SOME cars take you by surprise and the Chevrolet Orlando is one of them.

The current Chevrolet range offers some worthy small cars, but this new MPV/crossover exceeded expectations and proved a hit with the entire family.

The Orlando is Chevrolet's first foray into the MPV segment and is a pretty impressive start.

A seven-seater, it may not be as stylish as, say, the Peugeot 5008, but it has a road presence all of its own, is lavishly equipped has a powerful but frugal diesel engine and enough space when the seats are folded for a small house removal.

It is also cheap to buy, certainly the base model at  £16,410, and if you are prepared to hold on to it for a while, depreciation will not be an issue.

From the outside the car has a robust, muscular look with a big, bold grille. It has a strong waistline that tapers slightly to the rear to give it a more dynamic look and has flared wheel arches to accommodate the smart 17-inch alloy wheels on the vehicle I drove.

There is a choice of three engines, a 1.8-litre petrol and the two-litre diesel with either 131 or 163bhp available.

The 163bhp engine powered this car and proved lively as well as economical with the six speed automatic gearbox delivering smooth, almost imperceptible changes. It was more than capable of keeping up with and overtaking motorway traffic with ease, while at the same time delivering a pretty decent 40.4mpg.

Not quite so impressive are the 186g/km of CO2 emissions which attract a benefit in kind taxation rate of 30 per cent. Opt for the manual and this drops to 24 per cent.

It was also pleasant to drive with deceptively-good handling for the type of vehicle and good refinement with road and engine noise muted, although there is some wind noise.

Chevrolet says the Orlando features the latest design cues from Chevrolet such as the Corvette inspired dual cockpit and ambient blue backlighting to the centre console.

It certainly is an impressive cabin, even if some of the plastics don't feel to clever.

However they are robust and the dash and controls and neatly and logically laid out and are pleasing on the eye, while the leather-trimmed steering wheel on the tested model featured audio controls.

A clever piece of design is the storage area hidden behind the faceplate of the audio system.

Touch a lever and face swings upwards to reveal the compartment which also houses the USB and iPod connectors. Typically, my long and thin MP3 stuck out too far to allow the face to close, but it still worked fine.

Despite it not being the biggest of MPVs, the boot space is compromised when the third row of seats are in place, it feels roomy and airy. There is an assortment of cubbyholes, drinks holders and stowage compartments for all the family bit and pieces, while seven can be seated in relative comfort.

The rearmost pair of seats, which flip up at the touch of a lever, are small, but could probably accommodate a couple of smaller adults on a shorter journey. Fold those and the second row of seats and the Orlando offers cavernous space.

There are various seating configurations with either second or third rows folded independently or together to make a completely flat load area. The second seat row also has a tumble-fold facility for both the left and right-hand outer seats to allow easy access for passengers into and out of the third row.

And when the time comes to shifting large loads of cargo, there is 1,487 litres available when both rows of seats are folded flat.

There are three trim levels, LS, LT and LTZ, with standard equipment on all cars including electronic stability control, six air-bags, air conditioning and power-adjustable mirrors.

LS includes electronic stability control, six airbags, and power mirrors while the mid-range LT version adds parking sensors and steering wheel mounted audio controls, while the LTZ gets larger 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic dipping rear view mirror and electronic cruise control.

For safety there are six airbags, traction control and assisted braking technology and has a Euro NCAP five star safety rating.

It's an impressive new kid on the block that could make a real impact.