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Happy Families

Disney claims that its Disneyland theme park in Orlando, Florida is the "Happiest Place in the World", and it is because of this family-friendly image that Chevrolet has christened its latest 7-seater, Orlando.

Based on a stretched Cruze chassis (GM's Delta platform), the Orlando shows just how focused GM is on meeting the needs of its Asian customers, and making the brand a credible alternative to the Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Like the Wish, Lafesta and Stream, it is remarkably sedan-like to drive instead of being a full-sized MPV like the Previa or Odyssey.

One aspect that is sets the Orlando apart from its Japanese and European rivals is its North American styling. Instead of being slim-lined and sleek, the Orlando, true to its American Chevrolet heritage, has chunky, muscular lines, which certainly give it a presence that is unmistakable.

That's not to say the Orlando isn't styled - for example, around the thick D-pillars, its designers have artfully provided for bevelled the edges to reduce its mass, and the roof rails are stylishly integrated, extending from the roof down to the rear window, giving an additional detail that also helps to break the form of Orlando's blocky mass. And instead of having simply black roof rails, those on the Orlando are painted in either black or silver, contrasting to body colour. Other styling details include blacked out panels that fill-out the wheel arches, making the Orlando look more rugged and outdoorsy than its rivals.

Physically, the Orlando is both larger and heavier than the Wish, Stream and also its European rivals such as the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso and Volkswagen Touran, but is not as large has the full-sized MPVs such as the Chrysler Grand Voyager or Toyota Previa.

Powered To Work

So while the Orlando's exterior styling draws from its North American roots, under the hood, the Ecotec 1.8-litre engine has its origins from Opel, GM's German subsidiary. This engine is coupled to an advanced 6-speed automatic transmission, so far the only one of its kind found in an MPV currently on the market. Mechanically, this makes the Orlando very similar to the forthcoming third generation Opel Zafira.

In the same vein that the Orlando does not pretend to be a sports car, but is instead quietly confident and comfortable as a family-friendly MPV, the Orlando's performance is steady rather than earth-shattering, and that's good. Tuned to produce most of its torque below 2000rpm, the Ecotec unit is quiet and unobstrusive, and the gearchanges are impressively smooth.

In terms of power output, the Orlando's 1.8-litre matches that of the Wish's 2.0-litre and the Stream's 1.8-litre i-VTEC engine, but it also weighs about 150kg heavier than these Japanese rivals. Against its European rivals the Citroen Grand Picasso and VW Touran, both are more powerful, both having turbocharged engines, but they also weigh-in heavier than the Orlando. Performance-wise, the Chevy seems to be a nicely middle-of-the-road, which is consistent with its multi-ethnic background.

The Orlando's cabin is a comfortable mix of European and American elements. From America one gets large and comfortable seats which are generously dimensioned. Like the Cruze, the dashboard neatly separates cabin into two, harking back to Chevrolet tradition that started in the original Corvette from the 50s. The driver gets a modular instrument binnacle with cool blue graphics and lighting, but the positioning of the fuel and temperature gauge in a separate cluster in-between the speedo and tachometer seems to attract reflections off the steering column under the midday sun, rendering them unreadable under certain conditions.

The focus piece of the dashboard is the centre stack in the middle of the dashboard, starting with the bright LED Sat-Nav display on the top, followed by the fully-integrated in-car entertainment unit a little lower, and the easy-to-use aircon controls at the bottom. Here again, what is impressive is how Chevy has managed to seamlessly integrate aspects sourced from different parts of the world together. The Sat-Nav components are locally-sourced and developed, but it works beautifully with the German-styled precision touch of the in-car entertainment system.

A really innovative feature is that this ICE panel actually tilts upward, revealing not just a USB jack, but also a hidden cubby hole to store the iPod or MP3 device - a thoughtful detail superbly executed. Other nice details on the top-of-the-line Orlando LT include an openable glass sunroof, and automatic headlamps and wipers.

As the Orlando has the longest wheelbase in its class, the middle row passengers are also very well-catered for. Legroom is generous, the seats can be adjusted for rake, and there are face level aircon vents.

The Reckoning

So yes, the Orlando is a worthy addition to the Chevrolet family, and as an MPV, it is more relevant to Asian families, a worthy alternative to the Toyota Wish and Honda Stream, and the its considerably more expensive rivals from Europe. It has an easy-going, yet masculine and self-confident style that is refreshingly different from its rivals who seem be pretending to be either sporty (Honda Stream, Volkswagen Touran), or futuristic spaceships (Citroen Grand C4 Picasso), or purely functional and colourless (Toyota Wish).

In order to advance the game, and provide really make the Orlando a futuristic alternative would be to integrate some of the high-tech non-polluting electric, EV, powertrain from Chevrolet Volt. After all, since the Volt and Cruze share similar underpinnings and it stands to reason that it will be possible to shoe-horn all this advanced know how into the Orlando, making it the first 7-seater EV on the market. And GM had better do it quickly - Honda has already introduced the Freed Hybrid in Japan.

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