CHEVROLAT ORLANDO test drive since 2010 Minivan

Teschino place

Family minivan with male appearance
In general, the organizers planned this test drive so that the journalists conduct it with their children! They invited paps with their children to give the event a family atmosphere and allow to evaluate cars from the point of view of all members of the surname. Since I still do not have my own children, but my nephews failed, this trip turned out to be a bachelor.

And okay! But while all the other crews were sick of serpentines, we drove to the whole coil and managed to evaluate the family car in the conditions that are not the usual conditions for it. After all, we had to drive a couple of hundred kilometers along a difficult route from Krasnodar to Gelendzhik, laid through the Shaumyan pass, and this is seven kilometers of a narrow soil mountain road, plus 69 kilometers of a single -lane serpentine from Khadyzhensk to Tuapse.

Our crew faced an important task to make a car photo shoot for the rest of the test drive, therefore, in order to catch the end point for the appointed time, I had to stoop. But first, we will closely consider our hero the new Chevrolet Orlando.


The production of Chevrolet Orlando began on November 1 on the auto tutor according to the large -sized method. The car will go on sale in mid -November. Over the next year, it is planned to sell about five thousand cars.


The Chevrolet Orlando turned out to be similar to the Cruze model, with which in 2009 a radical change in the image of cars with a cross on the emblem began. As the GiMovites say, after 15 months, all Chevrolet models will be made in such style.


The length of the car is 4652 millimeters, a width of 1836 millimeters, a height of 1633 millimeters, a wheelbase of 2760 millimeters.

The new GiMovsky product is another inter -class car. Some will consider it a large seven -seater universal, others with a minivan or compactway, and someone - and a crossover, who is easier. With the help of Orlando, the company will try to fill the gap between the Chevrolet Lacetti station wagon and the Chevrolet Captiva crossover, gaping for several years in the retirement of Comedin Chevrolet Reazzo.

Although formally ORLANDO is considered the successor of Rezzo, that is, compactwhen, personally, he is stylistically and ideologically more reminiscent of the minivan Dodge Journey on a reduced scale: all the same muscular contours of the wheeled arches, the hood extended forward and the cubic shape of the body is emphasized. And it is clear why the designers sought to give their car the features of the crossover looks so spectacular and better sold: the consumer now loves everything that has an off -road taste. And it turned out not bad!


One of the off -road attributes of Orlando, in addition to a characteristic appearance, is the overlays of black rough plastic, walking along the bottom of the machine.

But on the technical side is nothing new: Orlando is a direct relative of the Chevrolet Cruze sedan. It was built on the same Delta platform, with the same MacPherson suspension in front and a twisting H-shaped beam from the back, and partially shares with it the power units Opelian four-cylinder 1.8-liter Ecotec engine with a capacity of 140 horsepower and a two-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel. On Cruise, this unit is available so far only in Europe, but in the case of Orlando will appear in Russia, and in the version forced up to 163 forces.

Transmission is a six-speed machine, as well as five- and six-speed mechanical gearboxes. And the main difference from Cruise is that the wheeled base of Orlando is 75 millimeters longer.

Interior


The front panel is decorated in the Chevrolet Cruze style with a contrasting combination of light and dark details, emphasized by an elongated central console, an abundance of silver plastic and, of course, with similar buttons, handles and control units of certain systems. The quality of the finishing materials is worthy.


The front seat of Chevrolet Orlando is very similar to Kruzovskoye, but its shape is a little different. However, the Orlander chair also fixes the body well. I also liked the profile of the back, which has a characteristic bend in the area of \u200b\u200bthe shoulder blades in the manner of BMW. Lack of lack of lumbar support.


On the middle row, for two passengers, there is enough space, but not more than that, behind the 180-centimeter driver, an adult of the same height and complexion with a minimum supply of knees are calmly placed. The third passenger is interfered with the protruding central tunnel. In the seats of the second row, only the back is adjusted along the angle of inclination.

Inside this minivan in the image of a crossover, you constantly feel a feeling of deja vu. Chevrolet Orlando is very similar to Cruise: the front panel has the same layout, but there is also an important difference, of course, the initially higher landing. However, the wide ranges of the steering wheel and the driver's seizure allow you to take a low position in a lightweight. I was pleased with good visibility on the sides, and the dimensions are felt well.

