Road Test: Chevrolet Orlando 2.0 VCDi LS 5dr

There are a few cheaper seven-seaters than this Chevy Orlando, an all-new MPV with three rows of seats and fuss-free functionality. Yes, it looks like it was styled in a rugby scrum – all cauliflower-eared – and someone completely forgot to design the rear end, but it’s honest about its job and undercuts rivals like the Mazda 5 and Ford Grand C-Max by about £2–4k. And it does so without being flimsy and naff.

For a car based on a fairly small platform – in this case, the Chevy Cruze – it is surprisingly spacious. The seven seats fit seven adults, though like any compact-ish MPV, bootspace is devoured by the third row. But here the compromise is proper legroom in every row. Seating three across the middle is never ideal for long journeys, but at least the Orlando has a proper bench, unlike the central ‘jump seat’ in the rival Mazda5. The rear seats fold flat, as do the middle ones, which then hinge forward against the front-row backrests, creating space to step into the back. The only oddity is the sunken third row, which isn’t perched higher than the rest, so claustrophobes might feel a little too cocooned.

The interior is smart and the materials shiny, in the same way as a budget plasma telly. It might be cheap, but it doesn’t feel it, and there’s even a party trick, as the entire radio console flips up to reveal a secret and spacious cubbyhole, something we’ve not seen before, and a great security device.

There are various trim options, but you should ignore all except the cheapest LS models. Leather seats will bump up the price, and don’t even bother with the satnav, because it’s rubbish. Instead, revel in base-spec bargainism – it still comes with ESC, aircon, tinted windows and follow-me-home headlights.

Your only indulgence should be the 128bhp, 2.0-litre diesel engine, which sits in the middle of the range, sandwiched between a 1.8-litre petrol and a more powerful 158bhp diesel. The petrol might have 138bhp, but it feels like 137 of those are lost in the transmission. It’s very smooth and refined, but needs more muscle to haul such a big car with six or seven people on board. The 158bhp diesel is equally refined – impressively so – but it nudges the price too high. The 128bhp offers the best price-vs-performance balance.

Some rivals are better to drive. Most are better to look at. And some, like the Mazda5 and Ford Grand C-Max, have sliding rear doors for added usefulness. But the base diesel 5 is £2,550 dearer than the Orlando; the equivalent Ford, £2,100 more.

The Chevy might be as inspiring as beans on toast, but when the budget doesn’t stretch to anything more special, it does a pretty good job.