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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  Average Price, Average Quality - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By nmgraduate - October 30 - 4:43 pm

  Over the past few years the only problem that I have experienced was with the cd player not reading discs. The Silverado is a dependable vehicle I would recommend.

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  Great little car - 2004 Chevrolet Tracker
  By John M Dunlap - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Have not owned the car for long but so far it is doing a great job. We live deep in the woods over rough gravel roads and it has a fine ride and handles the mud well. Just got thru taking the car on a 1900 mile trip. Rode very well and on the return trip drove 815 miles on day and wasnt beat. Very surprised at the build quality and overall performance

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  A Great Student Car - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Samantha - October 30 - 2:00 am

  I love my Cavalier. It gets me where I need to be, its great on fuel (especially with the gas prices these days) and its small so its easy to maneuver into small areas.

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  My view on the Colorado - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By DougD74 - October 30 - 2:00 am

  This is a great truck to drive. It is comfortable and rides like an SUV. This truck is a nice in between sized model. It is bigger then old S-10 style but smaller then the 1500 series. The 3.5 5 cylinder motor is well matched to this truck. It offers great power as well as good fuel economy.

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  JL - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Anubis - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Great car! Can compete against cars costing three times its price.

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  FAMILY CAR - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By FAMILYGUYB - October 30 - 2:00 am

  This car is a nice family car. The interior is nice and I especially enjoy the high end stereo system. The car has decent pickup and passing power. The only problem being a thud when the driver window goes up in extra cold (below 40) weather. The best part was, with incentives, I was able to purchase the car for $17,000.

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  Worth Waiting For - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By DJkris - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Ive wanted an Impala LS since 1999 and Im so glad the wait is over. Its all I dreamed it would be. The Impala LS is roomy and comfortable, user friendly, packed with convenience and power under the hood. I love how safe I feel driving it. Sure, the taillights are geeky and if I had the money for the sport pkg Id have popped for it. But the new 2003 color Cappucino was my second favorite, so I didnt exactly settle. If Im disapointed by anything its the XM Radio. Just like cable, sometimes its 100 channels and nothing good on.

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  Good deal if you dont pay sticker price - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By Terry - October 30 - 2:00 am

  We just purchased a new 2004 Chevy Impala base model. We were orginally going to buy a new Honda Accord, however we couldnt pass up the good bargain we got on the Impala. Its sticker price was 21000 dollars, however GM took 3500 dollars off and also we received another discount of 2250 dollars off the 3500. So it ended up that we only paid 14800 for this brand new impala, which we couldnt have gotten a Honda Accord for that. The Impala is a fairly good car. It gets good gas mileage for a large car and is roomy inside. Also has a big trunk! However, I do question the quality of some of the Impalas features. I do feel GM, and all car makers, for that matter, need to improve on quality!

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  Love my Tahoe - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By b_a_mommy - October 30 - 2:00 am

  I absolutely love my tahoe, the dvd player is awesome for the kids, love the moonroof and the homelink system. I wouldnt trade it for nothin

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  2004 Trailblazer EXT - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Highway - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Excellent overall performance. Ive had it only 2 months, but I dont anticipate problems. Very solid vehicle