The Orlando's Magic

MANILA, Philippines – I would not normally use the word “magic” when writing a motoring review but in the case of the Chevrolet Orlando, there is magic in the way Chevrolet used the same platform for the Chevy Cruze, designed a stylish and modern looking mini-van that comfortably seats seven persons and built it as a crossover vehicle that has the features of a car, an MPV (or Multi Purpose Vehicle) and an SUV. If that’s not enough they even named it Orlando, which is mentally associated with the NBA team Orlando Magic.

Long before I got a chance to test drive the Chevy Orlando, I actually saw it on display at a mall, of all places. In hindsight, I now realize that the local dealer in Lipa, Batangas was doing the right thing because the Chevy Orlando is a vehicle that is affordable and is such a crossover ride for different needs and different life-styles.

When I checked it out at the mall, the first thing that attracted me to the Orlando was its shape. Unlike most “boxy” Japanese vans, the Orlando has a modern look and very stylish front end. As an avid car restorer who hangs out with people who like to “pimp” their rides, I immediately saw the great potential of the Orlando as a “radical ride” for the car crazy crowd. Like a beautiful model, all it needed was the right accessories and you would certainly have a head turner.

When I checked out the price and packages available, I discovered that the Orlando was quite competitive in its pricing without even knowing much about the vehicle yet. At that point it was just “first look” but I was very interested!

What really brings the Orlando’s looks together is its perfect size and ride height. As a mini van, the Orlando is not intimidating for drivers who don’t like big vans and SUVs, yet once you get inside the vehicle, you feel like you’re driving an easy to drive SUV. Because it shares the same platform as the Chevy Cruze, the Orlando is so light to drive that it drives like a car instead of a pig on four wheels.

In essence, Chevrolet has come up with an ideal combination of what different people and their lifestyles demand…

If you’re a modern day soccer mom, the Orlando is a 7-seater mini-van with a second and third row of seats that completely fold down. If you’re a new family, the second row split seats easily accommodates two car seats for toddlers which are all the more accessible in this 4-door mini van than the traditional single-sliding doors of most vans. Whatever the size of your family, the Chevy Orlando was meant and designed for you.

Because the second and third row seats completely fold down, the Chevy Orlando is an ideal vehicle for grocery shopping, as a supply van for small businesses or entrepreneurs such as photographers, florists, etc. Because of its intended purpose and modern design, the Orlando is also a good choice for parents shopping for a first car for their college age kids, or as a second car that grown kids can use as their school shuttle or “gimmick” ride.

While parents decide their vehicle purchase simply depending on what’s affordable, we should also consider the sentiments and “status” of our kids in terms of the vehicle they’re going to drive. I know parents who chose “lesser” cars but ended up paying more in terms of upgrades, repairs and losing out because of limited use. The fact of life is, the cheaper the car you buy, the less of a car you get.

In this regard the Orlando will certainly challenge you in terms of its affordability, multi-purpose utility and driving comfort.

I rarely do test drives because I insist on test driving a vehicle on long out of town drives that will take me to real Philippine driving conditions and not just paved toll ways. Usually I time this with a family road trip so that the vehicle operates with a normal road and with passengers that can give me feedback on features and riding comfort. I also do not look at engine specs and data. For me the drive should say it all and not the brochure.

For the Orlando, we took a drive to places in Bataan province particularly to Montemar Beach Club and to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar located in the town of Bagac.

Heading northwest out of Manila, we took to the NLEX and then opted to go via the old highway to Bataan instead of going through the SCTEX. In terms of speed and overtaking ability, the Orlando was up to par and interestingly we never felt like a tiny car being sucked off every time a big bus would pass us. The ride was very stable and I’m sure lady drivers will appreciate the very light and responsive steering of the Orlando. On the other hand, if you tend to over react when you see pot holes, better familiarize yourself early on.

If you’ve been to Bataan, you will agree that going there is all up hill. Surprisingly I never once felt the engine stressed or underpowered especially for an “automatic” unit. Despite some rough patches my wife and daughter never complained of a bumpy ride unlike that of some SUVs that have hard suspensions. Once we hit a stretch of winding roads I enjoyed how the Orlando took all the turns without me having to slow down to correct.

I won’t bother you with acceleration and mileage because you don’t buy a mini van for acceleration and in terms of mileage the weight of your foot and the state of your mind as well as your competency in driving determines fuel efficiency. The Orlando does accelerate well enough and is fuel-efficient but anybody with a lead foot can spoil that.

What my wife and daughter liked about the Orlando were the “little things” we take for granted, for instance the on-board entertainment that treated them to a live performance of “Adele at the Royal Albert Hall”. Then there was the on-board back up sensor coupled to a camera and projected on the dashboard mounted video screen. This is a special blessing for older people who don’t have as much flexibility as they used to and have a hard time looking back while on reverse.

My daughter Hannah made special mention of “cup holder!” For some reason still unknown to me, today’s young kids are really appreciative of cup holders back in the passenger area. We are officially a fast food nation when cup holders become a must among our kids.

Being an “old schooler” driving an “automatic” is not on top of my list but I recently discovered that more and more people are going for automatic transmission vehicles because that’s what they used at driving school or because most people just don’t want the hassle of shifting gears and the stress on uphill traffic. With this realization, I saw the big advantage of the Chevy Orlando, which also comes with an automatic transmission.

As I readied to return the test unit and gathered my thoughts about the Orlando I honestly did not have “adjectives” to use for the Orlando. Instead, I have to say that as I drove the Chevrolet Orlando for several hundred kilometers, driving this new vehicle felt so “familiar” it felt like it was actually part of the family.