No, you cannot call it a bread-box on wheels. As a matter of fact, it is far from it! The Tavera is surely a good-looking machine that fits the ‘people-mover’ tag perfectly. But since the introduction of the Innova, things have not been going well for her. What it essentially has done is fill the space left by the Toyota Qualis. The Innova is quite expensive and there’s no other machine that falls in the same space as the Qualis, so the Tavera has more than filled up that space and has been doing rather well.

The Tavera is strictly a MUV and the body-on-frame layout hints at the age-old underpinnings that have been made use of. The suspension was specially optimized for India and does a great job of absorbing whatever is thrown at it. The ride, though not exactly cushy, is quite pliant. Handling is the weak area of the Tavera but then again, it is a car that will not be driven with your mad-hat on. For normal use, it is just fine and the body roll is well controlled. The high speed stability is also commendable. Brakes however are something that Chevrolet should look into as they feel soggy and you have to really press them hard to feel the discs working.

The interior is not really high-class but for the purpose that the Tavera sells, the interior is a job well done. It can stand the punishment of Indian conditions and will go on without rattling for as long as you want it to. The 2.5-litre direct injection diesel engine is an Isuzu unit and it is quite a workhorse! Peak power of 80bhp comes in at 3900 rpm while 186Nm of torque peaks at 1800 revs. But the way the engine pulls from low revs is astonishing and the torque curve is very linear. This makes driving around town a breeze.

The Chevy Tavera is not about performance or zero-to-hundred times. It is more about lugging capacity and the Tavera does that well. Essentially an Isuzu Panther, the Tavera is the perfect MUV for suburban places and for people who are not inclined towards the Innova owing to its asking price.