Filed under: Budget, Crossover, Chevrolet, First Drives, Canada
A 7-Seater That Makes The Grass Look Greener
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Let’s do a quick recap of famous people, places and things that bear the name Orlando. There is the hunky Hollywood star Orlando Bloom, the not-so-hunky actor Tony Orlando, and there was even a 1992 chick-flick entitled, you guessed it, Orlando. While the name doesn’t really imply anything uniquely Canadian, the new 2012 Chevrolet Orlando does because this is one Orlando that’s only available in Canada, at least within the confines of North America.
Even though the 2012 Chevrolet Orlando isn’t available in the U.S., it has been released worldwide under General Motors’ global strategy. The Global Delta platform was designed to be a mass-appeal front-wheel-drive vehicle, and the masses find it appealing if you go by how well the Cruze, which shares the platform, is selling.
Our sources say a U.S. team was involved with the Orlando project at one point, but pulled out last year, leaving nothing behind but the name selection. With the retro-styled Chevrolet HHR bowing out, the Orlando is slipping in as an MPV with current styling and contemporary features, and it also adds a third row to accommodate up to seven people. It sounded to us like a win on paper, and then we heard that a base Orlando LS would start at $19,995 CAD!
As a Canadian, let me explain why that’s worthy of an exclamation point. At current exchange rates, that equals $20,733 USD. However, Canadians always pay more for vehicles. If we use the departing Chevy HHR as an example, its base price is 8.5% less in the U.S. when the currencies are at par, which lets us guess that, were the seven-seat Orlando sold in the States, it would start at an impressive $18,295 USD.Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Orlando
2012 Chevrolet Orlando originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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