The protruding hood allowed, firstly, to reduce the slope of the windshield, and secondly to get rid of the wide front racks, and thirdly minimize the size of the triangular windows in the front doors. So do not be afraid to fit into a power of attorney to a wife who recently received a driver’s license: if she had previously coped with an ordinary passenger car, then this Wanchik will be able to. In extreme cases, you can order an optional parking sensors for greater confidence, well, or to install the butt in the back, which is also in the list of accessories.

What is the passengers? Oddly enough, even on the third row, an adult can accommodate. It’s quite a mother -in -law. But, if you value relationships, it is better to put it (mother -in -law) on the middle row. The back of the chair here deviates back, you can lower the armrest, take a relaxed pose and take a nap. And the children are just for the gallery. However, the question arose: what will it be in the thirty -degree heat? I did not find any air ducts on the third row.

The father -in -law that has been stitched in the second row can turn over: the shape of the chair is optimal, but it is not as spacious as you expect from a car of this class.

The Orlando salon is perceived as solid, but in terms of functionality it is far from a real family man. There are a lot of niches and shelves in this universal-minive, but competitors have long had various caches under the floor, folding tables, and transformer seats. Where is the USB port here? For a long time I had to study the front panel until one of the instructors showed a hidden shelf behind the radio. Original, but not very practical.


On the third row on the long road, only children will be comfortable. The only cup holder has a passenger sitting on the left.


When all the seats are in the working position, the trunk volume is 89 liters.

If you add the third row, it will increase to 454 liters (727 liters to the ceiling), and with folded seats of the second and third rows, its volume will be 852 liters (1487 liters to the ceiling).


Since 2013, the front passenger chair will appear as an option.

The tiny driver's armor has amused the idea, good for those who are used to driving relaxed, but I could not find a convenient position, the right hand constantly slides off it, unless, of course, to sit down half a turn, leaning all the weight of the body on the elbow and holding the steering wheel and holding the steering wheel left hand. But more upset that the seats of the second row cannot be moved back and forth. And they could also be divided in a ratio of 40:20:40, instead of the usual 60:40, which would significantly increase the possibility of transforming the salon.

If you go with the whole, then all personal items will have to be transported on the knees, because only one name remains from the trunk. In combination with five seats and a folded third row of chairs, the cargo compartment also turned out to be not as convenient as we would like: too flat and low. But let's make a reservation, we are talking about loading things to a folding curtain.


The driver's seat on the right has a small soft armrest with four fixed positions.



The hidden secretary behind the radio panel is a great place where you can hide small valuable things from prying eyes. However, the only solution in the USB input is not the most successful solution. The dimensions of some flash drives and other devices will not allow the front panel to return to its original position.


On the ceiling console there is a panoramic mirror that will monitor the children sitting on the gallery.


Orlando climate control is a single-zone.

In the movement at first it seems that the 1.8-liter engine is quite confidently dispersing the car from the bottom. You press the gas a little and the car rushes vividly forward. But this euphoria ends with the first two gears: the working range is actually small. Orlando accelerates well only somewhere between 2500 and 4000 revolutions per minute, and then click on the accelerator further, but the engine roars more than accelerates the car. Even with two passengers and their personal belongings on board Chevrolet Orlando does not show much agility.

The six -speed automatic box is like an echoing wife. In transition modes, the transmission often hangs in thought, and sometimes annoys when overtaking with increased helpfulness: you push the gas pedal in the hope that the box will go from the fifth to the third gear in order to get around the passing transport at the moment, and it cuts the second. The engine yells, but the acceleration from this is not added to the transmission with a jerk switches to the transmission above, and only then does the machine begin to dial normally.


Even with the stabilization system disconnected, you need to try very hard to break the car in the skid on dry asphalt.


But on the gravel path, it is enough only to drop the gas to throw the gas only to go through the turn.

You count to yourself for seconds: plunging, but on a mountain serpentine, each of them did not have time to accelerate in time to turn, so giving up the truck several kilometers before the next site with an intermittent markup line. So most of the road I rode manually, independently sorting through all six speeds and using braking by the engine on protracted slopes. It is good that the automatic box honestly holds the selected gear, even if the engine speed is in the red zone.

