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:

• 

  customer feedback - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Richard&CarisaFuller - May 15 - 10:00 am

  problems with front struts from date of purchase. To much engine noise for new Vehicle. Vehicle not as roomy as advertised.Should be at least 215 hosepower.

• 

  My ZR2 - 2002 Chevrolet Tracker
  By Yoshi - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Reliable and agile on snow, 4WD capabily on-the-fly is a nice touch, helps you save gas. I get very poor mileage, even in 2WD mode 95% of the times, I get 15-18 mpg, which is unexceptable given the fact that the truck is so light. It was build poorly as well, the drivers door is falling apart already after only 40K miles! The driver side visor also broke off. The trunk light inside never goes off! I have black tape over it. Asides the problems, its a very fun car to drive. Its quite fast, the light weight teamed with the V-6 makes it take off very quickly. Very noisy in the cabin, feels like it floats during light winds, or 80+ mph it swirvs left and right!

• 

  Never Another Blazer - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By julie - May 13 - 2:00 am

  This is the 2nd Blazer, also had one Tahoe, and all consistent. One bad transmission after another. So bad,cant depend on it for long distance driving. Completely fed up. Having to rebuild transmission multiple times before 3 yrs is, well, there just arent words. Was also backed into by a little Rav4, Blazer had extensize damage, $4000+. Going shopping for a Toyota.

• 

  Has its Days - 1995 Chevrolet Beretta
  By Bilke - May 11 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Beretta so that says a lot. I bought a Z26 new and a coupe used. It has over 125,000 miles and it still runs pretty good. The handling is great. My Z26 was very fast. My coupe is just so-so.

• 

  Not overly impressed - 2000 Chevrolet S-10
  By Stevie-P - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Bought this truck to replace an aging Lumina 18 months ago. In that time Ive put 33K on it, with little problem. Replaced a throttle position sensor around 70K miles ($145). However, replacing a fuel pump is NOT cheap. The pump itself is $530, not to mention the premium price that GM dealerships garner.

• 

  Its O.K. - 2004 Chevrolet S-10
  By mitchellaubrey - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Has a small engine noise(sounds like lifters on brand new truck). Going down the road it sounds like the window is open (they tell me its the roof rack.) $400 for an upgrade to 5 cd is a bit much. Not happy with sound and features of stereo for the cost of upgrade. bed of truck to shallow. would never get cloth again, like a magnet to dirt. not much room in back seat. two small children 4 and 6 and feet very close to driver seat. gas milage for small truck 15 to 18 mpg. small gas tank. re-fill about 200 miles.

• 

  s10 blazer junk - 2004 Chevrolet Blazer
  By gmservicesucks - May 9 - 2:00 am

  my problem is the 1870 shift code tranny slips from first too second all the time and on highway it slips in and out of over drive ..balls joints wont last ... the smell of antifreeze coming in vents . no leaks its benn pressure tested .. all this w/ 4200 miles on it talked to GM they know they have a problem but said if i fx yours i would have too fix everyones so cant do

• 

  the white lemon - 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By adam210 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  i hope for chevys sake that i just got a lemon, but this thing is a hunk of junk. not long after the warranty was up it started to fall apart. wind noise is VERY loud, as are the creeking and squeeking sound that seem to come from every sq in of the car. at 55000 miles i have a rod knocking. my mechanic said that he noticed this happening alot in the ld9 "2.4l dohc" engine and a friend of his at the dealership said that gm knows about the problem, but it seems to happen after the warranty is up, so they do nothing.

• 

  comfort on road - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By usarmy70 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  fun vehicle to drive on highway commute 100 miles a day, leather interior comfortable, power seats & lumbar nice feature, easy parking,

• 

  New truck - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By tim - May 8 - 8:33 pm

  It rides great. Big but nimble. Underpowered on the highway. Theres a constant pinging at 70 mph and up thats very annoying. The tow package is perfect for around town, perfectly bad for the highway