Chevrolet Orlando first drive

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Monday, 14 February 2011 13:55

The all new Orlando seven seat MPV on sale in March is the first of seven new Chevrolet models coming to the UK in the next 15 months.

As a reminder Chevrolet is General Motors largest global brand with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries with a new car sold somewhere in the world every 7.4 seconds. Re-launched in Europe in 2005, from the ashes of the South Korean Daewoo brand, sales last year in Europe were just under 500,000 units but this will double by 2015 as the range expands.

In the UK sales in 2010 were 13,768 units, 5,000 down on 2009 as the company cut out unprofitable daily rental fleet business. Mark Terry, Chevrolet’s UK managing director, said “The brand’s retail sales last year remained good and we expect to sell around 19,000 vehicles this year, 10,000 of them being to retail customers. In 2012 after further new models have arrived we will see a big increase in sales.”

“The Orlando is expected to account for 2,000 UK registrations this year and is the first of our new models. The brand will really establish itself this year with new products covering 66% of the new car market. It is a very important year for Chevrolet” he added.

After the arrival of the Orlando MPV the other new Chevrolet models will be the Captiva SUV, the Cruze 5-Door C-segment hatchback, the Aveo supermini the Camero 426bhp V8 hard and soft top American muscle car and the Volt electric car.

Mark Terry added that the Orlando seven seat MPV will have a 50/50 sales split between retail and fleet customers and half of the fleet sales will be to Motability customers. Already enquiries from Motability users are up by 218% over previous enquiries. He added the company had planned for a 50/50 sales split between petrol and diesel models but with the price of diesel fuel being considerably more than petrol it is now difficult to be specific.

The all new Orlando, based on the Cruze platform, is available with a 1.8-litre petrol engine and two 2.0-litre diesel 130 and 163PS units. There is the choice of LS, LT, LTZ and LTZ Exec Pack levels of specification depending on which engine is chosen. Prices range from £16,395 to £23,195. The single best selling version is expected to be the LT 2.0-litre 130PS diesel priced at £18,645. All are covered by Chevrolet’s customer friendly Five Year Promise, a package of a five year 100,000 mile warranty with servicing, roadside assistance and MOT test cover.

The new Chevrolet Orlando with seven seats accommodated in the usual three row system is 4,652mm long but unlike many large MPVs it isn’t van-like, it looks like a bold and elongated hatchback with four hinged side doors and a top hinged rear tailgate. Its most obvious competitors are the new Ford Grand C-Max which has rear side sliding doors, the excellent Peugeot 5008, the Volkswagen Touran and the forthcoming Vauxhall Zafira seven seater which is reputed to use the same floorpan as Chevrolet and Vauxhall/Opel share many components.

In addition to well-abled customers, families with children and older couples with grandchildren Chevrolet have a keen following from the Mobility sector of the less-abled and already there is huge interest from these users with enquiries before the March on sale date up by 218% from them. Chevrolet is also targeting the executive hire business as well as private hire and taxi companies.

Inside the Orlando looks thoroughly modern with clean lines and well organised controls and instruments. The hard plastics are not the most pleasing to touch as they are not the higher quality soft-feel used by many manufacturers but they will be durable and that will be a hard wearing. The centre and rear seats fold down for maximum load carrying with up to 1,487-litres of space with just the front two seats in use. In its most usual configuration with five seats in place the load area offers 852-litres of space but with all three rows in use the boot has just 89-litres of room – not very much.

Specification is generally very good value for the money – that will be its main selling point along with its seven seater design.

The entry level Orlando is badged LS and standard equipment includes electronic stability control, air conditioning, follow-me-home headlights, electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking, six airbags, three 12v power sockets, tinted windows and an adjustable steering wheel. It also includes two clever innovations - a supplementary rear-view mirror allowing both driver and passenger to see all of the car’s occupants, and an extremely clever hidden cubby compartment behind the stereo facia; the perfect place to conceal MP3s, phones and iPods away from prying eyes. The LS is available with the 141PS 1.8-litre petrol engine and five speed manual gearbox or with a new 130PS 2.0-litre diesel unit a six-speed manual gearbox transmission.

