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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  Great little SUV - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By joy - July 9 - 9:16 pm

  I love my new SUV. I test drove about 7 of the new SUVs that fell in the same size catagory. The selling point for me was the room in the back seat (made available because of the ability to move the seat back.) and I love the space in the center front that is low and almost hidden to put my purse when driving. There is loads of room inside with the backseat up and lots of additional room with both of the seats laid forward. The SUV has a very smooth ride and all of the dials on the dash are within easy reach. I would recomend the purchase of the vehicle to anyone who likes the thought of being raised up off the ground but still have the small size that makes parking a breeze.

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  2008 Chevy Cobalt Coupe LT - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Pam - July 9 - 2:16 pm

  Even though Ive only owned my Cobalt for 33 days, its performance and appearance(Revolution Edition Package) is outstanding. Im 49" and i have the seat all the way up, which puts me very close to the airbag should it go off Ill be in big trouble. The acceleration outdoes my previous vehicle, which was a 2005 Trailblazer LS 4-wheel drive. I own a 2.2L DOHC 4 speed automatic,not a 5M.

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  Why did GM stop making the Impala SS?!! - 1996 Chevrolet Impala
  By portert0224 - July 9 - 2:00 am

  I love this car and plan on buying another for my wife and one for each of my five kids! If you want a fun, fast, roomy 4-door modern muscle car, this is your car! My 96 SS ran a 14.67 quarter mile when it was stock. I added a cold air intake and K&N filter and it ran a 14.53 quarter mile. This SS will outrun any stock 5.0 or 4.6 Mustang. It is very reliable. It still has the stock battery that came with the car and it has had only two mechanical problems--the driver side window came off track and the wiper switch malfunctioned, all occuring after 80,000 miles! It gets 21-24 mpg depending on my lead foot. Awesome car!

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  Its a truck, thats about it - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By bharvey67 - July 9 - 2:00 am

  Bought this vehicle in May and it does everything that I ask it to do. It rides like a truck, and handles like a truck. The V6 engine is a low-tech, low-revving engine that has gobs of low- end torque. As far as quality goes, the interior plastic pieces arent put on very well, but other than that the truck is doing ok. I have no regrets in buying it.

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  UAW Labor at its best! - 2000 Chevrolet Impala
  By porrsher - July 9 - 2:00 am

  Got the Impala as Fleet with 52 miles on it, 98562 miles later the car is still as fun as day one. The steering started to make a clunk sound after 30k but a lil grease fixed it, the air vents are hard to position so that it does not blow right into the drivers face. Fuel economy is something i love, at 30 mpg it gets awesome mileage. the car doesnt make a single squeak or noise. It was a lil noisy on the road noise with the tires that come with the car from the factory, after putting Aquatreds with lower road noise it is alot quieter. This is trully Canadian UAW labor at its best! Love to drive the car.

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  solid vehicle - 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
  By m sudduth - July 9 - 2:00 am

  good solid ride for a high milage mix of off road and freeway driving, brakes have been soft since new,but it stops. excellent long ranger on trips for six adults and all luggage.

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  Glad to own this truck - 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Michael Harris - July 9 - 2:00 am

  Bought one of these back in the summer of 95. Its held up great ever since then, even though I had it serviced somewhat sporadically while I was in college. 4x4 works well, and the Tahoe can tow anything too. I hope this thing lasts forever. My wife doesnt like it because she says its hard to get into and hard to get the baby into the back seat. Well, thats why she has her own car!

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  Wonderful bang for the buck - 1999 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Michael M - July 9 - 2:00 am

  I really like my car. Ive had it for 3 years now and 46K miles and it is fun, grogeous, fast and was dirt cheap to buy. Great fuel consumption too. The V6 with the manual is fast enough for me and insurance is very reasonable compared to the V8. This is a great car for those of us who love a sports car but cant afford a BMW M3 or an AUDI S4. Only problem has been radio static since about 10Kmiles. Dealer has tried everything and cant fix it. It is really annoying... I will need to buy another car in the next couple of years as we now have two kids and I have no idea what to get. I wish they made a 4 door camaro... :)

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  Not Good! - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Shanna - July 9 - 2:00 am

  I have had my cavalier for almost three years and ive put more than 2 thousand dollars into it in a matter of a year. Something is always going wrong and it only starts up when it wants to. There is however nothing wrong with the car i have had it looked at several times. I wouldnt recommend purchasing any cavalier to anyone!

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  Great little car. - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Chad123 - July 9 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for 4 years now since it was brand new. I have had nothing happen with it and the only work that has been done is the scheduled maintenance. I have the automatic with AC and a CD player and everything performs great. I live in SD where the snow falls often and this car has done very well, especially the ABS and Traction Control. Performance is decent considering its a little 4 cyl engine.