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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  Lemon in Green - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By DHToy2 - April 11 - 10:00 am

  Bought the LS in Hunter Green a little over a year ago. Have had major problems with the elctronic system on board. At one point, the dealer had the car for 3 weeks and had to rent me a loaner. Radio changes stations all by itself, A/c quits and starts all by itself. Gas mileage is aweful. I have a Tahoe that gets better mileage than this SUV does 10 mpg city, 16 mpg highway. Car has spent a total of 6 weeks in the shop and yet GM will not buy it back as it hasnt been enough problems to warrant replacement. My next car will be a Honda. Dealership was a good as could be expected dealing with a design error.

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  Good Strong Truck - 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By amprice4 - April 11 - 10:00 am

  Overall I am happy with my purchase. I bought the truck with 40K miles on it and it runs like a champ. however before i purchased this truck I test drove the same exact year and model from another dealership and it died on the test drive. Something was wrong with the fuel system and it only had 38K miles on it. Good strong truck though and it tows my trailer with ease.

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  Great Vehicle - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By LANShark - April 11 - 10:00 am

  This is my first SUV and first Chevy. Very happy with the vehicle. The power is amazing, and the comfort and responsiveness are great. Fuel economy could be better, but had an idea about that before I bought it. I average about 13-14 MPG, nowhere near sticker. Overall very pleased with this, and would buy another one, or recommend this.

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  BUYER BEWARE - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By William642 - April 11 - 10:00 am

  DONT BUY THIS TRUCK. For 30 Grand plus you can get a heck of a lot more quality than a Trailblazer. The front seats are more uncomfortable than my 95 Cavalier; the front bumper is nothing more than a cheap piece of plastic that my 3 year old son can move up and down so that it looks like its about to fall off. The brake system failed at 1300 miles, and I had to beg a Chevy dealer to look at it. My impression after 4 months? CHEAP. I dont believe Ill ever buy another GM vehicle again. Id sell this piece of crap if I didnt owe more than its worth, which is not much.

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  #50 recons - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By ownage - April 11 - 10:00 am

  The truck is great. It is rugged and powerful. It also rides very smooth and it is great.

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  Beauty is skin deep - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By HowieinVA - April 11 - 10:00 am

  I must admit, I took a look at the Silverado SS and it is a nice looking truck. It looks mean, has 4WD and has a bed you can actually use. After driving it, it just felt like a more powerful Silverado. This is not a sport truck. I was actually considering trading in my Honda Element for this bad boy....not after driving it. It drives OK but its bouncy and jolting at the same time. If you need something that will haul a lot and has a lot of speed, I guess this is a good choice. But compared to my Honda Element, it feels cheap and doesnt handle nearly as good...even if the Chevy does look and sound meaner.

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  Malibu LTZ - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Cheryl - April 11 - 2:43 am

  My Malibu LTZ is an outstanding vehicle! The styling and performance of the vehicle go far beyond the the sticker price. It looks and drives more like a luxury vehicle.

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  American Icon - 2005 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Mike - April 10 - 11:33 am

  As a previous Corvette owner, they only get better with each generation. The level of power, handling, and sophistication in this car beats all other generation Corvettes hands down and will run circles around just about everything else on the road up to twice (or more) the price!

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  70 year old great granny with a 2017 Premier Rally - 2017 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Annie - April 9 - 10:06 am

  I am really having a ball driving this car as I have been very conservative with previous rides - been driving Chevrolet products exclusively since my first 1972 Chevette. The only 2 problems I find with the car is the rear/side visibility when merging into traffic. I am only 5 tall and look around as best I can, cross my fingers and go for it. So far, so good. I also find the vehicle lacking in electronic connections. Despite my age I am a techie and have several items to plug in - dash cam, laptop, etc., and the car just doesnt have the capacity to utilize all Id like to.

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  Not a horrible SUV - 2017 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Meathead1986 - April 9 - 8:32 am

  Ive always been a Ford guy so impressing me is hard with the way most GM products work. This thing packs a pretty decent bang for buck as we tested an explorer, Santa fe, and pathfinder. If the deal would have gone right wed honestly have the pathfinder as that had the most overall refined feel and features for the price. As the dealership that had it was horrible we found the traverse as a happy medium with the lt2 package. Sound from the radio is amazing and between that and the quiet cabin it really drowns out the subpar engine as it winds up to use every ounce of power it has to get moving. Im not kidding when I say this thing lacks power... its really bad and I find myself 2nd guessing myself passing quite a bit. Inside the cabin is quite roomy with a couple quirks that dont ruin your experience. For instance, when you turn the car off with Bluetooth audio on youd expect it to be the first thing that comes up when you get back in the vehicle. This isnt the case at all and its slightly annoying. Also the cup holders in the middle part of the cabin are right on the door (w/captains chairs). Not sure if the bench is the same but this is a disaster with children slamming doors on road trips. Last thing is the auto windows. Theyre only auto down... not up. Not sure who thought of this but having to roll this thing up and down 5 days a week to show an ID at a gate makes this very irritating. It really seems small but makes a huge difference. Other than that features on this are very good and it seems very well put together and kid proof. Cargo space is very lacking with all seats up but if you can fold a seat this really opens up the area. If you cant Id suggest a full size SUV and not a crossover. Visibility out of the front and behind you is adequate but there is a huge blind spot on the vehicle thats caused me to buy bubble mirrors. Gas mileage is about the same as our old F150 with low 20s for mixed driving so we can afford it. Others may find this bad and Id agree and suggest the fix is an engine that wont work as hard to get this thing moving (drive the explorer with the ecoboostto see what I mean). The vehicle handles turns and bumps extremely well with what youd expect from this body style of car with the standard dead feel in the wheel. So far there are very few manufactures that can really put feel into their cars and give then soul so this isnt a killer for me. Over all we like it and were pleased with the purchase and look forward to having this thing for some time.