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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  Americas Best! - 2003 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Sooo Bad - November 23 - 2:00 am

  Dont bother to look for a better sports car than the Chevrolet Corvette that sells for under $200,000! The General and USA have put it all together with this vehicle. The 50th Anniversary model will go down in history.

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  Comfortable, but poorly made - 2004 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Airborne! - November 22 - 11:21 am

  I have a love hate relationship with this vehicle. I love how it drives, feels and looks, but hate its overall quality and dependability. Since 2004 this vehicle has slowly fallen apart due to cheap materials and design. I have another non GM vehicle I have had since 2000 which has fared so much better and looks so much newer. Starting with the big ticket items this vehicle has had 2 new engines and 2 new transmissions, neither under warranty of course. The engine due to main bearing failures and the transmissions due to the fact that one seems to lead to the other.With at least this model of Suburban it seemed like they started designing and building a good vehicle and then gave up at some point and put whatever cheap stuff they could to cut costs. Things that they know you would be touching or handling 50 times a day like the stereo knobs have become broken and badly worn. The electronic controls for the climate system have gone wacky and replaced a couple of times. The overhead DVD system has fallen out of its mount twice due to poor design of the bracket and screws. And not a big deal, but what is with Chevy and offset steering columns on these vehicles? Another very annoying issue is the seat belts. This was the model year that they added the bell to remind you if someone in the front does not have on their seat belt. The thing will jump all over you quickly and incessantly. I have no issue with this except the seat belt themselves can tell you they are latched via the warning sound stopping and then you hit a bump or move around and the belt suddenly becomes unlatched while driving down the road. Not well designed or very safe. The great part is it drives like a dream. It drives much smaller than its size with decent handling and acceleration. Breaking can be a bit weak, but acceptable. It also looks great. At least to me it is one of the better looking Suburban designs. The interior, although very cheaply made overall, has huge space for people with tons of storage room. On a long trip this thing is a dream. Well except for the gas mileage, but for this size of vehicle it is acceptable to me. Overall I would never recommend anyone buy one of these used or even new for that matter unless you plan on buying a new one every 2 to 3 years before they start to come apart. GM seems to design for "initial quality" these days. That is why you hear all the best initial quality awards on TV and in magazines. They design them to last just long enough for you to lease or buy a new one in 3 or so years. If not for the fact I can find other similar vehicles that last much longer then that would be ok.

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  Great Truck - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Marc - November 22 - 4:13 am

  I bought my 2007 Silverado because of the new design, and I needed a new truck. The truck is great, runs great, smooth, quiet, and has plenty of power. The only thing I dont like is the gas mileage, I have 2000 miles on my truck so far, and mostly highway driving and I cant get better than 11 mpg. all and all the truck is nice, but the fuel economy is not worth buying a truck like this.

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  The hidden gem of the automotive industry - 2017 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Richard T - November 22 - 2:06 am

  I rented this car for two days and it was amazing! At 50mpg the cruise control indicated 60mpg and at 70mph it was 42mpg. The claimed 47mpg highway entirely believable if a bit conservative. The range with a full tank (13 gallons) was an indicated 538 miles. These are incredible numbers for a vehicle that is not a diesel and is of this size. The seats were very comfortable. I drove non-stop from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville without a single ache or pain. The cabin was very quiet. I carried on several conversations while on the move and not once did exterior noise interfere. Which gets me to the Bluetooth connectivity. The pairing to my LG Aristo was effortless and connections to it once I started the car were instant. The backup camera was clear with the display being large enough to be effective. The steering assist lines on the display curve as you turn the steering wheel and while I never really got accustomed to them enough to trust what they were telling me, they seemed to be accurate enough. The stereo had easy-to-use controls and had very good sound. The 1.4L turbocharged engine was smooth, quiet and eager to please. Flooring the pedal brought decent acceleration that surprised me every time I did it. The 6 speed automatic shifted crisply and smoothly and never hunted for gears. The brakes were firm, linear, and positive. I love them if only because they are discs front and rear, a feature thankfully becoming the norm, even on small, economy cars. What didnt I like? To be fair, the following will be mere quibbles and nothing in the list would prevent me from buying one or renting one again. My biggest problem with this car was the parking brake. Located as a pedal on the floor, that was at first a nice touch. I like pedal-operated parking brakes because they keep my hands free to grab my belongings in a hurry. But this one was a bit unpleasant. It was mounted fairly high, had very little travel and was stiff. My wife has a 2011 Camry and by comparison that pedal,-operated parking brake is effortless. It was also difficult to tell if it was disengaged fully, forcing me to check the dashboard to see if the indicator light was extinguished. I suspect most owners will opt to not use it and just use the transmission to keep the car from rolling away (a practice I do not subscribe to). The next item on my list is the stop-start feature. This was a welcome feature in and of itself. The engine shut down and restarted so quickly and smoothly that it took several miles before I realized that it was happening! The tachometer does display when it is active by dipping below zero to an area labelled as "AUTO STOP". The moment the car comes to a stop the engine shuts down. Release the foot brake and the engine comes to life before your foot gets back on the gas and off you go. Nice. But my problem is that if you take your foot off the brake to creep forward a bit, the feature is disabled entirely and the engine restarts and remains on. Putting the car in Park also causes the engine to restart. If the air con was of and it is turned on, the engine restarts. The engine doesnt remain off for long and restarts (even with your foot still on the brake) after a few minutes. This is understandable because the battery is being depleted with the accessories still running. The windows are all one-shot on the downward travel, but must be held in the up direction. My wifes Camry has one-shot on all windows in both directions. I am yet to understand why other manufacturers dont see this as viable. Who wants to sit there holding window buttons when there are things in the world to be done?!? That manumatic shift feature. I had to Google it to figure out how it worked. And as far as I am concerned it should be deleted entirely. A total waste of engineering, if you ask me. You have to move the shifter down into L range and then press the "+" or "-" button on top of the selector to get higher or lower gears, respectively. It would be better to have a gate to the left or right of the selector and allow the shifter itself to be toggled...preferably like Mazda correctly has it: pull back for upshifts, push forward for downshifts. The steering was nicely weighted and felt direct, but was a little too sensitive at centre. That made keeping straight in a lane, particularly with crosswinds, a bit tricky. The stereo. Why are the volume up and down controls hidden on the underside of the right hand spoke of the steering wheel?!? And there are two other buttons under the left spoke that I am yet to figure out. What I hate: The reverse lights come on when you exit the car...a stupid and dangerous feature that all GM cars unfortunately currently feature. It gives the impression that the car is backing up and cause a panic situation which may lead to an accident. STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS, GM! Otherwise, this is an amazing little car that deserves consideration.

