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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  Seems good! - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By roy71 - June 23 - 5:18 pm

  We just bought our Uplander today and it has 78,000 miles. We love how great the gas mileage is, averaging almost 19 mpg in a van is amazing!! It drives very smooth, i can feel the shift from 1st gear to second gear but its not bad. The fit and finish is excellent, i was surprized. The seats seem to stain easy. Everything works great in it, the a/c seems kind of under powered but not too bad. It rides very comfortably, its not mushy and not like a buckboard. I am hoping to get 150,000 miles out of it. The only thing that *bothers* me, if you could even call it a bother, is the rattling noises the interior makes, its not bad though. Over all i love it!! im am NOT a chevy fan..but GO CHEVY!!!

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  I LOVE my malibu!!!!! - 2001 Chevrolet Malibu
  By peachesxox3162 - June 23 - 12:05 pm

  I am 2nd owner after purchasing the car in 04 w/17218miles. I have driven it daily ever since with minor problems(to me at least). The car has 198,673miles and is still going strong. I havent been as faithful as I should have with tune-ups or oil changes. Truth be told- just had my neighbor replace the wires and plugs and he informed me that they were original. I have replaced tires (full set) twice. I love my car but know I need to look for a newer one. While I need a car good on gas, I REALLY love my malibu and am looking to get another. I just hope that I get lucky a second time!!!!

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  3,500 miles into my ECO stick shift.... - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By howdee - June 23 - 9:30 am

  ...and we finally hit the 42 mark on a trip. We really needed to mind the details to get those #s though. No more 80, try 72 or less. Windows closed, flat terrain etc. Most of our combined average is 36, pretty darn good! We bought the car for a routine 500 round trip and very pleased with the comfort/ride. My one complaint is? ( how many others experience this) Occasional, severe acceleration lag from a dead stop. Dangerous to pull out into traffic. The dealer thinks Im imagining it since there are no codes and it always fails to occur in his presence.

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  Love the car - 2011 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ep1 - June 22 - 11:35 am

  I just came off a lease of a 09 Merc Milan L4 My my new Malibu is so much better in every catagory

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  What you see, it what you get! - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By myequinox08731 - June 21 - 9:41 pm

  Love, Love , Love this car! Every inch is perfection! Buy it, drive it, love it!

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  162K Miles and still going - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By momtaxi3 - June 21 - 7:08 pm

  Van runs great but it has all kinds of little issues. I have to push the gas to start it however, it does have 162K miles on it so I expect that. The turn signals and radio only work when they want to. My headlights dim on their own and the automatic sliding door gets stuck all the time...it sometimes dings constantly! It gets horrible gas mileage. The seats arent very comfortable and stain easily. The rear windshield wiper doesnt work at all. With that being said - it runs great. There is nothing wrong with the engine...it just keeps going and going! Im positive I will get at least 200K out of this vehicle.

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  DO NOT BUY FOR GAS MILAGE - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By txasrodie50 - June 21 - 5:07 pm

  I have had my Equinox for over 6 months now and have yet to see a 32mpg. It has been more like 24 . I had a large SUV and went down in size for gas milage. Wish I had my big SUV back. Iam probably only getting maybe 5 miles to the gal more, that is on the highway, and I have given up alot of room and a comfortable ride. No rear air in 100 degree weather in Texas is not good either. On the plus side, it is good looking, and easier to park.

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  2009 Malibu LTZ at 30K - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By rbsj - June 19 - 4:26 pm

  I bought a new LTZ with the 6-cylinder in June 2009. It now has 30,000 miles on it and I would rate it excellent in almost every way. I have had zero problems with it. It has had no squeeks, rattles or operational problems of any nature. It averages over 31 mpg on the highway going 75 mph, and is very zippy (252 hp in a car the weighs 3,400 lbs). I would highly recommend the car.

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  water leak - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By dmilesi - June 19 - 2:00 pm

  my 2006 chevy HHR is leaking on the passenger side. The water is coming in from the air filter that is located under the hood. below the right windshield wiper. There is a big pocket and a air filter there so when it rains it runs right in under the dashboard. I read that many other people are having the same trouble. Chevy needs to make this a recall or they are going to lose hard working peoples business. Just one person will tell hundreds of people. If there are enough complaints maybe they will do something about this major problem. I went to [violative content deleted] , Still waiting for a response . Also read they are terrible in the snow even with studs on them.

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  This car has been nothing but trouble - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By rjb1012 - June 18 - 10:39 pm

  My parents bought this car for me from a friend of my grandmas when I first got my license at 16. It had about 50k miles. Since day one, it has been nothing but a money pit. For the past 3 years, it has gone in the shop at least twice a year for repairs. The first problem that I encountered was that the air condition would always switch to outside air at random, and when it did that, it would shut the air condition off for a couple minutes. Then the next major problem was that the brakes needed to replaced. All this in just the 1st year of owning the car. Next year the brakes were at it AGAIN. This year, the intake gasket needs to be replaced AND the air condition is broken again.