Chevrolet Orlando: Arrived In Europe

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Chevrolet Orlando: Arrived In Europe
Chevrolet Orlando: Arrived In Europe

Video: Chevrolet Orlando: Arrived In Europe

Video: Chevrolet Orlando: Arrived In Europe
Video: Chevrolet Orlando kasowanie inspekcji #service_reminder #inspekcja 2024, March
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Chevrolet will launch the Orlando in March of next year. The family van from the GM subsidiary has everything to compete for market share.

By Frank Mertens

Markus Leithe sits relaxed in the passenger seat during the first test drives of the new Chevrolet Orlando. "This car," says the Germany boss at Chevrolet, "will give us new impetus on our growth path."

These impulses are also necessary. The year one after the scrapping bonus was not an easy one for the GM subsidiary. After all, there was only one new model to counter the reluctance to buy in the industry in this crisis year, the Spark small car. But there is no longer any great talk about it, says Leithe. "We knew what to expect and we made the best of it." That means that Chevrolet will probably sell around 24,000 cars in Germany this year. "We are satisfied with that." The Spark, which after initial difficulties was only able to pick up speed significantly in sales in the past four months, will then account for 10,000 units. "He has thus achieved the objectives."

Chevrolet with seven new models

Leithe prefers to look ahead. One can understand it. Who likes to look back on a year in which you only had to offer your customers a new model? 2011 will be very different. The GM subsidiary will bring seven new models onto the market, including the Orlando. In the family van segment, Chevrolet had not yet been able to make its customers an offer, but things will change with the seven-seater from March. Then the Orlando faces tough competition such as the Mazda 5, the Ford C-Max or the VW Touran.

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Leithe also knows that this is not an easy undertaking. But Chevrolet has done everything to secure a piece of the pie in the segment. The entry-level version of the Orlando, the 1.8 liter petrol engine with 141 hp, will be available from dealers from 18,990 euros - a competitive price.

Wayne Brannon admits that in an interview with Autogazette, the brand's European boss. But if you are new to the segment, you have to attract attention. Brannon makes no secret of the fact that the price had been discussed for a long, very long time before it was finally fixed. But you don't sell cars at an attractive price alone - the overall package has to be right. And it's true with Orlando.

Chevrolet Cruze made the start

After the brand's realignment began last year with the Cruze, the Orlando is now consistently continuing on this path. With the Orlando at the latest, Chevrolet has achieved the standards that customers in Europe expect from a car. It's a good thing that the Orlando design doesn't make you rapt, but neither does a VW Touran. The Orlando is rock solid and doesn't need to hide behind the competition.

Anyone interested in a family van is particularly interested in the space available to them and their fellow passengers. Up to seven people can ride in the 4.65 meter long Orlando. The two seats in the back row should only be reserved for children. Adults cannot sit comfortably there - but that is no different with the competitors.

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In return, the Orlando offers both the driver and front passenger and the passengers in the rear sufficient freedom of movement. Above all, the Orlando surprises with seats that are quite tightly padded and also offer good lateral support. One would have wished for something like this from many other models of the brand. Even giant seats don't have to complain about too little space.

Chevrolet has also made significant progress in terms of quality. There is no longer any trace of plastic charm. The materials not only look good, they also feel good. The Orlando also comes up with small niceties, such as a hinged center console behind which small items such as an iPhone can be stowed. The fact that a few things didn't really work out here and there shouldn't be concealed. For example, the rotary knobs for the radio and the navigation device are simply too flat: This is annoying in the long run and should definitely be fixed by the market launch.

The arrangement of the instruments is also less than optimal. Instead of being behind a continuous pane, the instruments have been separated, which makes them difficult to read. In addition, the odometer cannot be read correctly when the steering wheel is in the highest position. But that’s what has to be criticized in the interior.

Good trunk volume

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Now we come to the trunk volume: 454 liters are available here, if you move the Orlando as a five-seater, if you use it as a seven-seater, you cannot avoid compromising on payload, then only 89 liters are available. If you move rows two and three, 1500 liters can be stowed away in the Orlando - so there's nothing to prevent you from traveling to the nearest hardware store. The opening angle of the tailgate is not entirely successful. Tall people over 1.90 meters have to lower their heads here to load the Orlando, if they don't want to bang their heads against the edge of the tailgate.

And how does the Orlando drive now? Amazingly dynamic despite its raised body shape. We were on the way during the test drives with the 2.0 liter common rail diesel with 163 hp. If that's too much power for you, you can also opt for the 130 hp version. But the more powerful version is recommended here, because the feeling of being overpowered with it does not arise. No wonder, at 1655 kilograms the Orlando is no lightweight.

The four-cylinder diesel behaves extremely smoothly in a wide variety of driving situations, the unit only becomes quite present when it is moved at higher speeds. The Orlando sprint to 100 km / h in ten seconds, with a top speed of 195 km / h. The maximum torque of 360 Newton meters is at 2000 revolutions. The price of the 2.0 diesel with 163 hp starts at 23,290 euros, that of the 131 hp version at 22,390 euros. For this price you get a decently equipped car with air conditioning, parking aid and CD radio.

2011: 5000 Orlandos left in Germany

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The chassis is tightly tuned, but by no means uncomfortable. The steering could, however, be a little more direct, as there is too much play with small steering movements. The manual six-speed gearbox does a good job, the gears can be engaged crisply, even though our test car was a bit clunky when shifting down from fifth to fourth gear. "These are still pre-series vehicles," says Leithe. Chevrolet specifies six liters as the standard consumption for the Orlando. During the test drives, the on-board computer had 6.9 liters - still a good value for such a vehicle.

After the end of the test drives, Leithe got out of the Orlando satisfied with the positive feedback and saw confirmation that this car will give the brand further impetus in Germany. According to Brannon, Chevrolet plans to sell at least 20,000 Orlando units in Europe in the coming year, 5000 of which will be in Germany. "Maybe there will be a few more in the end," says Leithe.

For 2011, the Chevrolet Germany boss is aiming for sales of 30,000 vehicles. In view of what Chevrolet has to offer with the Orlando and the Captiva, the hatchback version of the Cruze and the small car Aveo, which will be on the market in the first half of the year, a very cautious goal. The US brand has finally arrived in Europe with its quality and the Orlando doesn't need to shy away from the competition, not just because of its price.

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