But if the power unit is firmly constrained by family ties and is tuned to a law -abiding ride, then the chassis is on the contrary, as if with a mockery reminds of a carefree bachelor life. Orlando reacts to any deviation of the steering wheel unexpectedly quickly. It is amazing with what agility the minivan dawns in the next turn and passes it without serious rolls. Chevrolet Orlando confidently prescribes S-shaped ligaments, profiled turns, clinging well to Korean tires for asphalt.


According to the company's forecasts, cars in the average configuration of LS (from 800 thousand rubles) will be in greatest demand. The initial version of BASE (from 719 thousand rubles) will have about 10 percent of sales. Sales of diesel Orlando will take approximately the same share.


The Chevrolet Orlando will have a whole line of accessories not only wheeled wheels, rugs or mudguards, but also a towbar, bicycle mounts, luggage rails, outer boxing for transporting things on the roof, etc.

It is enough to release the gas by loading the front wheels, then carefully turn the steering wheel on a small corner and drown the right Voil pedal again, the next bend of the looping road will already smell somewhere in the rear view mirror. Sometimes it seems that the steering turned out to be too sharp for a family car from the stop to the stop, the steering wheel makes a little more than 2.7 revolutions! True, there is one drawback characteristic of many mechanisms with an electric power in the near -Zone, with small deviations, the steering wheel does not get reverse effort.

Ahead just loomed the soil section of the Shaumyansky pass. Here I will come off in full, I fussed, anticipating how we will now be revenge on the tail in every hairpin. There should be enough clearance, there are practically no counter cars. But Bach-bah-bah!, Instead of a beautiful passage by a fan, the car galloped hard through all the pits, shaking the riders well. The suspension turned out to be short and oak, and even the optional 17-inch discs with low-profile rubber contributed.


Are they afraid of the GM internal competition between Chevrolet Orlando and Opel Zafira? According to GiMovites, Orlando is addressed to those who need a car in the spirit of a crossover, not a minibus. Nevertheless, Orlando will have to compete with the logging, the leader of the segment, for buyers. Moreover, soon a new generation of Opel minivan will appear in our market, larger and more luxurious.

So instead of rally-raid, we got an obstacle run. And on the asphalt of the energy intensity of the suspension, sometimes there was not enough where the wheels ran into the bump, the blow was immediately transferred to the body. So, the quick ride along the average Russian road will probably end with the whining of children, the harsh looks of his wife and the reproaches of the elderly: they say, you are not taking firewood!

In a word, there were no contradictions. And in general, a strange combination turned out to be a strange: boring power unit, a good chassis and not a familyly rigid suspension. But in the everyday life of the Chevrolet Orlando will surely be more pleasant, especially with softer 16-inch wheels. Our car will be loved for design and for practical qualities, which will be quite enough for the average Russian family, and for a rather attractive price of 719 thousand rubles. A good option for a universal car for a calm and balanced driver. And for those who love quickly, a year in a year will appear with a diesel engine.

Alternative
Kia Carens is a relatively affordable seven -seater compactway. Prices start from 644 900 rubles. The line of engines includes two gasoline engines - a volume of 1.6 liters and 2.0 liters with a capacity of 126 and 145 hp. Accordingly, as well as a two-liter 140-horsepower turbodiesel. The weakest motor is aggregated only with five -speed mechanics, a two -liter version can be equipped with a four -speed automatic, and the diesel version is supplied only with a six -speed mechanical transmission.

Opel Zafira - a classic seven -seater minivan. The car is produced in Russia at the Kaliningrad enterprise Autotor. The cost of the basic version starts from 784 900 rubles. In terms of Zafira, the Chevrolet Orlando has some similarity: for example, it is installed the same gasoline 1.8-liter 140-horsepower Ecotec engine and five-speed mechanics, but instead of a six-speed machine, a five-stage robot is used on the minivan.

Ford Grand C-Max is a succession of a rather popular C-MAX compactwane in our country. The car is available with three gasoline engines of 1.6 liters with a capacity of 125, 150 and 180 horsepower, as well as with one two-liter turbodiesel 140-horsepower engine. Gasoline engines are aggregated only with mechanical five- and six -speed gearboxes, and a diesel version is only with a six -speed pre -sequential robotic transmission. Prices start from 816 thousand rubles.


Peter Bakanov
Photo by Peter Bakanov, Grigory Golyshev and Chevrolet

Source: Motor magazine [November 2011]