Overview & Reviews

Chevrolet sells an impressively wide range of vehicles, from subcompact hatchbacks to huge vans and SUVs. If you're looking for a reasonably priced vehicle, odds are that Chevy will have something to fit your needs.

Chevrolet got its start in 1911. After William C. Durant had been ousted from General Motors, he joined forces with Swiss-born racecar driver Louis Chevrolet to found the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. The company's first offering was the Classic Six. Introduced in 1912, this five-passenger touring sedan could top 65 mph, fast for the time. Chevrolet's storied bowtie logo -- reportedly inspired by the wallpaper of a Paris hotel room that Durant stayed at -- made its first appearance in 1914.

By 1918, Chevrolet's profitability allowed Durant to purchase enough shares in GM to regain control. Chevrolet became another division of GM, and was its largest volume division by the mid-1920s. By 1927, Chevrolet outsold rival Ford, with sales in excess of 1 million units.

In the mid-1930s Chevrolet introduced independent front suspension, which provided a smoother ride over the rough roads of the day. The 1940s saw continued success with affordable coupes, sedans and pickup trucks catering to American families, farmers and businessmen.

By the mid-1950s, Chevrolet, GM's entry-level division, had added a V8 engine, power steering and brakes, power windows and air-conditioning to its list of available features, allowing luxury for those on a tighter budget. Around this time the iconic Bel Air model -- available in coupe, sedan, convertible and wagon body styles -- proved very popular. The company introduced its alluring Corvette in 1953; the vehicle was the first mass-produced car with a fiberglass body.

The 1960s saw the unveiling of the popular, air-cooled Corvair compact, which held the distinction of being the first domestic production car with all-around independent suspension. That decade also witnessed the launch of the compact Nova, the midsize Chevelle and the sporty Camaro, the latter Chevrolet's answer to the wildly successful Ford Mustang. The Camaro proved an instant hit, comprising 10 percent of Chevrolet's total sales in 1967, its first year of production.

In the 1970s, Chevy responded to changing preferences by introducing small cars like the Vega and the Chevette, and by downsizing larger models such as the Caprice and Malibu. The company combated the market domination of foreign nameplates in the 1980s by rolling out the Cavalier. By the end of that decade, trucks and SUVs had started to become increasingly popular with the general consumer, and the brand's mid- and full-size models continue to this day to be some of the most popular on the road.

The '90s and the early 2000s saw the company raising the performance bar with its Corvette (notably the Z06 and, later, ZR1 variants) and reincarnated Impala SS. Chevrolet's Silverado pickup truck and Tahoe/Suburban SUVs continued to be hits as well. By 2010, the Camaro had returned to the lineup after a seven-year hiatus.

Modern times have seen Chevrolet make significant improvements in its small and midsize car models and introduce the Volt plug-in hybrid. The latter provides a nearly 40-mile range on electric power alone, and adds to the company's already well-rounded lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs. Though today's marketplace is very demanding, Chevrolet seems poised to remain a power player through its affordable and innovative vehicles.

User Reviews:

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  buyer beware! - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By chevynomore - August 1 - 2:00 am

  Bought this pickup brand new - problems from the start, many of which other owners are also reporting. Worst problem is the notorious GM piston slap; started at 11000 miles and is getting worse - sounds like a diesel at startup. GM insists the piston slap is normal. Also, one side of the box is 2" lower than the other side, transfer case is very noisy, steering column rattles and thumps during turns. I do not expect these problems from a 2 year old, $30k vehicle. GM customer service is virtually non-existent.

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  2001 Suburban Review - 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
  By bjd - August 1 - 2:00 am

  Very nice and fun to drive and has a lot of room

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  Z71 2003 - 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By 29lil1` - August 1 - 2:00 am

  Although it is a large vehicle, it is relatively easy to handle and very comfortable to drive.

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  Nice car poor service -design flaws? - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By hksunshine - August 1 - 2:00 am

  Have LS. Fun Car to drive, great pickup and good milage. Buying experience painless. Service is an issue. Contes service departments response to issues : It bottoms out going up or down ramps even at slowest speeds (5mph) ..told thats normal! If I stop and immediately start Impalas engine turns several times and theres a delay in dash lights coming on, told they didnt find anything wrong! Occasional hesitation under acceleration, they couldnt find anything wrong! Trunk popped with keyfob doesnt open all the way and hard to close..you guessed it.."normal". Moisture inside right headlamp, replaced headlamp and..still moisture.Too bad..nice car otherwise.

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  from texas to colorado!! - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Ray from San Antonio - August 1 - 2:00 am

  This is the best vehicle that I have owned. Tough, fun, and looks good while working hard. Quick enough and responds quickly(speeding up or slowing down). perfect for both city and rual drives.

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  Great Minivan - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Silas - July 31 - 9:53 pm

  This minivan replaced my 2000 Honda Odyssey. We purchased this van in February 2005 and have driven 46K miles so far. We dont expect it to perform like a sport car but it definitely out-performs our previous Odyssey, both in power and handling. We averaged 2-4 family trips to Florida yearly and it is a great vehicle for our three kids in a 9 hour ride. Yes, we had some maintenance issues like others rating this vehicle but nothing major. Gas mileage is great when compared to our other car, which is an SUV with 15 mpg. We are about to purchase the 2008 LT model.

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  Great Car - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By TUowl05 - July 31 - 8:57 pm

  I bought a 2002 2 door LS sport in July of 2003 with 5k miles on it. It was a great car that was extremely reliable and relatively fun to drive. I only had to replace the drivers side window motor as that went out at about 35k miles. Other than that the car was flawless. My only complaint was the paint is pretty crappy. You could scratch it with your fingernail. Despite waxing it reguraly nicks and scratches always seemed to pop up. I recently traded it in on an 06 Saab 9- 3 but even with the step up I still miss my Cavalier. It was a great little car during my college years. It had 55,000 miles on it when I got rid of it and was pleased with the $5k trade in I got for it.

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  Love this car, more room than expected - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By epgirl - July 31 - 8:50 pm

  Im really enjoying my Aveo. Its fun to drive and gets great mileage. We drive all aroung town with 4 people in it all the time. Thats two adults and two teenagers, and were comfortable. The only problem weve had is a bad oil pump at 5000 miles. It was fixed with no problem.

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  2006 HHR - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By kcjonz - July 31 - 2:36 pm

  Purchased new 2.4L with 5 speed manual transmission. Fun to drive although does not inspire hard driving. Fuel economy close to EPA estimates, to achieve the highway EPA must be kept under 70 mph. Mine has the "sport" suspension, still has excessive body roll. 17" wheels a must.

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  I love my Tahoe! - 2008 Chevrolet Suburban
  By SLDLMD - July 31 - 8:47 am

  Our 2008 Tahoe was delivered just a few days ago. I absolutely love it. The interior is beautiful and designed well for families. We have the rear entertainment package with the DVD player and I love just flipping the screen down and popping in the movie. No cords or wires to mess with! The split bench seats are genius-- increases cargo space without losing an entire row of seating. It performs well and it is interesting to watch it switch from V8 to V4 on the highway. My average fuel economy thus far is around 18, and that includes a 200 mile highway trip and around town driving.