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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  2001 suburban - 2001 Chevrolet Suburban
  By large - March 9 - 12:16 am

  great highway vehicle for family trips

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  Great value! - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kbf - March 8 - 10:04 pm

  No problems yet. Transmission is slow to kick down in comparison to my past 96 Lumina but the speedo says that Im moving with good acceleration. I read 8.6 sec. to 60 mph which is fairly good for this type of car. As with my past Lumina, great mileage or as we say in Canada kilometerage. (Just kidding!)

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  Solid truck - 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By darton2 - March 8 - 7:13 pm

  Nice truck. Just traded in an 04 reg cab for this one. Good solid power and well built. From a manufacturing engineer standpoint, the truck is very mechanically solid.

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  long lasting car - 1993 Chevrolet Beretta
  By D Williams - March 8 - 5:17 pm

  Even after 9 years, the V6 is still strong. The seats show almost no signs of wear. Visibility is outstanding.

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  vaders maro - 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
  By vader - March 8 - 3:06 pm

  the V6 model is a very good car. although the 3.8 liter V6 put into the Camaro in 96 were better in performance and reliability, the 3.4 in the 93-95 do run well. my car has 120000 miles and still runs strong with just routine maintence.

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  99Lum - 1999 Chevrolet Lumina
  By chevyfan - March 8 - 9:09 am

  Nice comfortable car that looks much better with the 16 in. alloys. Quiet ride with little wind/road noise. The 3.1 could use a little more zip but bet good mileage. A great car to drive back & forth to the office with lots of room for the kids.

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  GM hit it out of the park! - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Barturm - March 8 - 3:56 am

  This is the best car ever built! Everyone wants to look at it! Its great on gas for a 400 HP car. I get 27-28 on the highway if I keep my foot out of it. The handling is great. It is very fastttt!!!!!. Looks are stunning! I am so proud of Chevy for building this car!!!!!! GM is Back!

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  Tahoe Mom - 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By nena madsen - March 8 - 2:06 am

  Tahoes are dependable for families looking for an affordable SUV. They could have a little better design crew for the interior. There are not any cup holders in the back seat besides the ones built into the center console that you have to pull out to use. Not all that easy to do when you have rear seat passengers and a car seat strapped in the middle of the seat. Overall a nice ride, but could have a few more luxuries for the price.

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  Good Car - 1993 Chevrolet S-10
  By Scottman - March 7 - 9:31 pm

  This is my first car and it is great. It gets me from point A to B every time. Starts every single time I turn the key. Beat it up a lot and it kept on going (165000 miles on this thing and still going)

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  Z24 - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Abusif - March 7 - 9:12 pm

  I think that its a good -low price- performant car. It look nice and its reliability is fair... Good choice...