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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  2000 Venture Plus Ext. - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By big_daddy - May 8 - 2:00 am

  Reliable, decent fuel mileage and very practical.

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  Good Job Chevrolet - 2001 Chevrolet Venture
  By Kevin - May 8 - 2:00 am

  This is our first van and Chevrolet. We are comming up to one year of ownership, no problems what so ever. Thats a first for us. The van has nice ride, good gas mileage and tons of useful gadgets. Onstar is a nice safety and security option. Given the high level of satifaction from the van and the dealer we will be buying another Cheverlot product from Mike Shaw in Denver.

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  No more mini vans - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Mary - May 7 - 11:03 pm

  This is my first SUV and I love it! I will never go back to minivans! I love the power and the handling and even haul my horses with ease.

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  Outstanding - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By snoopy31 - May 7 - 10:26 pm

  I traded a 2005 Toyota Sequoia on this 2007 Tahoe. My new Tahoe has it all over the Sequoia. Many more features plus lower price. As an added bonus, my warranty has now been extended to 5yrs and 100,000 miles better than Toyotas. Sticker on the 2005 Toyota was $49,735 more than $3000 over the Tahoe and with fewer features. I love the Tahoe, and so far no problems with 2783 miles and average 20.7 MPG

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  Smooth ride - 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Stick Morgan - May 7 - 4:16 am

  Wanted to get back into a two door coupe and I am very happy with my decision to lease the SS. I think this car is sharp looking. My SS has is black with a neutral interior. I love the tan seats against the black exterior. Also has the optional silver moldings, which add a nice touch.

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  Best pick-up Ive had in years - 1997 Chevrolet S-10
  By Dave Simon - May 7 - 2:00 am

  This is the best pickup Ive ever had. I go through everything with it. I go up in the mountains about every month and its a very smooth ride. I can go anywhere I go camping with the truck also.

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  1999 Chevrolet Metro LSI Sedan - 1999 Chevrolet Metro
  By Mike Nomura - May 7 - 2:00 am

  For a small car, the ride, handling, paint finish, and interior are liveable. Equipt with a A/C, the car has one whole engine cylinder of four devoted just to turn the compressor. I had to turn off the unit when anticipating a hill on the freeway. Further more, when decending down the same hill required me the press the accelerator down one-forth down just to overcome the high gear ratio that engine brakes.Also the A/C temperature, never got cold. When climbing up the hill without the A/C, the car has more than enough power. The only warranty service done was to replace a leaking A/C compressor shaft seal. Still the A/C preformed the same as above. It averaged only forty MPG.

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  Great investment - 1996 Chevrolet Impala
  By Morgan White - May 7 - 2:00 am

  keeps its value and should go up in price over the next few years!

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  2000 Chevrolet Metro HB, STD - 2000 Chevrolet Metro
  By Mike Nomura - May 7 - 2:00 am

  For someone who needs only basic, no frill transportation, this car served me just fine. This 1800 pound, three cylinder car keeps up with any freeway traffic. With no A/C and equipted with a manual transmission, all of the energy goes to the wheels. The fifth gear overdrive allows me to coast down a hill without touching the gas pedal and provided me with fifty-seven MPG.

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  Tahoe, not all thats its cracked up to - 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Fdatahoe - May 7 - 2:00 am

  I have had the Tahoe for almost 2.5 years and have replace 3 gaskets (100bucks),all 4 shocks (200bucks), a water pump(300 bucks), the leather seat is ripping and the breaks twice. I sure am glad I bought a Chevy. Oh yeah I still have a intermitent vibration in the steering which they can not find, not bad for a 3 year old POS