2011 Chevrolet Orlando

2011 Chevrolet Orlando spy shotsGallery

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Chevrolet confirmed early last year that it would bring a production version of 2008’s Orlando concept vehicle to North American markets sometime in 2011, reversing an earlier decision to only sell the vehicle overseas.

The Orlando is based on the same front-wheel drive Delta platform that underpins cars like the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt plug-in hybrid, and despite its compact proportions the upcoming crossover will be able to seat seven.

Being based on the Delta platform means the Orlando will most likely enter production at the same Hamtramck plant in Detroit that will build the Cruze and Volt sedans. However, the new crossover will be a crucial model in Chevrolet’s global lineup, with production planned for Europe and South Korea as well.

These latest spy shots capture a 2011 Orlando prototype undergoing cold weather testing in Europe. They reveal that the production Orlando will keep the boxy design, swept-back roof, and blunt front-end of the concept, although it appears that the sliding door and split tailgate configuration of the show car has been dropped in favor of a conventional four-door body and vertically lifting tailgate.

Expect a similar powertrain lineup to the one in the Cruze for North American markets, which means a range of four-cylinder gasoline engines in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms. A plug-in hybrid version using the Voltec system borrowed from the Volt may also make an appearance according to previous comments from GM vice chairman and former product planner Bob Lutz.

2012 Chevrolet Orlando

2011 Chevrolet Orlando

New spy photos of the 2011 Chevrolet Orlando show GM's future MPV with similar exterior and interior features as the Chevy Orlando Concept. The concept, introduced at Geneva in 2008, has a similar roofline and doors as its newest prototypical counterpart.

Captured by cameras during cold weather testing, the front-wheel drive Orlando can be seen with redesigned side sills, and b-pillars that are more visible than they were on the show car. Its interior was also snapped with a center console and layout almost identical to the early incarnation.

Pictures show that the MPV might not get the same rear LED lights as the concept. Despite the heavy padding at back, the prototype vehicle looks as though it may have a relatively flat rear.

The spy believes the Orlando will have the Mazda5 in its sites when it comes on the American market next year, likely as a three-row seven-seater. Built on the Cruze's Delta II platform, some speculate that the Chevrolet Orlando will get the 182-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine being released with the 2010 Equinox.

GM will release the Chevrolet Orlando in 2011, preceding the next-generation Opel Zafira.

Chevy Orlando: Small SUV, Big on Space

Chevrolet used its space at this week's Detroit Auto Show to announce a production schedule on a SUV small enough to be built on a compact car platform but large enough to seat 7. The Chevy Orlando will go on sale in the U.S. in the summer of 2010, as a 2011 model - and the automotive press has exactly one thing to say about it - it's spacious for its size.

Autoblog explains, "Based on the same platform as the Cruze, the Orlando offers seven seats in a relatively compact design." Autoblog calls the crossover "more appealing than the HHR."

Business Week comments, "The body has some European flair to it," and again points out that "GM managed to pack three rows of seats on a small frame that will also host the Chevy Cruze compact next year." The Cruze platform has proven very fuel efficient, and Business Week thinks the Orlando "should also get close to 30 miles per gallon."

Both rows of rear seats fold flat into the floor, according to the Detroit News. "The concept also uses dual overhead glass on the rooftop allowing more light exposure into the cabin and a storage area inside the center console that can charge an iPod or iPhone."

Though the Orlando is expected to appear first with a conventional four-cylinder engine, Automotive News speculates that the crossover could ultimately be sold as a Volt-like Extended-Range Electric Vehicle. "Although GM currently has no plans to use the Volt technology in the Orlando," AN writes, "executives note that the Orlando will be built on an architecture that easily would allow GM to do so."

Research the best small SUVs with U.S. News' car rankings and reviews.

Chevrolet Orlando - Spied

At the Detroit auto show in January, Chevrolet announced that not only will its Orlando concept see production, but it will be sold in the U.S. in 2011, likely as a 2012 model. Such a short gestation period from concept to production is due to the fact that the Orlando displayed at the show and the one soon to be available in dealerships are both built on the platform of the 2011 Cruze, the small car set to replace Chevy’s Cobalt. The Orlando prototype spotted here gives a fair look at how much the pugnacious concept will change for production.

Although heavy camouflage covers the front and rear, the bare side sheetmetal gives away the usual distillation from show car to show room car. The concept’s jutting rocker extensions and pronounced fender flares appear to be smoothed, leaving a less-inspired and more vanlike profile. The taper of the greenhouse remains, but the glass grows a little taller to accommodate real people inside. The taming of the concept’s design is unfortunate, as the concept promised a surprisingly attractive way to transport seven people.

