THINGS aren't always what they seem. Take Chevrolet. Louis Chevrolet wasn't American - he was a Swiss watchmaker. And the Chevvy Orlando isn't built in Detroit, it's made in Kunsan, South Korea.

Confused? Well, try to get your head around this: in the UK, the Orlando replaces the Tacuma. That car started out as a Daewoo, which wasn't built in Korea but Uzbekistan, and was rebadged as a Chevrolet when General Motors decided Chevvy could become its global "value" brand.

All you really need to know is that the Orlando is based on the same “Delta” platform as the forthcoming Vauxhall Zafira (albeit fitted with simpler beam rear suspension), seats seven and costs less than the competition.

It cuts quite a dash, too, being an unusual fusion of MPV and SUV notable for an out-sized Chevrolet front grille (the bow-tie badge alone measures 30cm across), protruding wheel arches and a Qashqai-style silhouette. You might need a kid carrier, but that doesn't mean your choice of wheels has to look like one. It's a people carrier with attitude.

Despite the gently sweeping roofline, the Orlando’s second and third rows are higher than the driver. Everyone gets a great view of the road ahead.

Despite the Trans-Atlantic style, Chevrolet won’t sell the Orlando in America (where it already has four MPVs) - the car has been designed with Europe in mind.

You can see the Euro influence in the cabin where the dash and the seats are fashioned from the blacks and darker material shades buyers prefer.

At night, the cockpit is lit by cool blue ambient lighting and the dashboard layout is logical and easy to use. Fit and finish is fine and, apart from an over-the-shoulder D pillar blind spot, the Orlando is an easy car to manoeuvre.

The hidden storage compartment behind the CD player first shown on the Orlando concept car show at the Paris Motor Show in 2008 has made the transition to mass production. It’s a killer feature - the perfect place for hiding an expensive iPhone within easy reach of both the driver and front passenger - that I expect to see appearing on other cars in the near future.

No self-respecting MPV can be hit the road without a vast array of storage compartments, hidden cubby holes and dump bins. The Orlando obliges with a range of different sized pigeon holes in the centre console, front and rear doors, in the boot and even the roof, where you’ll also find a handy drop-down back seat mirror to keep an eye on the kids.

A lot of thought has gone into making the Orlando practical for carrying seven people. The second and third row seats fold flat at the tug of a lever. Depending on the position of the front seat, you won’t even have to fiddle with the second row headrests. Access to the third row is good and, once you’re settled in, there’s an adequate amount of knee and leg room, even for lanky adults.

With all the pews folded down the Orlando can accommodate 1,300 litres of cargo - slightly less than the Zafira or the Ford C-Max - and an unbeatable 454 litres with all three rows in use.

UK buyers have the choice of a 1.8-litre petrol or a 2.0-litre turbodiesel. The 1.8 is smooth and quiet but, if you plan on filling all seven seats on a regular basis, I’d recommend the diesel for its greater torque and flexibility.

Whichever version you buy, it will ride smoothly and stop swiftly. Anyone stepping from a Tacuma into an Orlando won’t believe their luck.

And just like its Daewoo predecessor, the Orlando comes with an unbeatable warranty and after-care package which includes five years’ free servicing. Apart from fuel and insurance the Orlando won’t cost you a bean for 60 months. That makes it an extremely cost-efficient ownership proposition.

Speaking at the Orlando’s European launch earlier this year, Wayne Brannon, the company’s European boss, said the days of the old American-style gas guzzling Chevvy had gone forever. “These days we’re trying to put cars on the road that make sense,” he said.

And what could be more sensible than a seven seater that’s nice to drive, cheap to buy and cheaper still to run?

SPEC CHECK: Price: £17,410 Engine: 1,796cc four-cylinder petrol Max power: 141 bhp @ 6,100 rpm Max torque: 131 lb/ft@ 3,800 rpm Max speed: 115 mph 0-62 mph: 11.2 seconds Av fuel consumption: 38.7mpg CO2 emissions: 172 g/km.

Equipment: Electric windows, power steering, CD with iPod connection, alloy wheels, climate control, alloy wheels, alarm, immobiliser.