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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  Dream Truck - 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By TrickyRicky - January 11 - 10:53 pm

  Ive owned trucks since 1980. Fords, Toyota, Chevy..and without a doubt this is the nicest riding, roomiest, and responsive truck Iv ever owned.The paint is great, no orange peel, and the lines with the clading make it fairly bulletproof. The weight distribution is so good that in most snow, I dont even use 4WD. If you are on the fence about buying one of these, and are willing to pay for a 6000 lb moose, do yourself a favor and buy one of these. It has a tight turning radius and is nimble and quick for its size. You cant see well out the back window, but its not as bad as some reviews make it seem. You get used to it. I love this truck. I tried to find fault with it but I couldnt.

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  A legend in its own time - 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Marc Bazell - January 11 - 9:46 pm

  Well, here it is nearly 4 years since I took delivery of my Canadian made 02 Z28, and still performs like the Vette, the Porsche 911 (0-60MPH), the A4, and can outrun any Mercedes BMW and the new Charger RTS. I use synthetic oil (Mobil One 10W- 30),rotate the tires faithfully, maintain about 5 psi above Chevys recommended 30 psi, change the air filter every 6 months, just flushed the cooling system, brake system and transmission with 18,000 miles on the vehicle. And for all that nit-pickey extra maintenence, I get a whopping 33 MPG @ 70 MPH w/cruise control set. Now, lets see what GM has to offer with the new upgrade Camero next year. So far I like what I hear from rumour central.

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  Most Comfortable SUV Ever - 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By CJHAYGOOD - January 11 - 6:01 pm

  I love driving this horse. it is a cofortable cruising truck as well as a get up and go truck. The V8 kicks in smooth and the fuel mileage is not bad. We have added a few features along with the VCR. All the omforts of home with the exception of a bathroom. Chevy builds them tough, however they also realize that women prefer the comfort factors offered in the Tahoe.

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  Great Combo - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Bare - January 11 - 3:57 pm

  The most comfortable, good looking, safe, rides like a dream and handles that way. The best vehicle I have ever owned, Honda must think so, they copied the style for their new truck. I have not had one problem with this Avalanche.MPG is 18.1 city 22.9 HWY Thats a fact.

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  Great quality car - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Mary - January 11 - 1:40 pm

  The interior is very good quality, material on seats very durable. I drove this car as a rental and then bought it when I needed to get a car because I liked it so much. I saw other reviews where they needed brakes after 15K miles, but I just got the front ones replaced at 43K, and the back ones are still OK, so I dont know. Only thing is the intake manifold gasket had to be replaced at 43K, which is sooner than normal on most cars, and I dont know the reason for that but apparently its common.

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  My Trailblazer - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By sal - January 11 - 2:25 am

  Owning the Chevy Trailblazer has been very fun. This vehicle is very reliable and for having a six cylinder engine it is pretty fast and strong. The accelaration is very quick and you could feel the power of the engine as you step on the gas pedal. I feel that this vehicle is safe and comfortable for me and my family.

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  Great car - 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By grecio - January 11 - 2:00 am

  Great car for my lifestyle: horses and business. One of the best cars Ive own. Truly two personalities

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  Love It - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By NVME - January 11 - 2:00 am

  I have never owned a chevy and now I will definitely buy another one.The ride is awsome! It rides like a Cadillac. The room in it is perfect and the seat are so comfortable. I love the duel lumbar support in the seats. The gas milage is great and it has so much power. I will buy an extended LTZ next year.

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  Great car - 1990 Chevrolet Celebrity
  By lgillett - January 11 - 12:11 am

  Purchased with 160,000 miles, now has 290,000. What a great car!! Very reliable to this point.

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  Avalanche - 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By erlejohng - January 10 - 5:58 pm

  Ive pulled all kinds of loads, travel trailers, cargo trailers, and car haulers with combined loads up to 19700 lbs and it has handled them with ease. My wife likes to drive it as it drives like a sub. It is also great in being able to carry six passengers and folds down real quickly to haul 25 sheets of plywood all enclosed. The tonneau cover storage bag is a joke. I had a stainless ladder rack built and built storage into it for the covers. I get about 11 mpg pulling trailers and up to 16 on the freeway empty. Had two troubles, a pressure switch had to be changed and the r. rear axle flange had to be tightened back up three times. If it was destroyed, I would buy another today.