Introducing the well-priced vehicle inOntario's cottage country is another indication
that a rebounding General Motors 'gets it'
By Andrew McCredie, Special to the Sun - Long before the Tragically Hip put this Central Ontario community on the cultural map with its 1998 Juno Award-winning hit, Bobcaygeon was known as a destination and jumping off point for weary urbanites in search of relief from the heat and concrete.
Not officially in "Muskoka" -- the preferred summer playground for Toronto's button-down and privileged hoi polloi -- Bobcaygeon is still a popular place for families, and on any given summer day its pretty main street is crawling with all manner of SUVs, minivans and sedans stuffed to their headliners with flip-flop clad kids, sunburnt dads, well-organized moms and the prerequisite summer vacation gear.
All of which made it the perfect place for a lunch stop during GM Canada's press launch last week of the 2012 Chevrolet Orlando, an all-new, seven passenger vehicle built with just such excursions in mind.
Clearly, this was the intent of the General Motors' communications team that put together the two-day launch, which started Thursday morning at a Toronto hotel, proceeded north to Windermere House on Lake Rosseau in the heart of the Muskokas via Bobcaygeon, and returned the following day with a beeline dash down the 400 back into the heat and heart of the Ontario capital.
And it didn't take long to realize that GM was onto something with the new Orlando, as before my driving partner and I had turned the key on our silver ice LT model, two well-dressed women leaving the Hilton approached to inquire about the vehicle.
"Is this new?" one asked, peering inside through an open passenger window.
Before either of us could answer, she exclaimed, "It's got seven seats!"
Her companion sidled up for a look, and the two of them stared long and lovingly at the theatre-style, threetiered seating arrangement.
"How much?" was the next question.
"Starts at just under twenty and tops out around thirty," my colleague offered, sounding more like a carlot saleswoman than the respected national auto writer that she is.
Wide-eyed stares shot back at us, quickly followed by more headthrough-the-window shopping. Tearing themselves away, with a little prodding from us when we realized we were among the last journalists to still be in the parking lot, they walked away, but not without a couple of rearward glances.
As we headed north past Canada's Wonderland on route to our lunch stop in Bobcaygeon, I wondered aloud about the women's attraction and seeming adoration towards the Orlando, which to me seemed a little out of place for a Chevrolet vehicle. I mean, if it was a Range Rover or some high-end German SUV I could understand it.
But a Chevy MPV? However, as the kilometres rolled on and we became more familiar with the vehicle, it was clear that General Motors has hit another one out of the ballpark (the Chevrolet Cruze being the company's first grand slam after its reorganization and reconfiguration following its near-collapse and subsequent bailout in late-2008).
Here is a seven-passenger vehicle that isn't a minivan (the term itself holding about as much favour with 21st Century moms as "processed food"), has a super-efficient four-cylinder engine, a laundry list of standard features (including GM's excellent OnStar service), and is priced in line with middle-class Canadians' budgets at a time when economic uncertainty reigns.
Utilizing the same platform as the award-winning Cruze and the upcoming Verano, the Orlando also targets what GM Canada CEO Kevin Williams regards as an untapped, yet rich-inpotential, segment.
"There are only a few vehicles that will compete with the Orlando," Williams told me over dinner the night before our drive north. "And it stacks up very well against them, so we think it's going to be a good seller for us in Canada."
Williams noted the Orlando's main competitor will be the Mazda5, with the Kia Rondo and Scion xB as near competitors. Other than those three, there are no seven-passenger vehicles in the size or price range of the new Chevy.
Interestingly enough, the Orlando will not be sold in the United States, a market that is said to prefer SUVs over MPVs and minivans. Instead, it will be sold in Canada, Europe -- where it debuted earlier this year -- and Korea, where it is assembled. Williams expects the Orlando to be in Canadian showrooms in the fall.
On the subject of the Mazda5, on the morning of our departure from Muskoka, two Mazda5s were rolled out for comparison's sake, including a luggage-loading exercise that demonstrated a distinct advantage of the Orlando. With the third row folded in the Orlando and loaded with a family's worth of luggage, there was still room for five passengers. In the Mazda5, just four, as the second row has just two seats.
Also, getting into and out of the third row in the Orlando was a little easier than in the Mazda5, primarily due to the fact the Mazda has sliding secondrow doors - a la minivan -- while the Orlando features traditional sidehinged second-row doors.
Back on the road for the return trip to Toronto, I did get a sense that the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine might be a little taxed when the Orlando is fully loaded with kids and gear, particularly around the mountainous parts of British Columbia. Perhaps a six-cylinder is in its future, though when asked GM Canada execs were non-committal about that possibility.
Still, from the two days I spent behind the wheel and in the passenger seat marvelling at the natural beauty of Ontario's cottage country, it is evident that the Orlando will find many eager buyers.
It's quiet at highway speeds; it's functional for all manner of families; it's low-slung platform makes it ideal for seniors; it's achieved Europe's top safety rating; the materials used in its interior, along with the fit and finish, is top notch and puts rest to all those negative attributes of pre-2008 Chevys; it comes with the best warranty coverage for its segment in Canada.
