.
All things taken into account, the Orlando is a fantastic car for the money. It's big, versatile, comfortable and with on-the-road prices from only £16,395 for the petrol version and £17,645 for the diesel, it's an absolutely brilliant car for the money.
Nigel Crawford
March 2011
Model Driven: Chevrolet Orlando 1.8 LS |
The Volvo C30