Beneath the rear camo, the answer to how the Orlando concept’s funky recessed and pillarless rear glass will translate to production remains hidden, but we assume there won’t be a massive sunroof over the rear seats. While the front is likewise hidden under heavy wraps, the shrinking of the fender flares should be the only major change, and Chevrolet’s signature split grille is visible through the disguise.

Although it rides on the Cruze’s platform, we suspect the 140-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter from the Cruze won’t quite be enough to propel the larger and heavier Orlando—particularly with all seven seats filled. Whether Chevy will squeeze another 20 or so hp from the engine—which would pit it directly against the fours in the similarly sized Mazda 5 and Kia Rondo—or install another, larger engine, is unclear at this point. The 182-hp 2.4-liter four from the upcoming 2010 Chevrolet Equinox is an intriguing possibility.

Chevrolet Orlando shows its face

Like its kissing cousin from another mother, the Chevrolet HHR is not long for this world. And development of its replacement is underway in the form of the 2011 Chevrolet Orlando.

Originally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2008 and later spied in production guise this past August, the Orlando is likely to debut sometime in 2010 and go on sale later this year. Seven seats are supposedly part of the package and there's also talk of a range-extending Voltec drivetrain pulled from the Chevrolet Volt.

It would appear that some of the Orlando's edgy and angular styling seems to have been lost in the translation from concept to production, particularly in front where the taut headlamps and chiseled fascia makes way for a decidedly more Malibu-like appearance. Thankfully, the blistered fenders front and rear appear to be part of the package, and hopeful Chevy can retain some of the concept's blocky rump when the Orlando hits U.S. and European shores later this year packing a few fuel-efficient fours.

Chevrolet Orlando Review 2011

Preview

What We Know

The Chevrolet Orlando, a seven-seat concept shown at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, will arrive in U.S. showrooms by 2011. Built on the same platform as the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, the Orlando concept has a 108.6-inch wheelbase. That's about 3-inches longer than the Cruze. The Orlando also has a wider front and rear track than the Cruze to open up more space inside. A 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine powered the concept, but expect the production vehicle to switch to a similarly sized gasoline engine for the U.S. market.

What Edmunds.com says

Sizable people movers with smaller engines could become the family vehicle of choice if upcoming fuel regulations force manufacturers to build more efficient cars and trucks.

Chevrolet Orlando Review and Prices

Call it a mini-minivan or a tall compact wagon, but Chevrolet is cooking up a seven-seat people mover and will slot beneath Chevy’s 2009 Traverse. See the Traverse images and read the review.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2011 Chevrolet Orlando

Call it a mini-minivan, a tall compact wagon, or a small crossover SUV, but Chevrolet is cooking up a seven-seat people mover that could help many families cope with rising gas prices and not cramp their lifestyle.

What We Know About the 2011 Chevrolet Orlando

Minivans aren't as "mini" as they used to be--nor as popular either. Yet smaller models have been a virtual no-sale in these United States. Remember the Nissan Axxess, Mitsubishi Expo and Mazda MPV? We thought not.

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Things are different in Europe, where consumers love the compact people movers generally termed monocabs, multi-purpose vehicles, or MPVs (sorry, Mazda). Among the most popular of these popular mini-minivans is General Motors' seven-seat Opel/Vauxhall Zafira, which is also sold in Brazil under the Chevrolet banner.

The Zafira was introduced back in 2001 and heavily updated in '05. A face-lifted version with additional powertrain choices hit European dealers in February 2008. But here's the kicker. As part of GM's recently signed contract with the United Auto Workers, a variant of an upcoming redesigned Zafira may be built in the U.S. and will sold here starting in 2011 as an addition to the Chevy lineup. Dubbed Orlando, the new Chevy version will have bolder styling than its Opel cousin, but the basic layout will closely mirror the Zafira. The 2011 Chevrolet Orlando will likely be marketed as a thrifty compact crossover SUV, not a small minivan. It's the same approach used for the only other such vehicles on the American scene, the Mazda 5 and KiaRondo.

Reports say the new Chevy people mover, codenamed MPV-7, will be based on GM's new front-wheel drive Global Compact Vehicle Architecture that is also known as "Delta 2." This is the same platform that underpins the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2011 Chevrolet Volt. The next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Astra is also expected to be built on the Delta 2 platform. The 2011 Chevrolet Orlando made its debut at the 2008 Paris Auto Show in early October, the same show where the Chevrolet Cruze debuted.

In America, the 2011 Chevrolet Orlando will slot beneath Chevy's Traverse, a midsize crossover sharing GM's Lambda platform with the BuickEnclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, and the Chevrolet Equinox. Where the current Chevy HHR fits into this picture is unknown. Elsewhere, the new Chevrolet Orlando will likely replace the current Daewoo-based Chevy Tacuma.