And for a getaway to the cottage or cabin, the 2012 Orlando revealed to be a star for its time.
Not officially in "Muskoka" -- the preferred summer playground for Toronto's button-down and privileged hoi polloi -- Bobcaygeon is still a popular place for families, and on any given summer day its pretty main street is crawling with all manner of SUVs, minivans and sedans stuffed to their headliners with flip-flop clad kids, sunburnt dads, well-organized moms and the prerequisite summer vacation gear.
All of which made it the perfect place for a lunch stop during GM Canada's press launch last week of the 2012 Chevrolet Orlando, an all-new, seven passenger vehicle built with just such excursions in mind.
Clearly, this was the intent of the General Motors' communications team that put together the two-day launch, which started Thursday morning at a Toronto hotel, proceeded north to Windermere House on Lake Rosseau in the heart of the Muskokas via Bobcaygeon, and returned the following day with a beeline dash down the 400 back into the heat and heart of the Ontario capital.
And it didn't take long to realize that GM was onto something with the new Orlando, as before my driving partner and I had turned the key on our silver ice LT model, two well-dressed women leaving the Hilton approached to inquire about the vehicle.
"Is this new?" one asked, peering inside through an open passenger window.
Before either of us could answer, she exclaimed, "It's got seven seats!"
Her companion sidled up for a look, and the two of them stared long and lovingly at the theatre-style, threetiered seating arrangement.
"How much?" was the next question.
"Starts at just under twenty and tops out around thirty," my colleague offered, sounding more like a carlot saleswoman than the respected national auto writer that she is.
Wide-eyed stares shot back at us, quickly followed by more headthrough-the-window shopping. Tearing themselves away, with a little prodding from us when we realized we were among the last journalists to still be in the parking lot, they walked away, but not without a couple of rearward glances.
As we headed north past Canada's Wonderland on route to our lunch stop in Bobcaygeon, I wondered aloud about the women's attraction and seeming adoration towards the Orlando, which to me seemed a little out of place for a Chevrolet vehicle. I mean, if it was a Range Rover or some high-end German SUV I could understand it.
But a Chevy MPV? However, as the kilometres rolled on and we became more familiar with the vehicle, it was clear that General Motors has hit another one out of the ballpark (the Chevrolet Cruze being the company's first grand slam after its reorganization and reconfiguration following its near-collapse and subsequent bailout in late-2008).
Here is a seven-passenger vehicle that isn't a minivan (the term itself holding about as much favour with 21st Century moms as "processed food"), has a super-efficient four-cylinder engine, a laundry list of standard features (including GM's excellent OnStar service), and is priced in line with middle-class Canadians' budgets at a time when economic uncertainty reigns.
Utilizing the same platform as the award-winning Cruze and the upcoming Verano, the Orlando also targets what GM Canada CEO Kevin Williams regards as an untapped, yet rich-inpotential, segment.
"There are only a few vehicles that will compete with the Orlando," Williams told me over dinner the night before our drive north. "And it stacks up very well against them, so we think it's going to be a good seller for us in Canada."
Williams noted the Orlando's main competitor will be the Mazda5, with the Kia Rondo and Scion xB as near competitors. Other than those three, there are no seven-passenger vehicles in the size or price range of the new Chevy.
Interestingly enough, the Orlando will not be sold in the United States, a market that is said to prefer SUVs over MPVs and minivans. Instead, it will be sold in Canada, Europe -- where it debuted earlier this year -- and Korea, where it is assembled. Williams expects the Orlando to be in Canadian showrooms in the fall.
On the subject of the Mazda5, on the morning of our departure from Muskoka, two Mazda5s were rolled out for comparison's sake, including a luggage-loading exercise that demonstrated a distinct advantage of the Orlando. With the third row folded in the Orlando and loaded with a family's worth of luggage, there was still room for five passengers. In the Mazda5, just four, as the second row has just two seats.
Also, getting into and out of the third row in the Orlando was a little easier than in the Mazda5, primarily due to the fact the Mazda has sliding secondrow doors - a la minivan -- while the Orlando features traditional sidehinged second-row doors.
Back on the road for the return trip to Toronto, I did get a sense that the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine might be a little taxed when the Orlando is fully loaded with kids and gear, particularly around the mountainous parts of British Columbia. Perhaps a six-cylinder is in its future, though when asked GM Canada execs were non-committal about that possibility.
Still, from the two days I spent behind the wheel and in the passenger seat marvelling at the natural beauty of Ontario's cottage country, it is evident that the Orlando will find many eager buyers.
It's quiet at highway speeds; it's functional for all manner of families; it's low-slung platform makes it ideal for seniors; it's achieved Europe's top safety rating; the materials used in its interior, along with the fit and finish, is top notch and puts rest to all those negative attributes of pre-2008 Chevys; it comes with the best warranty coverage for its segment in Canada.
And for a getaway to the cottage or cabin, the 2012 Orlando revealed to be a star for its time.
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