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:

• 

  Cathy reviews the Malibu - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By cathy - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Hi! I purchased the car in Feb. 2002 and I love it. I test drove a ton of other cars, and I really liked the Malibu. Lots of power, but with good fuel efficiency. I also really like the spaciousness of the interior. Im not a big car fan, so this was somewhere in the middle- lots of interior space without feeling like its a boat!

• 

  OK, but not Recommended - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By AnneTexas - January 27 - 10:00 am

  I have had the same repetitive problems with my Malibu. From automatic windows breaking twice to the air conditioner going out 3 times. Most recently the Alternator went out with no battery warning whatsoever. For having the car less than 3 years (bought new), its been in the shop probably 10 times. Though nothing extremely major has broken, I do not recommend this car.

• 

  Way to go Chevy! - 2001 Chevrolet Impala
  By Safetyman - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Car is driven for business and personal use, miles pile on quickly. I spend 40+ hours a week in the car, and Ive enjoyed every minute & mile. Best Chevy Ive owned or been in since my dads 66 Impala. No comparison to the Chevys of the 80s or early 90s.

• 

  My Review - 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Jeff Notter - January 27 - 10:00 am

  I love my Avalanche

• 

  comfort and power under $30000 - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By summer - January 27 - 10:00 am

  My Impala has lots of get-up and rides very comfortably. My husband is a bigger man so is not comfortable in many cars during our long road trips. The Impala is extremely spacious and has 2 thermostats (one for each of us) so there are few arguements over the temperature. This is a great, reliable car especially for its class.

• 

  Solid truck! - 2005 Chevrolet Colorado
  By pickmeuptruck - January 26 - 8:50 pm

  Truck is performing great after about 5K miles. I have put on a lot of miles driving in miserable, snowy conditions here in the northeast this winter and the 4 wheel drive has been flawless. The truck handles like it is glued to the road in the slop. Although this is only my first pickup truck (I got rid of my gas guzzling SUV) I would recommend this truck to anyone who is also thinking about switching to a crew cab pickup. Gas mileage is decent and capacity is much better than even the huge SUVs like Expeditions and Navigators.

• 

  Worth the Wait - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By JS - January 26 - 7:56 pm

  We have been waiting for a sporty and roomy sedan like the 08 Malibu. Just purchased recently and we are very pleased so far. It has the largest rear legroom we have seen so far in its class. Even more than the Impala due to the way the front seats are constructed with an indentation in the back of the seat. Very quiet interior. We went with the 4cyl instead of the 6, but it has a surprising amount of power. Excellent trunk space and if you do need more room there is a 60/40 fold down rear seat. Vehicle handling is decent and it is a relatively smooth ride. The new interior and exterior styling is what stands out for me. Chevy did a great job with that.

• 

  Quiet and smooth - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By john anderson - January 25 - 2:26 pm

  Im very pleased with how smooth and quiet this car is. I got over 21 mpg city and 27 hwy despite miles of stop and go work zones. I think OnStar is a great feature. I love the security it gives me, and XM radio is just great. I got belted with a hard rain and no leaks and no brake fade. I feel if everyone drove an Impala, they wouldnt buy anything else .I am amazed at how quiet and smooth the motor and transmission are. You cant hear it during normal driving. I also think its the best looking car.

• 

  Versitle Car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By dec1010 - January 25 - 11:53 am

  Change the seats and the steering and this would be an awesome and versitle family car. The drivers seat is very uncomfortable, and I have had four major steering repairs. The flexibility, leg room, and adaptability are the best Ive seen on a car in a long time. I average 28 mpg overall in a large car with a 200 HP V6, which makes a family car economical and powerful enough to satisfy most people.

• 

  Not a very good truck - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Phillip V. - January 22 - 10:12 am

  I bought mine one year ago this week, it has complete car fax records for every service since new, 82K miles on it and no rust, which is amazing since most of these are absolute rust buckets. It had a guage failure on the way home, zero oil pressure, new to the truck I didnt realize faulty guages are normal and a recall item, so it got flat bedded home, one week later the belt flew off, another flat bed trip in for repair, then one cold day a tire went flat while I was driving, we could eventually get the spare down but it was rusted to the lowering mechanism and would not come off, then we couldnt get it to go back up, so flat bed trip number 3 in 3 months. Now the ABS is acting up, another know Silverado issue with the front hubs which will cost another $660 to fix. Since purchase I have driving 7900 miles and spent $2471.00 on repairs and regular service so about $0.24 cents per mile on repairs, gas milage is about 12-14 mpg, not great and the power is very limited on the V-6, on a windy day using the overdrive is a pipe dream, overall the worst truck I have ever owned, cant wait to dump it.