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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  Bills Full Monte SS - 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Bill - August 17 - 4:26 am

  Purchased this car for trips and cruising. Front heated seats are excellent for long runs. Never feel fatigued or cramped after all day drives. Receive plenty of good comments on the cars looks and Torch Red paint with the graphite interior. You either like the styling or not, no in betweens. The ladies love this car.

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  Excellent ride - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By Walt - August 16 - 9:44 pm

  Despite the real rating, we manage about 25 mpg on our Venture. It now has 184,000 miles and probably thanks to regular servicing it has never offered any serious problems. Little things like brake linings and light bulbs are to be expected, and the only complaint I have is that one headlight has condensed water inside it! Comfort is wonderful, size and space is fantastic, it looks like new and it is totally and absolutely dependable.

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  10 Day rental - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By Ray - August 16 - 12:42 pm

  Nice car - good power with nice interior overall. Head rests were to far forward and the chrome around the gear selector sometimes reflected sun in my eyes. I did hear a slight squeak near the windshield on the drivers side.

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  06 HHR - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By JENNIFER - August 16 - 11:06 am

  This has been a pretty good vehicle so far. Just had some electrical problems. The design of the rear doors is not very good. Road grime keeps the paint peeled off back there. Rides and handles very good. Fuel mileage is acceptable. Not a replacement for the minivan, if you have a few kids. Especially small children that require a child seat. One seat takes all the space. With the folding seats, you can haul quite a bit of cargo.

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  Black Hole For Money - Run from this van - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By Former GM Fan - August 15 - 7:13 pm

  We bought this van after a deer totaled our 1996 Lumina sedan. Weve owned 5 Chevrolets before this and all performed wonderfully for us.We needed a car immediately after the deer strike for my wife to drive to work and a good looking 2000 van sat in the lot of my home town dealer, so expecting another trouble free Chevy, we bought the Venture. What a mistake! Rebuilt transmission, replaced the infamous intake gasket, replaced the water pump, ABS quit working, headlights fill up with water when it rains, rear a/c quit, interior/exterior/headlights/tail lights go on and off at random, repair shops cant figure out why. Overheats in hills. No more GM vehicles for this former customer ever again

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  2014 Silverado LTZ Review - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By pclay - August 15 - 7:03 pm

  We found our new 2014 Silverado attractive and fun to drive. It has improved gas mileage over my old 2010 Silverado. We did notice that the new seats dont seem as comfortable as the older 2010, but this may be because they are new. The touch screen is very easy to use and a big improvement over some other vehicles we looked at. The Voice system works well once you get used to it and learn key words. We havent been able to get the Heated/Cooled seats to work with the Remote Start. We have had the truck to the dealer twice and have been told that everything is working as it should. One morning, the temperature was 35 and the seats still would not turn on.

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  LEMON !! - 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By BigCharlie54 - August 15 - 5:32 pm

  I bought this vehicle from my brother- in-law in June of 2008. Given it had 200,000 miles on it. It was driven easily and well maintenanced. (most of miles being highway miles) Anyway, within the time period weve put app. 5000 miles on it. In November it through a rod and the engine was shot. We bought a new Engine out of NAPA for about 2,200. A GM dealership installed the engine. After that weve went through two intake gaskets, and Now it blew a head gasket!! I bought it for $6000 and have put almost $5000 into it! What a disgrace to a great American Auto Company !!

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  Enjoyable to drive! - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By A Kois - August 15 - 5:15 pm

  They had to dig the car out of the back of the warehouse. I wanted a light interior color with a dark exterior. They came up with Red Jewel Tintcoat and tan leather interior. The color (when clean) is really pretty. It sparkles in the sun. I love it. I have Bose, heated seats and a moonroof. I enjoy it. I just wish the car had more chrome accents on it. The mileage is great and has pretty good acceleration for a small 6. I did not care about XM radio and let it lapse. How about HD radio? Steering wheel controls are great. Love the hands free phone and Onstar ability. One big negative is the headrest. It hits me in the middle of my head. They tried to adjust it but couldnt.

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  I love this car! - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By Bob - August 15 - 3:33 pm

  This car has proven to be reliable and capable performer. I average 23 mpg in town. My wife drives an X5 BMW and we take the Malibu Max on trips because on comfort, mileage and rear DVD player.I have had only one return to service for faulty rear deck supports. I am very happy with the build quality and performance of this car.

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  Trailblazer - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By mstewart95 - August 15 - 10:00 am

  Its still new so I like everything about it. I like the way it looks - very cool. I went from a mini van to this car so I am very impressed with the handling and passing ability. It make passing very easy.