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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  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.

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  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.

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  uncomfortable seats - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Tony P - January 22 - 2:00 am

  driver seat(material) digs into lower back at seam very hard to drive in city let alone highway. If I had to order car again I would check what other seats are available.Chev is trying to alter my seat if possible to make things right.Test driving car without a winter coat on is my recommendation

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  A Great Mid-Size Pick-Up - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Andrew A. - January 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought the Colarado after cross shopping the Colarado, Dakota, Frontier, and Tacoma. I loved the exterior design of the Colarado. It had the looks, power and the all important fuel economy. the truck has been totally reliable which is surprising for a new first year model.

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  best car ever - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By johnny b - January 22 - 2:00 am

  greatest car in the world

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  hop in - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By ez1over - January 22 - 2:00 am

  Only thing to say is "outstanding" and it sure is a babe magnet! The only thing I dont like is the fact that the front air foil scrapes on almost all driveways. But what the heck its fast and fun to drive and it cant take any baby seats.

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  Less than it should be. - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Bill4884 - January 22 - 2:00 am

  Love the car hate the headlight motor failures. Also had computer failure were passenger door would not unlock. Battery failure occured early and in a Corvette you can not get into the car. Convertable top will rub through the clear coat and paint while top is in the up position. Looks very tacky when you put the top down. First time I ever felt like I needed an extended warranty. A sports car of this class should only see the dealer for tune-ups

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  Damn taillights - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Soccermom&dad - January 22 - 2:00 am

  Nice vehicle, smooth ride, lives up to performance and towing claims. Problems with tail lights. Has been in the shop 5 times now. Entire assemblies were replaced but still having problems. Needs a different gear ratio option to provide improved mpg. My full size Suburban gets the same mpg as the Trailblazer.

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  AK- - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By AK-two - January 22 - 2:00 am

  Minor warranty repair- Leaky front shock @ 800 miles. Other than than its ok, although Ive only driven this vehicle 1500 miles total in the last year.

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  not bad - 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Nismo 400R - January 21 - 10:00 am

  i have a 96 Z34 i bought it about 2 months ago and i have had no problems athough it acts like the alternator or something is about to go out but besides that i love this car. The only thing i ate about this car is that fact that it is a gas guzzler. it has 17 mpg a 350 can get like 14 so go figure. v6 - v8 17 mpg is pathetic when in a v6. i have a cousin who has a mustang that gets better gas mileage than me.