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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  Suits its purpose - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By lmstearn - August 23 - 2:00 am

  I am in a van because I need to be with 3 year old twins. Going in to it I decided I wanted bare bones only with no fancy extras like power doors, etc. However, this is my second van and there were some must haves like rear air and 8 passenger seating. Ive owned the van for 1 year and have been very happy with it. It definitely suits its purpose and I have no major complaints. Overall I am very satisfied with this vehicle.

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  Great Car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Sommer567 - August 23 - 2:00 am

  This is the first new car I have purchased and couldnt be happier. Great design, smooth ride, lots of pickup. Also, surprising amount of storage space for a mid-size sedan. Only thing I would change about this car is the interior...not a fan of the looks of it, nor the feel.

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  Great Malibu! - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kmaurer - August 23 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for one month. It keeps impressing me. I especially like the fuel-efficient V6 that works well with the 4-speed automatic. The ride is perfect, not too jittery, but at the same time not too soft. The interior has excellent build quality, and I dont think a Chevrolet has had such a high-quality interior.

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  Z71 --- Love this vehicle - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By deano664 - August 23 - 2:00 am

  I traded a 2002 Tahoe LT in on a 2004 Tahoe Z71 and I couldnt be happier. The newer Z71 rides even better than my 2002 Tahoe. The steering is much easier and acurate. The ride is car- like. It has tons of power...although I must say the mileage is paltry at best. But hey, if you want the power and hauling ability, you forego the mileage.

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  Edmunds is out of their minds. - 2016 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Justin - August 22 - 11:16 am

  We came from a 2013 base model LS Equinox that was a lease. As low rent as it was the features for the time were impressive and lacked nothing we really wanted. Its glaring weakness was the 2.4 engine that always had to be beaten hard to get anywhere and we didnt have AWD or leather which we wanted on the next car. I tried to get another car, I tested the CR-V which rode harshly and was loud inside with a terrible radio set up but did have the great magic seats, Honda does do a great interior. Still we almost bought it till we learned about the cvt vibration problems that most owners have, dodged a bullet on that. The CX-5 Mazda...I just dont get Edmunds praise, its a lot of money for a bumpy, harsh and noisy ride with poor interior space and a center stack that is unreadable in motion. Neither of these was especially quick compared to the 4cyl Equinox either and the rear seat room for people on the Chevy is unbeatable, its limosine levels of legroom. So we got a v6 LTZ AWD and it was love at first drive. The acceleration is much better than the 2.4, taking care of our major issue with our 2013. It drives how I want the family truckster to drive, smooth ride, relaxed and quiet with plenty of get up and go. Why Edmunds praises jittery and stiff rides in a family car I cant comprehend, its not a track day machine guys and nobody wants their kids, or dogs, puking in the back because of the ride. The Equinox is secure handling and predictable, never feels dangerous and can be driven all day without penalty to your body or ears. The LTZ v6 suspension is a bit firmer than our 2013 but not painfully and has real hydraulic steering with much better feel and feedback than the electric units most common today including in the 4cyl Equinox. My only issues with our new Chevy is the warning signal overload. I like the mirror light blind spot warnings and the backing up cross traffic alert but the frontal collision alarm goes off at random sometimes, first time almost made me stain the new leather so it was disabled very quickly, at least you can turn it off. The lane change warning has never been turned on because besides being annoying its dangerous. If I have to swerve to avoid something I dont want to be confused if the alarm going off is because there is a car in my blindspot or just because I am crossing a lane line. At least it does not have any automatic braking features. It may sound callous but Id rather risk mowing someone down than having the system misread a road shadow or raccoon, slam on the brakes and get me rear ended by a bus killing everyone in the car. So take Edmunds review with a grain of salt, think about how you want your family and crap hauler to be used. You want safe, quiet and comfortable or a track day special that rides like a 69 Scout? Its as bad as Consumer Reports riding down on the Jeep Wrangler every year because it doesnt ride like a Cadillac, they cant review a car for what it is intended to do only what they believe the only acceptable car is. To them every degree deviation from Honda Accord is a point off, regardless of what that car is intended to do. Edmunds seems to do the same but perhaps their benchmark is the MX-5 Miata.

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  Great Truck for the Budget!! - 2004 Chevrolet Tracker
  By Hooch - August 22 - 2:00 am

  I have really enjoyed this truck. Its made in the same factory and same everfything as the Nissan RAV4 only sold cheaper. Nissan engine will last FOREVER!

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  cavalier review - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By walterlosey - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Good overall car for the money. gas milage is excellent. the 14" tires that come on the base model are poor, they dont handle well and are noisy. id recomend spending the extra money to upgrade to the 15" or 16" wheels/tires. this car gets bad reviews for its build quality which in my opinion isnt bad. the interior materials are average at best. but its to be expected for a $10,000 car..

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  2003 Chevy Trailblazer - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Mr. Swift - August 22 - 2:00 am

  I like my Chevy Trailblazer for many different reasons, like everything is user friendly,within the drivers reach,you dont have to stretch to reach anything. There is a lot of leg room in the front and the back. The hatchback part,I think is great do to the fact the back window raises for access, or you can pull a handle and the whole door raises,which allows for many different uses. The only bad thing I can say about it is the engine compartment,for most average shade tree machanics like me you can pop the hood and see were everything is, not on this one,I still havent found the spark plugs, everything else is easy to find.

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  Best of the Domestics - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Hobbie2k - August 21 - 9:13 pm

  I bought my Cobalt for the rebates, otherwise Id be driving an import. That said, the Cobalt is a big improvement over the outdated Cavalier. Excellent fuel economy (Ive seen 36mpg; and with only 2000mi, it will improve when things loosen up). The metallic orange paint gets attention, and the 2.2L Ecotec is one of GMs best engines ever. However, a good engine and decent styling cant hide all the places GM cheaped out. Such as lock placement that makes them impossible to use while youre seated in the car, or the solid grey interior door panels (it would have been much classier to continue the dashs two tone them into the doors), or the cheap feeling steering wheel and shifter.

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  SUV of the Year - 1997 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Lovin the NW - August 21 - 2:00 am

  We have owned 3 Suburbans and we love them. Our last one was totalled last week (a car pulled out in front of us while we were going 60+mph) The car handled beautiful. After a head on collision with another car we just wouldnt have any other vehicle. Besides we have 4 kids and need the space. We did have to put a transmission in our 2nd one HINT: Have them put a shift kit in.