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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  1 year review, love our Cruze - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By ricksreview - November 1 - 10:50 am

  Have over 25,000k already. The Cruze has been very dependable. It continues to feel solid and well built. We are getting average of 38mpg with a loaded model with automatic transmission. Bought as a commuter car and we could not be more pleased with it!

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  My first Car - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By cjbridges - November 1 - 12:46 am

  Im 16 years old and this is my first car, We bought it with 77k miles on it and it now has 80k, The only repairs we had to do were basic things like replacing the fluids, oil filter, oil, and a new battery, but other than that its had no major problems. The paint is rather cheap and chips easily, and the interiors plastic is cheap and the fabric is thin, however if you take car of it everything shouldnt crap out on you. My dash cracked and my engine light comes on when there is no problem, the car can be noisy at times, and my CD player broke, but I have to say there are no major problems. I like the sleek sporty design of the car.

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  You get what you pay for. - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By coloradoguy719 - October 31 - 1:45 am

  Besides the archaic styling, I really love the truck (113k miles). For those that complain about the power/interior space buy a full size. Plenty of pep for a compact truck. Ive hauled a lot of weight in this girl and she doesnt mind it much. I bought the CO because the Dakota had a hungry V8, the Ranger is tiny and the Taco and Frontier were about 2k more, plain and simple. It drives like a small SUV smooth and easy on the blacktop. With a decent pair of shoes it takes the KS mud and CO snow with ease. The mpgs are great for most pre gas hike vehicles, not just trucks, about 18 city at 6500 ft. If you need a laymans truck for the occasional moving day or trash haul, the Colorado is it

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  LT 2.4 auto - 2009 Chevrolet HHR
  By monkfarm - October 30 - 10:22 am

  I bought my HHR 2.4 LT at 8100 miles. I am a spirited driver. The suspension is antiquated. Look under the rear and discover the solid axle. (I have had 3 bmws). That said, the car starts well and is dependable, and is a good solid car for hauling my wife and 4 dogs. (the back seat folds down.) There is not enough storage in the front and the front corner of the dash tends to bother my knee on long trips. The drivers seat isnt bad, but could be improved. The dimmer switch seems to make the headlights disappear for a microsecond which is irritating. The torque steer when you really stomp on it is pronounced. This car is pretty good on long trips and doesnt handle badly. I enjoy it

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  2003 Chevy Surburban LT - 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
  By mrwholesaler - October 29 - 5:33 pm

  GREAT CAR!!!! I love this truck, it runs out awesome. I have been a auto wholesaler for over 17 yrs and never owned such a wonderful truck. We have owned this truck for over 4 years and its running smooth with 150k on it. I replaced the water pump, fuel pump and alternator thats it. We drive to NJ from Florida three times a year with a family of five and its the best. So comfortable on long trips.. Its great on fuel if I keep it at 75mph it will do 17mpg in the city 15mpg with the big chrome wheels.. I will never buy any other suv again unless its a Suburban. Wish they had a diesel

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  Love it!! - 2004 Chevrolet Blazer
  By bfamily2 - October 28 - 11:25 am

  Love our Blazer, it has survived: front collision, hitting a tree, then the tree falling on it, hulling trailer loads of wood, pulling rocks and stumps, getting stuck in the snow to the point the front bumper was ripped off. We have the opinion that you buy a vehicle to serve you and this SUV has taken everything we have had to offer just fine. After everything it is still our main vehicle 2 car seats fit pretty nice in the back (you can’t put the front seat all the way back). The interior doesn’t stain or scratch very easy. We do a lot of traveling and we feel very safe in it. We are excited to see how many Blazers make it well past 200,000 miles, we will be keeping ours.

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  Who wants a Prius! - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By gandolf256 - October 27 - 11:07 am

  Cruze ECO is rated at 36 highway and 28 city by Consumer Reports and the like. This has not been my experience. I have been careful about my driving habits, and have been averaging 38+ mpg in combined highway, suburban and city driving in Philadelphia. On the more or less open roads of eastern PA I am averaging 45+ mpg! It handles well, corners tight, has plenty of power, particularly in 3rd gear and with a few additions the ECO trim level has most everything I would want. All except for the moon roof I love, but didnt get, darn! But hey, I paid less than 17k for this car! Why on earth would I want to spend the money on a Prius? Or a Volt? Or for that matter, any other car? GM has a WINNER

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  ***BUYER BEWARE***POOR RELIABILITY WITH THE LOWEST-SCORE AVAILABLE, ACCORDING TO CONSUMER REPORTS... - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By waltchan - October 26 - 6:41 pm

  I hate this car now. I have been scammed and tricked from General Motors with all these flashy advertisements claiming better quality and reliability. Yeah, right... The Chevrolet Cruze scored the LOWEST in reliability of any small sedans, and its rated at the very-bottom of the chart, with a poor (black dot) reliability score, according to Consumer Reports. How can this be quality??? The new, over-hyped 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is NOT any better than the 1980 Chevrolet Citation we had before with the same, poor reliability score as well. I now will learn to never buy any American-name car without waiting for Consumer Reports advice. GM should refund my money for false claims on reliability.

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  Love my ZR2! - 2003 Chevrolet Blazer
  By dufmoney - October 25 - 10:24 pm

  I have put over 100,000 KMs on my 2003 Blazer ZR2 (current odometer reads 206,000 KMs) and the only thing other than maintenance I have ever had to do was the head gasket. This is is a fault on a lot of Chevy/GM vehicles from these years. She is so reliable though! Other than the tailgate squeak, which I am in the process of fixing, I have no complaints with this fast accelerating, smooth off-road driving, snow loving vehicle! If you want fuel economy, buy a Prius (lame). If you want a vehicle that is extremely reliable and comfortable, than buy a Blazer.

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  Looks good, but think before buying - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By mp1983 - October 24 - 1:25 pm

  So I recently bought a 2012 equinox 2LT, pretty much fully loaded. One thing I did not realize was how low a profile to the ground that the model has. There is a rubber apron under the front bumper that drops the profile of the car to close to the ground--Im wary of driving it in the new England winter weather, afraid Ill bottom out on ice and snow. Ive easily scraped it on sidewalks or pulling up to a curb in a parking lot. Another issue is tough rear visibility. The rear window is quite small and it is difficult to see driving in reverse. As much as I like my first new car purchase, part of me is regretting not noticing these details before I signed.