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:

• 

  Excellent Choice - 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By john178 - April 14 - 3:59 pm

  Have had truck for 5 months. First truck I have owned but wont be my last as this truck is everything and more than I expected. The ride/comfort is equal to luxury cars I have owned and currently own. The best MPG I have been able to attain is just shy of 20 going 72 MPH for long stretches- but Im not complaining; I didnt buy the truck for MPG reasons.

• 

  Half Breed - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By a68vette - April 14 - 8:40 am

  I bought what started out as an LT1. I ended up with a combination LT1, LT2, and LTZ. I have the 6.0 MAX in it, skid plates, stabilitrack, max towing package, aux tranny and oil coolers with the KN2 option. Love this truck. Not my first Silverado, but the best so far! Only thing lacking on this vehicle is the NAV system. Wish I had opted for it. XM is great, but it has very poor ability to receive local AM/FM bradcasts with its antenna design. I am going to the shop this week and see what can be done to improve local radio reception. There must be another digital antenna with a 2 1/2" mast molded into it. No more 5.7s being made. 5.3 is about 324 CI and 6.0 about 364 CI. Rec 6.0

• 

  Great car!!! - 1991 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Merriman - April 14 - 2:00 am

  I work at a used car dealership and Luminas are by far the best cars out there. I own a 91 Lumina with the 3.1 package and it is fantastic. My dad bought it in 93 with 30,000 miles on it and now its up to 175,000. Weve never had any major repair that needed to be done...just the usual parts that wear out, brakes, struts, tires, ect. Its been in three major acidents and its still running strong. Although weve had to replace the calipers is the back about 5 times there have been no problems with anything. And once youve done the calipers twice you remember how to do them.

• 

  Johns best - 2001 Chevrolet Corvette
  By snb2267 - April 14 - 2:00 am

  Had loud tappets, turned out that the problem was some type of vendor quality issue with rings. Dealer replaced rings, tappets etc and problem stopped.

• 

  Chevy Tracker// - 2002 Chevrolet Tracker
  By miller - April 13 - 2:00 am

  Since I purchased my 2002 Chevy Tracker Iv had absolutely no problems and enjoy driving it every day..A true truck frame and Chevy dependability.I now have @ 2000 miles with not a single problem,,just plain fun to drive.I get alot of looks and people asking me how I like it..

• 

  Overall very good van - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By Samir - April 13 - 2:00 am

  This is our first minivan. My two young kids use to give us hard time getting into car seats until this van came into play. Now they sit in their car seats without any problem. Overall this van drives smoothly. My entire family loves it. We drive it every where. we have put 7000 miles in less than 5 months. I would recomend this van to anyone.

• 

  ON MY OWN - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By BABYGIRL - April 13 - 2:00 am

  This was my first purchase of a car without my father(he is deceased)being by my side I remembered all the things he taught me about buying a car and used the same dealership he did business with for over 40 years. I must say I did quite well. I have had no major problems with my Blazer since the day of purchase. With regular maintance I expect to drive this car at least for another 2 years then Ill trade. The Tahoe is next on my list of SUVs to drive. Purchased from Nimnicht Cheverlot of course

• 

  Beats The PT Crusier - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Bryan - April 12 - 8:26 am

  This is a very fun car to drive. We went on a trip this past weekend and it was really cool to see all of these people gawk out the windows of their cars to see what it is. The power is great and it is a very comfortable car.

• 

  4 door vette - 1995 Chevrolet Impala
  By Fran - April 12 - 2:00 am

  Instant classic, handles like a camaro, seats 5 in style, huge trunk & just plain fun to drive.

• 

  new truck - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By momof3 - April 12 - 2:00 am

  I drove Dodge Dakota, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma crew cabs. Chevy had more ammenities standard, and I got a better appointed truck for less price. The back seat comfort in all the trucks I drove was limited, but adequate. I got 19.6 mpg on my 2nd tank of gas (mixed city & hwy driving)