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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  Are you kidding me! - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Kevin Moore - March 8 - 11:23 am

  I would have given the Suburban good marks for some of the design features but I wanted to get everyones attention. Donot buy this vehicle if you drive in snow. We hit a minor snow drift and are now out over $900 for front bumper repairs. After extensive time on the phone with GM, they were unwilling to stand behind the vehicle. They said it was caused by environmental issues. The environment they are talking about is the reason we have a 4x4. Now when it snows, we cant leave the house until the road is plowed. I dont have any idea what were going to do when it snows while were away. Based on GMs unwillingness to stand behind the design, this is the last GM vehicle Ill ever buy

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  Nice Looking Monte SS but...Theres room for Improvement - 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By carguy310 - March 8 - 8:41 am

  Bought my 03 Monte Carlo SS used in August 2010 with 113K miles. One owner car before I acquired it. Never been hit or wrecked. Was well maintained. A/C wasnt working when I got it so I had to replace the A/C compressor right away due to leaky seals. Less than a month after purchase goes by, engine went bad at 114K miles. It needed a complete rebuild due to a gasket leak allowing the fluid to run into the cylinders & caused a rod to go bad. A couple of interior buttons & dash lights are blown. The fan speed dial does not work on 1 at times but works on 2-5 with no issues. The body has a tiny wee bit of rust on it. Mostly on the fuel door(outside) and the doors (inside).

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  Why buy/lease an Escalade? - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By MrUpnDown - March 8 - 5:43 am

  The 07 Tahoe LTZ has the added feature of riding better than the Escalade of old and as good as the current model.There are 2 drawbacks , one is that nav pkg w/MP3 player , cd , am/fm radio does not have allow for multiple cd cartridge. Not a big deal but curious for such a great vehicle. We got ours on 3/1/06 and it is a gem.The second is that they did nothing to improve the gas mileage....still lots of good stuff.

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  Maintenance Nightmare - 2001 Chevrolet Venture
  By familyGuy - March 7 - 11:51 pm

  This has been the worst vehicle Ive ever owned. I bought it used at 45k miles. Intake manafold gasket started leaking at 50k miles ($800 dollar repair), transmision went out at 60k miles ($2000), fuel gage stoped working, cd player stoped working, water pump and heater went out...the list goes on. The only good things Id say is that its comfortable and has good safety features. ..none of which matter if you cant keep it running.

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  Poor - 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By jc - March 7 - 8:41 pm

  Very overrated. typical Chevy, poor mpg. Lots of cab noise. Many blind spots, instrumentation is poor, must take eyes off road for extended periods of time to figure controls, out of standard arm reach

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  My Red Rocket Toy - 2002 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Chuck - March 7 - 8:02 pm

  I bought this 2002 Z06 in Oct. of 2001 and it gets just under 2000 miles a year put on it and is garaged whenever it is not driven. It has been in the rain twice and never in snow. This was a dream car for me for a long time and I love just about everything in any category with this car. It is a blast to drive for both power and handling! And the fuel economy really impresses me for an engine with 405 horsepower. This car will be in my family for a long time!

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  Not at all impressed - 2001 Chevrolet S-10
  By Erik - March 7 - 5:43 pm

  The truck has been decent with the usual, ALL 5 u-joints needing replacing at $200 a pop, as well as the hanger bearing, front driver wheel bearing, and most recently the entire rear differential. This one proved too much for me to hang on to this vehicle. Every year I needed to replace the Cap and Rotor, not to mention the squeaks and creaks from the shoddy craftman ship of the interior plastic. Will not buy again.

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  A Cheap car in many ways - 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By KidsCar - March 7 - 2:05 pm

  Although it didnt cost much to buy as a used car, it has cost relatively a lot since I bought it. Head gasket $1000, rear shocks $300, alternator $300, not including tires and brakes (normal wear items). Although it looked great when I bought it for my daughter, I wish Id spent more on a Civic or Corolla and would have ended up with a better car. It has annoying issues like a leaky trunk seal, poor paint on bumpers, slipping door seals, etc. I had not purchased an "American car" in several years - this product reaffirms why.

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  Love this car - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By zenn - March 7 - 1:13 pm

  Ive been driving this vehicle for about a month now and am still excited to get into it every time. Its just a nice overall vehicle. I does have quite a large blind spot but the camera makes up for that. So far Im getting about 19mpg overall on my drive to work mostly state roads. Seats are firm but fit well. Plenty of available seat positioning for both me and my wife. This car is quiet and rides nice if a little firm. A lot more cargo space than the specs would leave you to think, especially with the rear seat forward.

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  FIrst Year Mistake - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By justin04 - March 7 - 10:37 am

  Absolutely horrible experience. Engine has failed twice. Exhaust system has failed twice.Transmission system failed once. GM covered exhaust and transmission, but fails to stand behind their engine. Vehicle only has 32k miles, 2nd engine failure at 20 months old.