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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  Proud Owner - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Arnold - April 25 - 12:03 am

  I get excellent gas mileage when driving the speed limit with cruise control. 37 mpg Canadian, 31 mpg American. With the aluminum block it heats up quicker in the winter, as I drive in Canada. Quiet and handles quite well.

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  Sporty truck, but needs major improving! - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Eric - April 24 - 9:28 pm

  Ive always been a GM person all the way, but after seven months of ownership with this truck, Im going to reconsider that in the future. I am shocked at Chevrolets cheap interior and poor build quality on this truck. First, there is no padding on the door or center console armrests, and this is very uncomfortable while driving. Next, I cant understand for the life of me why the did not install a keyhole on the passengers side door, especially since there is no power locks or remote keyless entry. The truck rides and drives good, but when you hit a bump it really jars the interior of the truck. If I had it to do over, I would have definitely looked around at other trucks...

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  The Oversized Family Vehicle - 2004 Chevrolet Express
  By AtomicZebra - April 24 - 4:14 pm

  Deciding to buy a 2004 Chevy Express 3500 Extended Van was an easy decision. We needed a vehicle that would carry 11 people plus our belongings. These days fuel economy plays a big role in making a decision to buy a large vehicle. The Express 3500 that we purchased consumes about the same amount of gas as two compact cars. The way we see it we took one car off the road in exchange for great comfort and ample room, adventurous styling with all the interior appointments we wanted including...AM/FM/CD changer Sound Sys. cruise control, All Power, 6way pwr. driver seat, factory tint, OnStar, plus so much more. My family is extremely satisfied with our New 2004 Express 3500. No complaints here!

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  The new Cavalier - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Adam - April 24 - 5:53 am

  Ive owned 2 Cavaliers both bought new, a 1991 with the 2.2 engine that had 151,000 and a 1994 3.1 that had 173,000. Both cars ran great and gave me little more than normal maintance repairs. So when I saw the Cobalt I said OK lets give it a try. Well the car is a dream to drive. It runs smooth and rides much better than a car this size normally would. Fit and finish are superior and with now 4,000 miles on it have yet to find anything that would require a trip back to the dealer. I bought this car for under 15,000 with taxes and tags.

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  Love my Venture - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By shanna - April 23 - 3:37 pm

  I love our Venture van! We have had very few problems other than recall and regular maintance. This van is great on trips with children! We are up to 82000 miles and still no major problems with the van. We really like the versitility of the seats because you can remove one or more to accomadate your personal needs at the time, and I can remove them by myself which was not something I could ever do with the Ford van we owned previously!

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  Too Many Problems - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By ? - April 22 - 8:55 pm

  When new, towed back to dealer 3 times because it wouldnt start. Bad Ground. Two recalls on power door. New brakes with less than 20000 miles. Environmental air pump failure Out of warranty,$300+ repair. Sudden Transmission failure at 43000 miles. Chevy Paid even though it was 2yrs out of warranty. 3000 miles after rebuild, rough shifting & whirring noise, trouble with transmission pressure solenoid. Suggested it might be ROOT CAUSE of original transmission FAILURE. Fell on DEAF ears, $400+ bill! Leaking Plastic Gas Lines replaced. Another $400 bill. Car is 5 yrs old with 46600 miles. No longer sure of its reliability. Due for new exhaust system. Suspect Power Steering needs somethng.

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  Nice looks but poor quality - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By kdethrow - April 22 - 8:16 pm

  I bought this truck in April and since then it has been in the shop 4 times. The first issue was the right front shock broke within 2 weeks of owner ship. Then the interior ceiling was falling in. Also, my hatch back light wont turn on. The most recent thing was my check engine light was on. The cause was the silver gas intake pipe wasnt centered and there for when the gas cap was on it did not create a tight seal causing gas fumes to leak. It is a beautiful vehicle but it has no quality to it. Also the blind spots are incredible. It is hard to pass on the interstate because you have to take your eyes off the road to turn around and look to see if it is clear behind you.

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  Wow - 1997 Chevrolet Camaro
  By charles - April 22 - 3:28 am

  This was my first car and I have to say that it was an excellent choice. I picked my slightly used 1997 Camaro RS for $10,000 with low mileage. And I have to say it has been amazing. I have never had it break down, it is very fast, and very eye catching. I have people telling me how beautiful my car is and they love the color, and the way it looks. The interior is not that bad, when you do some work to it its amazing. The AC control knobs happen to be clear underneath so you can take off the grey housing and the knobs will be clear, also just about all the accents can be taken off and painted to match the color of the car. Leather is a must for this car though.

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  Love/Hate Relationship - 1998 Chevrolet Blazer
  By CButte - April 22 - 1:12 am

  I dont know where to begin. Our Blazer has taken us deep into the back woods on 4WD trails, to the top of many 14,000 mountain peaks, and has always managed to get us home. With that said, it has also been the most unreliable, frustrating vehicle weve owned. Purchased used w/50k 4 years ago, it has required the following in the last 40k miles: Transmission, lwr ball joints, axle shaft, several seals, intake manifold gasket, pwr window motor, 4WD actuator, O2 sensor, rotors, etc. It has also suffered from the following common Blazer issues: Dexcool sludge requiring multiple flushes so the heater would work, multi-function switch gremlins, ghost- wipers & leaking oil filter lines.

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  Not worth the $$$ - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By KO - April 21 - 10:16 pm

  I bought this Blazer with about 20K miles on it. Within 4 months, things started failing. The washer pump is out and has a leak. The transmission is slipping and the motor is very weak with a lot of dead spots in the acceleration. This will be the last Chevy for me. The quality has dropped dramatically in the last few years.