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:

• 

  Vibration @ ~60mph - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By bperry003 - July 17 - 8:16 am

  Like others, I also have the vibration that occurs around 60mph that can be felt through the accelerator pedal. I brought it in this morning and the service dept. called GM Tech Service. The service consultant told me that GM was aware of this and that it had something to do with the firing impulses. I didnt get into the details. Bottom line, the service dept. couldnt do anything right now but said that hopefully in the near future GM will have a fix.

• 

  Fuel Mileage - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By cmcgee - July 17 - 2:00 am

  We purchased the vehicle used. It is a 1999 Chevy Suburban LT completely loaded. The vehicle was owned by a salesman and had about 125,000 miles at the time of purchase. My wife, who drives the vehicle on a regular basis, is a stay at home mom, but she is never at home. She makes lots of short trips around town. Her fuel mileage on the 4x4 suburban is around 17 mpg. We recently took a trip to Virginia Beach. We left our home which is located just off I-95 and went to Emporia Va. Then we took 58 into Va. Beach. I refueled once we got into Va. Beach. On our 3 hour trip, we averaged 22.3 mpg. I have been very impressed with this vehicle since.

• 

  CAMARO!!!!!! - 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
  By hourang - July 17 - 2:00 am

  ONE bad azz car!!! too fast for my own good, plus i get 23 mph on the highway!!!!

• 

  Worth the look - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By nivloc1 - July 17 - 2:00 am

  I have had the car now for 2 months and already has 8800 miles. Not a squeak to be heard. Car is solid and responsive. I drive 10 over posted highway speed and expect to be there when merging. With this car, thats not even an issue.... Performance is what you would expect in a more expensive sports car and not in a 4-dr sedan. Even looks better than most sports cars. I compared vehicles up to $60K and would choose this one again. Given my driving habits, gas mileage is a respectable 26mpg combined Highway/City. The interior design needs major touchups.

• 

  07 TAHOE - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By rrmm - July 16 - 7:13 pm

  Very solid car. Looked at the Sequoia also but was very impressed with the Tahoe. The handling is excellent and the LTZ model has all the options you could every want. Gas mileage has been pretty good so far especially on the highway where it cuts to four cylinders.

• 

  My second Volt - 2016 Chevrolet Volt
  By Ben Tafoya - July 16 - 4:55 pm

  Upgrades from 2013 to 2016 model. Ride is even better as is handling. Not wild about the new display software and I hope to get used to it. The Massachusetts incentive ($2500) makes it a very attractive buy/lease.

• 

  2018 Traverse is perfect size - 2018 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Spruce - July 16 - 4:08 pm

  First of all I needed to special order the 2018 to get the LT Leather trim level. This has the navigation and a 2nd row bench seat that I wanted and does not have the 2nd row captains chairs and sunroof, neither of which I wanted. Dealers are only buying the base level trim packages or the very highest price Premier ones and often ordering the SUV with a premium paint color which can add another $1000 to the cost of the vehicle. Handling is excellent and it rides like a car and not a truck - smoother than the Chevy Tahoe it replaced. The 2018 Traverse has more rear cargo space than the 2018 Tahoe or 2018 Suburban with their 3rd row seat and odd interior design. SUVs have become vans more than utility vehicles and so the Subaru with two rows has more cargo space than a full size SUV like the Suburban. Excellent visibility all the way around and the driver is not dependent on the side mirrors or video as with other SUVs. Rear camera display is exceptional and not only shows lines to indicate the path of the vehicle, it curves the lines when backing up and turning as when backing out of a parking space. Gas mileage on regular gas (not ethanol which kills fuel economy) is averaging 21 MPG with mixed driving. Acceleration is great when getting onto a freeway or when passing and the shifting is so smooth as to not be detectable. Feedback from the steering wheel is not as good as that of standard power steering with instead the electronic assist but it is much better than that of other SUVs I test drove, including the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander. It took 7 weeks to order and receive the LT Leather but it was well worth the wait.

• 

  Like a Rock - 1998 Chevrolet Metro
  By Labradogs1 - July 16 - 2:00 am

  This car is like the eveready rabbit. Excellent mileage (best on the planet) so you can laugh at the high gasoline prices. Never lets me down. No repairs, just regular maintenance. You feel like youre beating the system when you drive this car. All the convenience without the bills. Get one!

• 

  unreliable - 1998 Chevrolet S-10
  By K. Griffith - July 16 - 2:00 am

  Within 6 months after purchasing this vehicle, I had to replace the leaf springs. This was covered under warranty, of course. I have had to replace so many things on this truck that I cant remember everything. Over the last 1 1/2 yrs., I have had to replace the starter twice. Thus far, there have been 3 different starters on this 4 yr old truck. No one can figure out what the problem is. These starters are under warranty however, a warranty does not replace the amount of time that goes into taking off work and hauling the truck every 6 months to have a new starter put on.

• 

  good transportation - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By john wilson - July 16 - 2:00 am

  the car has really good acceleation and gas mileage,and fun to drive.could use more leg room in the back seat.