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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  this car is a piece... - 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By ihatemyZ34 - March 29 - 10:00 am

  this car is an unbelieveable piece of crap, which is unlikey for GM... i take care of the car as if it were my child and it still betrays me... alternator shot three times, air pump twice, location on both is moronic (under engine and behind front right wheel well)... get about 20 MPG...

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  My Baby - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By LilKiki221 - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I drive this car everyday to school. I love the reliablity of the car.

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  My Newest Chevrolet - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Bowtiejac - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I was pleasantly surprised at the quietness of this vehicle. Performance is very good for the Inline 6 cylinder as compared to earlier V6s. This SUV has many standard features that are optional on some others.

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  Nox Not Too Shabby - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Nikki - March 29 - 7:40 am

  Ive owned my Nox for a little over a month now. My only complaint so far is the gas. I see most everyone complains about that and its true, the gas could definitly be better. Im constantly filling up. The little bit of noise I hear when Im driving is a pain, but nothing to really complain about, it isnt a Caddy or anything. Rides nice, havent gotten to experience it in the snow yet, looking forward to that. Sound system is pretty nice love having a sunroof. Spacious vehicle and I do like it so far.

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  Horrible - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By nick - March 28 - 10:12 pm

  I bought this car for $8000 with about 61,000. I got ripped off with the price due to the fact that I am young and my first car. When I first got the car I loved it, no problems at all for the first 3 months. Then, the worst happened. I needed a new battery, new headlights, which are still to this day 2 different shades. the dashboard is loose, dealership said they fixed it, never did. New brakes. The mileage on the car started flashing at about 65000 mi. Im hearing rattling sounds from the front end of the car. This is just about the worst car anyone could ever purchase. No wonder why they discounitued the Cavalier. Im surprised it took this long to discontinue.

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  Its good - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By ladyj - March 28 - 4:37 pm

  I bought my 2002 used with abou 64K miles on it. Its run well, but has had issues that mechanics tell me are typical for this car. Had to replace intake manifold gasket, major work to front end including replaceing a wheel hub because of bad bearing, fixed power window switch on drivers side, had to have ignition replaced. That said, I still love the thing and Im buying a newer model when I can.

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  Love my TrailBlazer but... - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Dasnake - March 28 - 1:35 pm

  I love the way my gray SUV changes colors depending on what it is parked next to and time of day. It can be green one minute then brown or black or purple. Just park it next to a large building of the color desired and voila, it becomes that color! If you have ever seen the Nascar # 24 at night, you will see what I mean. I guess GM and Dupont got together on this color so as to give the public a "new" feature to toy with. Now for the bad news. It drinks more fuel than a V-8 ! Had I known this I would have bought a V- 8 for the extra power and torque that. Granted my wife drives it daily on a round trip to work of less than 3 miles a day, but almost zero traffic and few stops. This makes for 9 to 11 mpg!

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  2004 LT Tracker - 2004 Chevrolet Tracker
  By RW - March 28 - 12:10 pm

  Have 28,000 miles on my 04 LT Tracker. I get 22 mpg city, and 24 mpg highway at 70 mph. The interior layout is very dated but functional. Its that 70s retro look. Front seating is a bit cramped and rear seating is really just for kids.

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  2nd Good Monte Carlo, Time to get the 3d - 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Bryan - March 28 - 2:06 am

  I bought my LS almost 3 years ago and it has performed well. Good performance, Very dependable, and fun to drive. The only major repair I had was to replace a wheel after striking a curb I didnt see, so thats not the fault of the car. In fact Im getting ready to trade it for a 2007 because I liked it so much.

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  Very cheap interior - 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By nick - March 28 - 2:06 am

  I looked at a Monte Carlo because it seemed a lot like a Thunderbird which they dont make anymore. But it is anything but. The main problem I have with this car is the cheap interior. The door panels and dash make a lot of noise when going over bumps. Also the car has a lot of road noise. This car is junk. Stay away!