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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  Happy to be Safe - 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Just a Mom - April 29 - 10:00 am

  We went from a small foreign SUV to this. It is a new world! We love it! We may be driving our kids college education but it is worth the money. The leather seats are terrific and the ride is unbeatable. Most of all, we just feel as though our family is safe rising in it.

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  Chevrolet Suburban - 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
  By jttiii - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Having ownned this vehicle since the end of April and accumulating 4K miles, I find it to be quite comfortable and secure. Front and rear seats are quite comfortable and ride is very good for the size of the vehicle. I am hoping for fuel mileage to improve as my highway driving is around 16 mpg and city driving at 10 mpg. I might add that I am ever mindful traffic and road conditions with unplanned starts and stops kept to a mimimum. Overall, very pleased with this Suburban in the LT pkg. Hopefully I will continue to be satisfied with it.

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  Overall a good car - 1998 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Joe - April 29 - 9:30 am

  Ive put 15,000 miles on it (127k now) since I bought it. Its a base model, but it has power options and keyless entry - big plus. Interior design is the best part: simple. 3 gauges, 3 climate knobs, and not much more. Standard GM controls work well. Car has tiny spots of rust behind wheels, but thats expected with age. Ive gotten 33mpg going 68 on the highway in calm weather, but I get < 20 in the city. This car has adequate power, but who wants adequate? The 3100 has enough grunt to make your heart race when you push it from a stoplight, and it works okay for passing on the highway. Drivers side visor clip and rear passenger window button broke, but theyre not important.

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  Pretty good for first car - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Jonathan O - April 28 - 11:28 pm

  I bought this 2 weeks before I graduated. It had some problems with fuel injectors, and throttle body. After I got that fixed it has been fine ever since.

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  Cobalt XFE Is The Real Deal! - 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Ethan - April 28 - 5:09 pm

  I just purchased my new 2009 Cobalt XFE sedan. I have not seen many of the XFE packaged cars in the sedan bodystyle, so I assume that it is pretty rare. My car is the very base model LS, and the only option I purchased was floormats. It is a very comfortable driving car. It is surprisingly quiet inside (Ive been told the sedan version has more headroom and is slightly quieter if that sways your decision). The engine power is great. I have 700 miles on the car and got an average of 40.7 MPG!!! That was on a 60 mile round trip of windy country roads and getting stuck in a little traffic. The mileage amazes me!

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  Colorado Dutch - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Dutch - April 27 - 11:22 pm

  The hhr is wonderful on mpg ( 34 on road) 27 in town. Made several long trips. Ride is not the best a little stuff but road ability is fine. Space good for 4 adults and 5 good size bags. Interior is tight for a 230# 6-3 man. The auto is excellent for city driving easy parking turning and good space behind 2nd. Seat. It would be a wonderful car for mother conducting her duties. Not fancy but simple operations.

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  Great small SUV - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By phil clark - April 27 - 11:06 am

  Mine has the V6 option. Rides great and more room than you would expect especially in rear seat area. Son in law says there is more room than in my Avalanche. The gas mileage on the V6 is not what they had claimed with best ever less than 20 combined and if mostly in town drops to 15 or so. Still improvement on the Avalanche I traded in, but could be better. Hopefully that improves once broken in and get past the first oil change too. Interior is very stylish with a friend comparing it to cars like the Lexus,now thats a step up for GM. Shows they are moving in the right direction.

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  Typical GM - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By JCK105 - April 26 - 11:37 pm

  I bought this Tahoe a few years ago with around 40K miles on it. The speedometer broke at 60K, and shortly after GM recalled them, but by that time I was at 71K, so they would not refund me the $600. Overall it is comfortable, and fun to drive. Typical GM though, many interior lights are burned out, and everything is starting to rattle. Other than that, there have been no major problems.

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  Fair Overall Waiting for Problems - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By E.G. - April 26 - 10:46 am

  Extremely poor visibility when backing due to limited window area and wide rear roof pillars. Center console had poor fit due to popping clips. Entire console had to be replaced. Steering at high speeds is very tight, causing light drifting. Rear folding seats dont go down flat enough for proper storage, and trunk height is too low. Pleasing body style and good paint quality.

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  Too soon to tell but - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Educated - April 25 - 4:38 pm

  I have only had my car for a few days but bought it used, I am educated and have worked for GM and do know that first year out cars have issues so it is the bugs that need to get worked out, having the tire sensor problem one was replaced but the Traction light still comes on, so stopped into the new car dealer and told me it maybe another sensor,,,, the visor was worn took it off and will replace with one from pick and pull myself. I havent had the car long enough to have alot of issues but do know that after the bugs are worked out a Chevrolet can go for 300k easy if maintained correctly! I will update if anymore probs but I like my CHEVY!