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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  My 2012 Cruze or a Ford Pinto? The race is close. - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By simplmn72 - August 17 - 8:13 pm

  I wish I had researched the Cruze more. I just got it back from the dealership. A recall, the door seals keep coming lose, bluetooth sucks, air doesnt work right, poor gas mileage, it keeps dying on me, and a message comes up on the comp between the speedo and tach saying my brakes are over heating. Most things they could not repair because they could not reproduce them. I was informed there are no sensors on the car to monitor the temp of the brakes and there isnt even any such thing as a message like that on the car. I told him I was disappointed if they were not educated with the Cruze enough to know about the message. The message happened again on the way home, took a pic, we will see.

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  MPG Very Disappointing - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By bmg2012 - August 17 - 11:29 am

  I purchased this car new for one reason, to get better gas mileage than I was getting which was 25 MPG combined. After a few weeks I am getting only 24.2 MPG combined. Most of my mile are on the highway, not city. This car is supposed to get 30 MPG combined. The dealer keeps telling me to be patient and break it in and the MPG will increase over time. It had better start getting much better MPG or this car is going back of the GM return it for any reason program that ends in September. If you are buying this car for better MPG...dont.

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  Terrible Transmission! - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By jennmck - August 17 - 10:03 am

  Transmission shifts hard which causes you to be jerked. Its like if someone were popping a clutch and this is in automatic!!! I have had it in the shop for the recalls and the transmission has been looked at twice. The computer says its fine. It is not fine. I filed a complaint with GM and they tried to work with the dealership on putting me in something else but nothing can be done unless I want to fork over money.

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  Moved to the Burbs - 1994 Chevrolet Suburban
  By mannysburban - August 16 - 5:08 pm

  After being afraid to buy American I stumbled upon a fully loaded 94 Suburban silverado package. This is my dream car. All I have done to the vehicle is replace the fuel pump, power steering hose, and those aluminum brackets that hold the alternator and power steering. My gas milage is around 11 due to a flowmaster exhaust and I also recommend turning the top piece of your air filter cover upside down and then screwing it on to get a more even pull. I really like the roominess and it is great for trips from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. If you can find one in decent condition buy it. The best thing is that most parts are affordable and good mechanic will save you lots. Happy driving

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  Original owner 130,000 miles later - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By waz3 - August 15 - 9:13 am

  I love my HHR I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I bought mine brand new and now have 130,000 miles on. It is driven almost 100 miles a day. my only compliant is the sway link bar. Other than regular maintenance this car is a charm and I will drive it until the doors fall off.

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  Lemon Alert - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By dadenska - August 15 - 2:49 am

  We bought this 2007 Chevy Uplander used from a dealership. Weve had nothing but trouble with it since we bought it. The doors were the first to go. Then the hub bearings. The computer board had to be replaced. Glove compartment broke off after a few weeks. The interior leather is cracked on drivers side arm rest. Weve spent thousands since weve gotten it on repairs. Cant wait to trade it in. Buyers beware. This has been our nightmare vehicle. Ill never buy another Chevy again based solely on this vans poor performance.

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  I love my new Cruze - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By rooney10 - August 14 - 9:27 pm

  I have almost 4,000 miles on my car and love the way it handles and the gas mileage is great. I average 41-43 mpg going 55-60 even with the AC on. I love all of the services, Onstar and Sirius radio makes being in the car a joy. I have used Onstar Navigation several times and its so easy, I have always arrived at the right place too. Im still learning new things about my car it has so many features. The 6 speed transmission works great if you drive the car correctly but it did take some getting used to. I still take off too fast from time to time. I love the Autumn Metallic color and have seen many people admire my car while parked.

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  Love our Malibu - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kielu84 - August 13 - 5:51 pm

  My girlfriend and I bought a used 08 LTZ with 57K miles. So far it has been a good vehicle with no problems. Everything works as it should except we did have to have some work done on the front suspension. New struts, strut mounts, intermediate steering shaft, and some seals that were causing fluid to leak. The seals were covered under the 5 yr 100k powertrain warranty and the rest was under the extended warranty that came with the car. So far, its great. It rides nice, gets great mpg (2.4L 4 CYL), is comfortable and stylish. The ower before us said he and his wife never had issues with it and they were the original purchaser. I noticed there is no LTZ 2.4L option for writing this review...

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  big yellow lemon - 2013 Chevrolet Corvette
  By cvelazquez - August 13 - 11:41 am

  well, well. i bit the bait!!! i bought a corvette 427. boy it is gorgeous,really fast. i wish to keep on talking up but that is as far as i can go. the car came with a defect on the steering column. the dealer replaced the 3 components responsable for the steering of the corvette. did not fix the problem. i got inform that GM was in a hurry redesingning a new steering column for the vehicle. finally the steering column was fixed,took more than 21 days). the car was opened and put on the surgery table at least 5 times. whats the result of it: 1) car leaks, my driveway ruined 2)a friction noise when you take off. got told that is a normal noise for gm 6 speed transmition.the only problem is

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  supersonic - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By chetj - August 13 - 1:55 am

  this car runs great, gets 37 mpg, is roomy and gutsy. I am very glad i bought it. My price was 13 k total after gm card rebate. Assembled in mich too. Help the workers in lake orion GM assembly and buy a sonic