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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  bobs blazer rayes - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By chvy81181 - March 8 - 2:00 am

  pretty to look at and great engine performance

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  Greate Ride - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Gungha - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Smooth ride and fun to drive.

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  03 LTX 4X4 - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By boatnut - March 8 - 2:00 am

  We have an 03 LTZ package and its one of the best vehicles we have ever owned. We looked at Mercedes, Lexus 300, Infinity QX4, Ford Limited, and Acura MD. The Chevy was easily the best vehicle out there in our opinion. The second to last vehicle we drove was the Infinity, which was very nice,, and the sales staff was much better then and Chevy dealership we had been to, we were ready to buy Infinity, but we waited to drive the LTZ to be able to compare all, and we are glad we did.

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  My Giant Cadillac!! - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By LynneMH - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I named my title that way because those were the words I had said described to the feel and the comfort as my husband and I first took one out for a test- drive. The suspension is smooth and the response in the handling is amazing as Ive never driven a pickup truck in my life!! If I found it easy to drive than any woman can drive this thing!! The first 2003-04 Silverado wasnt a Z71 package like the one we ended up buying, but what a thrill to drive in any Silverado!! We love it and were both glad weve done our homework before settling on driving a Chevy truck!! Now Im looking to buy my own Chevy trunk in the very near future for my own thrills!

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  fuzzys new ride,2004 SILVERADO - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By jewala - March 8 - 2:00 am

  the truck, siverado, ls. rides very well, & feels very solid, & holds the road with excellent traction & maneuverability. the stereo radio with cd sounds great. the engine performance is great,285 hp, for the 4.8 v8, transmission shifts very well, i like the heated rear window & outside, side mirrors, the tilt wheel seems to function very good, the back seat gives good support to the lumbar & lower back, 16" chrome-plated steel wheels with goodyear wranglers. excellent truck for the price, about 26000$ on my first tank of reg. gas, i averaged about 15 mpg, during break-in period, as of right now i have about 400 miles on it, im a retired auto worker,

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  Best truck ever - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By chevy040404 - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Very good feel for the road in the truck, responsive 4.8l v8 and it just looks awsome.

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  1500 Crew Cab - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Dewey Markum - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Great Truck so far. Fit and Finsh is good and ride is superb

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  Great Car But Expensive to Repair - 1996 Chevrolet Caprice
  By 1996 Chevrolet Capri - March 7 - 10:26 pm

  Great Car...great respect because it looks like a police cruiser. Very expensive to repair. I have spent about $2000 in the last 2 months on repairs. It has 209,000 miles. I hope I can get 300,000. It is one of the best I have owned. I have had it since 72,000 miles about 4 years ago. Now I do a lot of highway driving and hope I can keep it.

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  Good For Average Driver - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By dude - March 7 - 6:40 pm

  This may be a problem with just my 02 Prizm, but when traveling at speeds above 65 mph the steering wheel begins to have an annoying vibration. Ive tried several things to fix it, but it stays there, but other than that its great. It gets around 31 mpg on the highway, and is perfect for begining drivers. I would recomend it to anyone, but make sure you test it good first before you buy it.

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  Nice Ride for the Price - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By chris - March 7 - 4:30 pm

  So far I have nothing negative to say about my new Equinox. The first tank of gas (mostly hwy) we were over 30 mpg! This is definitely another step in the right direction for GM.