LT models, the main selling level, comes loaded with even more kit. As well as the standard LS equipment, they get rear parking distance sensors, a USB port, 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control, a chrome-effect tailgate handle, driver’s armrest, leather-covered steering wheel, front fog lights, electric rear windows and an upgraded sound system with steering wheel audio controls. In addition to the engines already listed the LT can be specified with the most powerful Orlando unit, a 163PS 2.0-litre diesel with six-speed manual transmission, or a six-speed auto as an option.

The range-topping LTZ models are offered with a choice of all three engine options. There are goodies galore and these include distinctive 17-inch alloys, automatic cruise control, an electro-chromatic rear view mirror, automatic headlights and windscreen wipers, blue ambient panel lighting, a gloss black centre console, power-folding door mirrors, a rear cargo net and chrome-effect body detailing. Buyers of diesel-engined LTZ models can also specify an optional Executive Pack, priced at £2,000. This adds full leather upholstery, heated front seats, satellite navigation and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Orlando also benefits from best-in-class insurance group ratings – no other seven-seat MPV can match the 1.8-litre petrol model’s 10E classification, while the 130PS 2.0-litre diesel is in class 14E and the 163PS 2.0-litre diesel is the 16E bracket.

My first brief test drive at the press launch event conveniently on my local Cotswold roads, ironically the same venue Ford used for their recent press introduction of the C-Max and Grand C-Max, but didn’t get off to a confident start. First of all I drove the 1.8-litre petrol model but with the very top LTZ specification with the optional 18-inch wheels. Not a good start. The 141PS petrol unit was capable – just, but pretty gutless and it desperately needs a six speed gearbox to reduce the noise at cruising speeds. That said the fuel economy of 40.3mpg was slightly better than the official 39mpg quoted. But the biggest drawback was the over-sized 18-inch wheels. They didn’t cope at all with the ruts, ridges and bumps making the handling erratic and the ride very uncomfortable.

Transferring to the main selling 2.0-litre 130PS turbodiesel with LT specification and standard 16-inch wheels was a revelation. The engine was much stronger and really very well suited to a vehicle of this size. The fuel economy over the same route was 44.4mpg against the official 47mpg, not a great difference, but the unit was more responsive and thanks to the standard six speed gearbox it sounded less stressed at cruising speeds. The biggest improvement was definitely in the handling and ride comfort departments thanks to the smaller wheels. There was plenty of front end grip, the cornering was predictable and the steering sharper. The vehicle coped easily with the poor road surfaces so my advice is to definitely go for 16-inch wheels, the difference was huge.

Orlando the vehicle could be an exciting place for family transportation and Orlando the place is an exciting venue to go on holiday with Walt Disney World being one of its main attractions. But this Orlando seven seat MPV is no Mickey Mouse people carrier.

MILESTONES. Chevrolet Orlando 2.0-litre 130PS LT MPV. Price: £18,645. Engine/transmission: 2.0-litre, four cylinder, DOHC, common-rail, turbodiesel 130PS (128bhp), 232lb ft of torque from 2,000rpm, 6-speed manual. Performance: 112mph, 0-62mph 10.1 seconds, 47mpg (44.4mpg actual), CO2159g/km, VED road tax £155, BIK company car tax 23%. Insurance group: 14E. Dimensions/capacities: L 4,652mm, W 1,836mm, H 1,633mm, load space 89 -1,487-litres, 7-seats, maximum braked towing weight 1,500kg. For: Relatively cheap considering the high specification and seating for up to seven people, looks smart, seems well put together, durable rather than plush interior. Against: Not as practical or desirable as other new MPVs of the same size, large wheel option destroys handling and ride comfort capabilities.

Miles Better News Agency

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