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:

• 

  Design flaws will cost you a bunch 2015 LTZ - 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Bruce Marjenhoff - December 6 - 5:25 pm

  Wind deflector sits 8 inches from ground when tires inflated at max 40+ psi. Catches tire stops and when backing out, binds deflector and rips deflector off and pulls front fender out. Both items have to be replaced. Cost 1400.00$. Ive had this to happen to my LTZ twice in 6 months. There is no solution that does not revoke warranty. GM Rep aware of problem but wont help. Should be concidered under the lemon law. GM dont care. I can see low deflector on small cars, but not a high sitting car (AKA TRUCK FRAME) wish someone told me before I bought it, I would have chosen another suv.

• 

  Had it for 5 year only put on 17,000 - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Micah - December 6 - 4:54 pm

  Poor Quality, performance poor. Had to put a quart of oil every 500 miles. No it wasnt leaking. Been to three different mechanics all say need to break into engine, could cost upwards of four grand. Decide to put oil in when needed. Maybe it just a lemon. But will not buy Chevy brand small suv.

• 

  A great compact car! - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By NYdriver - December 6 - 8:29 am

  This is a compact car, so all comparisons should be made with respect to other cars in this class. Ive owned it for just over a year now, so I had some time to evaluate it properly. Overall it is a great value for the money my comparisons (test driving also) included Civic, Corolla and Elantra. The engineering is clearly superior, as is the interior design. The 1.4 l turbo engine has adequate power for all situations. You wont win a lot of races, but you wont be put to shame either. The transmission shifts smoothly when accelerating, and the wet clutch (not torque converter) engages firmly throughout. You dont need to race the engine, just keep it at 1800-2200 rpm and let the surprising torque pull the car forward. Occasional 2-lane passing is quick, Ive never needed more than 3000 rpm. In slow traffic, between 15-30 mph though, the software has difficulty making up its mind which gear it would like to be in, so being gentle on the gas helps with not jerking the occupants around. Overall fuel economy so far has been 33.6 mpg, with a lot of slow, city driving. On highway trips with an 80/20 mix (20% city driving) I got 38.2 mpg combined. Going with the flow, not at a snails pace. Not bad! Using ethanol free gas helps by about 8%, which is worth only on long trips, when range has often indicated just over 600 miles on a full tank. The interior design is superb for the class, with controls well harmonized. Two long legged adults fit up front with plenty of room and comfort to spare with 4 long legged adults, at least some negotiations are mandatory. This is however compensated by the unusually roomy trunk. It feels bottomless vs. other cars in its class. The ride is quiet, but on rough pavement theres noticeable road noise. It is a compact car, though, not a Buick or Caddy! It does very well handling uneven pavement, heavy snow and slick roads. Test it in an empty parking lot and youll be surprised! The cars heats up quickly on frigid days, and cools just as fast on hot and humid days. The radio, Bluetooth, USB and OnStar work beautifully, and the overall driving experience is above what one would expect from a compact car. If my experience changes with time, I will update this report. So far, I am very pleasantly surprised and have no reason not to recommend giving the Cruze serious consideration if you are looking to buy a new compact car.

• 

  Dont buy into the hype... - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By T. Lewis - December 5 - 10:15 pm

  I bought this car because my husband is a Prius owner and we have become gas snobs over the last few years. The car was pricey for a Chevy (this is my first American brand car), but with the fuel economy rating (99 mpg is what the tag said), I figured it would pay for itself soon. I live in Cincinnati and bought the car in the summer. The battery gave me about 50 miles per charge and I was filling up once a month. Once the winter hit, the car ran mostly on gas (the engine had to come on to warm the car) and my battery miles were reduced to 28-31 miles per charge and my fill ups were weekly instead of monthly. In short, in the winter months, I am averaging around 40 mpg. I considered trading it in this year (the car is 3 years old with 40k miles) and discovered that the trade in value of the car is @ $12k, which is a considerable depreciation from the $38k price tag 3 years ago. Huge let down.

• 

  Awesome - 1999 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Dan arcotta - December 5 - 6:57 pm

  Drive it! Youll Love driving again!

• 

  GM needs some help. - 2015 Chevrolet Malibu
  By D MILILLO - December 5 - 7:22 am

  After 3000 miles what a poor constructed vehicle ride and road noise is poor. Come on GM is this really the best you can do on this vehicle ? Also get rid of that auto stop makes the vehicle feel like I am driving a cheep golf cart. Fuel mileage is poor I do better in my full size Dodge Challenger with a V-6 engine .

• 

  Greart car - 2014 Chevrolet Impala
  By Jeff - December 5 - 7:20 am

  This is my second Impala, I had a 2011 Ls ,now a 2014 Lt Limited and I love it

• 

  Buyer beware - 2015 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Scott Lang - December 4 - 10:13 pm

  This car is excessively noisy on the highway. The layout and positioning of the gauge package is such that the climate controls make reading some of the gauges difficult or impossible. There is nothing precision about the power top. When closing the top it requires muscle power to pull the top down to the point it is flush with the top of the windshield so you can manually lock it in position. Have have now owned two BMWs with power tops that not only lie flush with the top of the windshield but lock themselves. With an MSRP of over $40,000.00 you would expect the car to have push button starting. Not this car. Not only does it not have this feature the ignition is located on the steering column in a place that cannot be seen from the drivers seat unless you lean over and look around the side of the steering wheel. Also the key fob for this car does not have the flip out key, just a big empty space. It has a regular key hanging from the fob. When I asked why I was told that drivers kept breaking the flip out key off in the ignition with their knee. On a recent trip to Northern Virginia I deviated from the planned route. Traffic was bad and having lived up there I knew a bypass route. I expected the navigation system to "recalculate" after it told me to turn around a given number of times as every other Nav system Ive owned. Wrong! After directing me to turn around about 6 times the system locked up. The only way to unlock it was to pull off the road, stop the engine and then restart it. The Nav system then rebooted. I called Chevrolet to inquire about this and after requesting the cars vin they came back and said the Nav system on my car does not recalculate. I asked who made the system and was told Panasonic. If Panasonic really did make it it was to Chevys specs. The car has great lines but it is only a facade. After purchasing this car I also bought a Suburu Forester touring model. Its sticker was over $7000 less but it has dual zone auto climate control, adaptive cruise control, lane deviation, obstacle avoidance, cd player, and push button start. All items not to be found on the Camaro. And US manufacturers wonder why they are loosing to the imports.

• 

  Fun in the sun! - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Nehi - December 4 - 3:54 pm

  This car hugs the road. It performs with no problems. Ease of use, everything within reach. You just want to drive it down the road. When the top is down you can see everything.

• 

  quiet engine smoothes ride - 2008 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Paula Elliott - December 1 - 7:58 pm

  I think for a van this is most comfortably ride, Engine is so quite, 2 air conditioner cool in hot summer, 2 heaters to keep everyone warm in cold winter. 4 captains seats easy to get to the third row. never drove a mini van.. but I liked it. New tires and new battery 2015. Nice vehicle.