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  Never Again.. - 2001 Chevrolet Venture
  By Kowall975 - November 22 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car with 7 miles on it and have had nothing but trouble since. All I can say is thank god we bought the extended warrenty. In the last 18 months we have replaced the AC twice. The master locks 3 times, Rear wiper motor fixed, front wiper motors twice. The seals around the doors and windshield. (water gushed in everytime it rained) Also had the Right and left ABS hubs fixed. With that problem came a whole other slew of problems. (ie: Throttle sticking, no brake lights) All in all the engine and ride is great but for a car that is only 2 years old there should not be a bunch a repeat problems. I would not reccomend this veichle to anyone!

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  My used SUB - 2001 Chevrolet Suburban
  By WINGED LION - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This is a comfortable, smooth riding SUV! Already own GM truck for years with same engine and Trans. Both smooth and powerful. Visibility restricted when backing up. Go over a few curbs due to its length. Dont want to drive anything else because of feeling of good size and safety.

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  I Like the LS - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By Tony The Tiger - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I took a look at the car when a friend of mine showed me hers. The LS was top of the line in 2002. For a family man who wants a comfortable car with a sporty fair, this car is ideal.

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  New Equinox - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Noreen Posa - November 22 - 1:23 am

  I was skeptical at first to purchase a new SUV on the market but this has to be one of the nicest rides Ive had in one of these cars. The gas is not as bad as larger SUVs and I havent found much difference in the speed in which I go through it as compared with my old car. I highly recommend this truck to anyone looking for the smaller SUV.

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  30K in the best car Ive owned - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Steve - November 21 - 9:14 pm

  Best features: fuel mileage, driver comfort, low interior noise, emergency handling, smooth handling of recalls and no surprise repairs. Worst: As delivered, trunk provides no way to restrain its cargo; difficulty gauging how close I am to objects behind me. The rating and the meager "worsts" tell the story. My "suburban" (i.e., a mixture of highway and stop-light ruled streets) gas mileage ranges from 30-33, highway mileage at 68-70 mph on cruise control often touches high 30s. The six-speed manual, combined with the turbocharger, takes some learning to get shift points right for performance and mileage. If I shift at around 2200 rpm and hit 6th by 40 mph, my mileage is excellent. The combination of the electric steering (which I learned to like in my 2003 Saturn Ion) and the suspension have let me react very quickly (e.g., when someone decided she liked my lane without asking) with no drama. My wife likes to drive, especially on long trips, and, except for the shifting in stop-and-go, has found her comfortable seating position and mirror settings and puts in hundreds of miles at a clip. The Value rating is my best way of describing my experience so far. At 2 3/4 years, I genuinely enjoy driving this car.

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  Suburban LTZ - 2006 Chevrolet Suburban
  By ryan w - November 21 - 3:59 pm

  Since there wasnt an option for the LTZ i picked the 2500 option. Same engine, V8 6.0, but not a dually. I bought this in 2014, 3rd owner, with only 74000 miles on it. Ran great, but the fuel pump went due to upstate NY rust problems. Then the tranny went. Got a rebuilt one, but then the radiator cooler exploded, and down went the tranny again. Replaced that at 106000. Now have 113+ Pit new michelins on it, and hopefully now is as good as new. Luxurious options throughout. Plenty of room for wife and 5 kids. Holds value, and the LTZ is unique and hard to find in this year. Switched to a k&n filter for better mileage, now average about 14 city. Typical other repairs, wheel hubs, brakes, all in all not too bad, after the transmission went. I use only synthetic oil, and engine runs quiet.