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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  The King of the Road - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Mboily - May 25 - 11:13 am

  For the past 20 years Ive been driving second hand vestige cars & I decided to get myself a birthday present A sport car. Guess what, I got a true super sport car instead for the same price! The Actual King of the American Roads, Oh yes, no other car attracts more attention and the reason is simple: Power and Style combine with an efficient design (interior & exterior). GM really got it all right, none of the regular bin parts or the usual adding of unnecessary molding or gimmicks to fill space. Its a simple and clean classic sport car design, finally! I just cant stop glaring & driving this car fast or slow. Every time I hop in, I know Im driving something special and it makes me a happy man.

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  Wouldnt own anything else - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By Sean - May 24 - 6:46 pm

  This is the second Impala Ls I have owned. I bought my first one (2001) and it saved my life when I caught black ice and went spinning off the highway into a tree. I bought my second one (2003) with 130,000 miles and it is as solid as a rock. the engine runs smooth as silk, and I have never had to replace anything. I would be hesitant to buy anything else.

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  Who cares about gas mileage? - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Jeff in Utah - May 22 - 11:48 pm

  I havent figured out my mileage after 1500 miles, and I dont intend to. I bought this car because I liked muscle cars in the 70s and this one feels like that. Fast, and solid. And boy does it turn heads! Its like driving the Batmobile! I put ground effects on the orange and black monster, and little kids come running up to the street yelling, "NICE CAR" at me. Middle aged guys in mini-vans lean out their windows as I go buy, waiving their arms in the, "Im not worthy" motion. My wife gets tried of having to spend an extra ten minutes every where we stop to talk to the crowd of people that come up to ask about the car. Its not just a car, its a whole, experience.

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  Couldnt get any better - 1998 Chevrolet Corvette
  By jim98vette - May 22 - 6:59 pm

  I purchased this car with all the paperwork at 76k miles. Its my 2nd vette 1st being a 75 sting ray 30 years ago. Ive wanted another one ever since. From day one its been way more than my expectations. Performance is outstanding, handling superb, ergonomics excellent, just a get in it and drive $150,000 European sports car made in usa by American auto makers. And at a fraction of what it would cost if made say in Italy. This cars ls1 is obviously built to handle anything with 6 bolt main bearing caps and a state of the art ls1 engine. I think its more car than anyone expects plain and simple. All Ive added is vortex air cleaner/intake and borla performance exhaust. And shift bypass

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  First Impressions - 2010 Colorado - 2010 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Martin - May 22 - 5:04 am

  I just purchased a new Colorado after owning an S-10 for the last seven years and 160K miles. I did a great deal of research prior to my purchase, focusing mainly on the Tacoma, Frontier and Colorado. Both the Nissan and Toyota received higher reviews from the auto experts, but the consumer reviews were mostly positive for the Colorado. I have only driven this new vehicle for a couple of weeks and my initial impression is that I like it...very much. I drove all three and the Colorado seemed to have what I was looking for. I loved my S-10 and if I enjoy the Colorado half as much, it will have been a great purchase.

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  Over 200K and still going strong - 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Mark - May 21 - 11:39 am

  I sold my previous Suburban (1994 and 300K miles) to purchase this one. It came with about 100K on it and was lacking in the routine maintenance department, after fixing and servicing the vehicle it has served us very well. Always starts even at -40 F, its easy to get in and out of (a must for my line of work). Pulls/hauls my 31 camper, the boat, or the car trailer with ease. I now have a little over 215K and still use it regularly with minimal maintenance issues. I would highly recommend this to others. As with any vehicle preventative maintenance and a competent mechanic can make all the difference. In my five years of ownership I have replaced 1 radiator, 2 door handles, and 1 brake line

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  Im back (2 years later) - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By cragman1 - May 19 - 10:30 am

  Third review from me on my 08 Cobalt base LS w/automatic. Most owners probably either sell or trade 2 yr old cars nowadays. Which is my reason for a 3rd review. Since buying this in Jan of 08, weve seen Toyota go through their inevitable fall from grace, and Hondas numbers are down as well - no doubt due to lack of interest from generation X, Y, or is it Z by now? Either way, once we have all small cars starting to look like Scions or Mazdas, Id swear its starting to look like a science fiction movie version of The Stepford Wives - only done in a small car theme! ~0 . Anyway, I still have my 08 white Cobalt with nifty round red taillights and it still purrs along nicely!

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  Amazing Camaro! - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Brandon - May 18 - 9:33 pm

  I purchased a new camaro 2lt with the rs package about a month or so ago. The car is black on black and boy let me tell you: wow! This car is absolutely amazing. The exterior and interior styling is gorgeous, the performance and powertrain is awesome, and the build quality is excellent. I drove the ss package and it was too fast, especially for my wife LOL, so we decided to go with the 304 hp v6. The v6 powerplant w/6-speed auto is powerful, smooth and fuel efficient. A recent road trip from Houston to San Antonio to Austin yielded almost 26 mpg overall (not driving the speed limit of course!) its amazing all of the people who stare and give you thumbs up with this car. Good job gm!

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  The Burb Keeps Going! - 2001 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Dave - May 18 - 12:17 pm

  We have used our Suburban for just about everything. We travel all over the city hauling the kids and their sports equipment every weekend and also use the vehicle to pull our seadoos. Have used the Suburban in the snow, sand, and mud with no problems driving the vehicle on/off road. Plenty of power for highway driving which is fun to drive!

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  My Beautiful SSR - 2004 Chevrolet SSR
  By Pat Yanish - May 18 - 11:41 am

  This truck is beautiful and in great condition. Drives like a charm and has a lot of get up and go. I love my SSR. Buying experience was outstanding. My sales person, manager and financial person were great and honest. Honesty is hard to come by. They were fantastic and I would recommend all my friends to go there.