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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  Same Old GM----Different Wrapper - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By uptown48009 - November 5 - 6:37 am

  We bought this vehicle new. While demoing the middle captains chairs, the seat cover ripped. Took vehicle back for service and GM required them to restitch the seat....look like h... Called the dealer and they had to fight to get us a new seat cover..waited 3 weeks for callback only to find out the cover is on back order...tells you how many are ripping (poor design and build quality)...middle row flip seats are not as user friendly as depicted...had stain protection applied to fabric...got stains on seat...dealer could not get stain out...supposed to receive new seat cover....still fighting on that yet it is a selling point to the protection....SAME OLD GM>>>STAY AWAY

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  A Good ride with some quirks - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By NatG83 - November 4 - 4:57 pm

  I had the 3.8 LS with Leather interior, full loaded. Purchased the car used. Motor was strong, good acceleration. ride was too soft, and would bottom out with 4 adults in car. Interior parts broke easily, and there were some unsightly gaps in the panels. The car was terrible in the snow. The traction control only made matters worse. The Leather seats were way too soft. They worked well around town, but left the legs numb on long trips. When I traded the car in, the transmission felt to be slipping with only 70,000 miles on the car. The exterior was nice, but the headlight seals went on the car.

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  My Cobalt - 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Mrs.P - November 4 - 8:36 am

  I bought my Cobalt 38 days ago. I only have 803 miles on the car. I get 23.3 MPG... seems low but I work 2 miles from home and dont do any highway driving. Work, home and the grocery store is the extent of where I take my car.One tank of gas lasts me 2 weeks. I took my cobalt on the highway one time and got 40 MPG so I know I dont get as good millage because I drive such short trips. I am very happy with my purchase. I spent 15,000. My only complaint is when the A/C is on, my dash vibrates a little when I am driving slow in a parking lot or backing out of a driveway or sitting at a light! Other than that its great. This is my first new car and I would recommend a Cobalt to anyone!

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  Good Value for the money! - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Mark L - November 4 - 3:23 am

  This is a pretty good compromise between performance and comfort, especially if you catch it at the 0% financing as I did!Taken a few road trips, not bad overall. Came from 05 GTO 6 speed so the performance is not bad considering. I recommend it to those in need of a compromise car.

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  i have the intermerdator edition - 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By peter walsh - November 3 - 4:36 pm

  I love my monte carol ss i bought it used it has 89,456 miles on it end it still drives like new like the interior and the outside my is black on black inside and the seats are signed by dale earnheart how many people have that....i only had the car for about 3 days.

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  Equinox - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Johnny - November 3 - 5:30 am

  Im very pleased with its performance. It has excellent maneuverability with quick response pickup. The electronic steering is a big plus, and a great experience for someone using it for the first time. Nice, modern, sleek body style was the first eye catcher, but the demo drive was the clincher. Went with the front wheel drive only in an effort to save on gas. Gas mileage is disappointing. Averaging about 16 to 18 mpg combined highway and city driving. Overall the car is an excellent buy for the money, with many extras standard.

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  Decent Car - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu
  By EdDav - November 3 - 2:28 am

  Purchased used 2 years ago. Has been reliable. Has been mostly glitch free.

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  No more American cars - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By Wish I skipped this - November 2 - 7:14 pm

  At first the car was great! Then both remotes died the first year-2x! The brakes are terrible! THEIR brochure for scheduled maintenance says they visually inspect them. What good is that if I need new brakes? I cant get new (better) ones without nullifying the warranty. So Im stuck with theirs. When the rotors get wet and I brake, the entire front panel shakes. Ive already repaired it 2x (warranty) and it has occurred again. I dont live in the desert so why have a design that warps when wet? I had a Saturn SL1 from 1995-2001 which sat lower than this car and never had this problem. This is my LAST American car. Saturn shouldnt be the GM branch closing!! And hubcaps? SERIOUSLY!?!

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  Good Car - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By LJF75 - November 2 - 10:02 am

  Ive taken good care of this car, and it took good care of me. Replaced the fuel pump 2003. Replaced the battery twice. Putting on the 3rd set of tires. Need a new CD changer, but hey, 130,000 miles in 11 years.

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  chevy oh yes - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By mookie14 - November 2 - 2:00 am

  i took delivery of of the tblazer on the 14th. and you know what there is no substitute for the tblazer besides the 4 runner. but all the rest yall can forget it the tblazer is the best midsize suv out by far. i love as it will be my auto for the next 6to 8 yrs.