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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  One Of The Best SUVs Ever Made. - 2003 Chevrolet Blazer
  By K to the L - December 30 - 4:05 pm

  This is the first Blazer I ever owned, however Ive been around numerous Blazers throughout my life, and they really are good solid SUVs. I do agree that ever since the Trailblazer came along the Blazer is not respected the way it was back in the day, and it still should be. The engine and drivetrain are tough and were tuned for truck work. If you are looking for a reliable, dependable, solid, smooth running vehicle that has 4-wheel drive with a low price, the Blazer deserves a test drive. I probably would have purchased the Trailblazer since it is a bigger vehicle, however I dont care for the Vortec 4200 aluminum inline-6 as I feel that it will not hold up as good over time as the 4.3 does

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  Great for towing, bad for driving - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By John - December 30 - 11:17 am

  Leased it to tow my boat, great for towing, tons of power. Dont believe what sticker says about gas mileage, they like to pad the numbers. If I would have known I was gonna get 11 mpg I would have leased something different. Love to change my own oil, but for the life of me why would they bury the oil filter so you cant get at it, and Im a mechanic. All that aside its not a bad SUV, if they built an SUV that got 40 mpg everyone would buy it.

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  Ricks 2006 Colorado - 2005 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Rick - December 30 - 10:05 am

  I like the truck very much. It does everything I would like in a truck. I would recommend buying one, or a GMC since they are about the same. Especially planning ahead and using the GM Master Card and Employee Pricing.

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  I love my Astro van! - 1999 Chevrolet Astro
  By Laura - December 30 - 3:22 am

  This is the 2nd van I have owned - the first being an almost identical 1987 GMC Safari, which I drove for over 200,000 miles. This one has more gizmos and I bought it used in 2001 with about 30,000 m on it - and I use it HARD - it now has about 85000. My 15 yr old son and I are avid boy scout campers, home remodelers and we volunteer with Golden retreiver rescue. I have hauled scouts, dogs and equipment, pulled large trailers over rough dirt roads. We move seats all the time to haul construction material, furniture, anything. The interior has been trashed by kids & dogs with food, mud, trash and dog hair. I keep covers on seats, vaccuum and clean the carpet, and it looks great again.

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  Honest Description - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Matt - December 29 - 6:46 pm

  I bought this car looking for a stick shift compact car that was easy on gas mileage and relatively cheap. I have had two cars before this, a F150 pickup and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. The car is average, but for that price tag, you cant expect a Ferrari. Good gas mileage. Great MP3 player. PROBLEMS: 1)The horn is placed EXTREMELY badly making it impossible to hit in an emergency, particularly if you drive one handed. 2) Sometimes the stick shift jams up for inexplicable reasons weather also alters stick shifting. 3) Hard wind blows it all over the place, worse than driving a semi. Relatively good on ice, but Im no expert.

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  Love my Venture! - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By imokru - December 29 - 5:42 pm

  My wife uses this van to drive back and forth to work, in Lake Michigan shoreline driving conditions, and loves it. We also take it all over the United States in the summer (we are both teachers). It has performed like a champ. We have crossed the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, climbed the Rocky Mountains, and cruized the Great Lakes region extensively. We love this van, and will be sorry to let it go when we finally wear it out and beat it to death (we have kids).

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  Chev S10 Crew Cab - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By Mary W - December 29 - 2:49 pm

  The 1st 3 years of ownership I was lucky to have a warranty. Replacements included battery, serpentine belt, alternator, shock and more. There has been a nagging rattle in the dash. It has been to the dealership 4 times with the dash taken out, and they still cannot find it. All in all it has been the service that keeps me hanging in with this vehicle. It is a nice truck and I get a lot of use out of it. Not only that, it is bright red with black sport trim package and is awesome to look at.

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  Great Car - 1997 Chevrolet Malibu
  By knoxdj - December 29 - 12:09 pm

  Has been a great car... would recommend to anyone if it has the 4- cylinder... Do not purchase the 6- cylinder everyone I know that has one has problems after problems. Biggest thing we had to replace is the water pump. I have owned this car for 5 years and it has been the most reliable yet. Great buy!!

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  Pure enjoyment! - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Jason L - December 29 - 11:16 am

  I love this car! I drive it about 3K a year, and cant keep my hands off of it. Nothing makes me look forward to my commute home than a 80 deg day and the keys to my 95 Z28 sitting on my desk. Mine is a 95 A4 with the Bose stereo. The car with 71k jumps off the line and pulls till you let off at 120! If you want even more fun get a SLP loud mouth exhaust and SLP cold air intake, these really wake the car up, not that it needs it. No creaks or rattles from the interior. Had to replace the drivers window motor, but that is it. Love this car!

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  Susans Avalanche - 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By chevy avalanche - December 29 - 8:40 am

  This vehicle is a top notch 4x4. It has taken me through some very severe driving conditions. Its a very easy vehicle to drive with 4x4 at the push of a button and mirrors that adjust to your driving needs. Its easy to judge because there are no features that block your vision when merging into oncoming traffic. I was told these vehicles leak. I have had my truck for 5 months and that has never been a problem. This was my dream truck and I can honestly say I am not been disappointed with any feature it has. My thanks to Chevrolet for making a fantastic sporty 4x4 that is reliable, safe, and fun, people compliment my truck everywhere I go. It has been a great investment.