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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  Duramax Desiel - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Dustin Frieler - February 8 - 10:00 am

  Love all of the power that the duramax has and the comfort of Leather

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  03 SS - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By rmcswain - February 8 - 10:00 am

  The best all-round truck on the road. Great looks and styling, plenty of power and AWD to boot. More features than I have ever seen on a truck. Fit and finish is excellent. Low profile, 20 inch tires and wheels, monochromatic paint give this SS a mystique unmatched by most vehicles. Gas mileage is very good for this type truck.

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  Awesome Truck - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By andrew - February 8 - 2:06 am

  Great ride, very quiet, OnStar is great. I love this truck. The mileage is as estimated by GM and that is great for such a truck.

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  Pretty Great Car - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Daniel - February 7 - 10:11 pm

  The LS build was certainly a fun car to drive. Obviously its not a sport, so performance is not its focus. The LS is built tight with pretty good suspension. Despite the size of the engine, acceleration was adequate. The interior is clean and easy to follow with no confusion among the cluster gauges. The only thing I regret when I owned the car was that I opted for the basic model. Id strongly recommend upgrading to a higher model with automatic features, because it certainly improves the convenience. The fact that ABS is not standard is disconcerting. Ive not owned it a long time, so the Chevrolet rapport is disconcerting. Not too sure if this car will last like a Toyota.

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  Chevey beats Dodge counterpart - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
  By ThomasWilson - February 7 - 9:23 pm

  We bought this truck to replace our 2000 Dodge Ram 3500 & there is NO comparison - the Chevy wins hands down! We had desiels on both trucks - the Chevey is much smoother & quieter

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  New Malibu is excellent. - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By zipster - February 7 - 9:10 pm

  I said I would never buy another GM product. After being a lifelong GM customer I had a bad experience with my last purchase. I shopped all the foreign makes, Honda, Toyota, and even looked at some Fords but when it came right down to it, the design improvements and quality fit and finish of the new Chevy Malibu won me over. This car is awesome! It handles and corners wonderfully. It has quick acceleration and the 4 wheel disc brakes respond quickly. My only complaint so far is the rear window wiper that is inoperative but should be repaired on the first dealership visit. I recommend that everyone check out Chevy, because they are designing and building quality cars again.

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  I just want to drive it! - 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By txyank1 - February 7 - 9:06 pm

  After several GM pickups I hadnt driven more than a block and I was hooked on the Avalanche. I had joined an Avalanche fan club and been reading about them for 5 months. This is my 3rd Av (had for almost 3 yrs now) and Ive loved every one. Each was a little better-equipped, this one being a Z66 with Sun/Sound. Liked the 3.73 gears in the 03 for get-up but love the 3.42s for highway mpg. 21+ consistently on trips. If GM only made a pickup that rode like this.

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  Like a rock - 1996 Chevrolet S-10
  By Greg - February 7 - 8:12 pm

  I have owned this truck for about a year now. I love almost everything about it. The 4.3L has plenty of power compared to my earlier 87 s-10 with the 2.8L. This truck has almost 400k and does not owe me a thing. The one thing I would change is more durable cloth on seats especially on driver side. Recommend the S-10 to anyone so far best built compared to ford and dodge.

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 1999 Chevrolet Tracker
  By GEO Fan - February 7 - 12:58 pm

  This car is the most versatile, fun vehicle Ive ever owned. It gets 29 mpg w plenty of power from the 2.0 engine. 4WD goes through any mountain snow storm. I take it up steep mountain dirt trails in a foot of snow. I go off-roading in the summer in rural Appalachia driving though streams, ATV trails & deep mud. I use it as a commuter economy car during the week. More reliable than the Corolla/Prizms, better MPG & 4WD than Suburus Ive owned. The only problem was with the transmission. Needed rebuilt at 116,000. Otherwise its still like new after 10 years/122,000 miles. I plan on driving it over 200k just as I have w Suburus & GEO Prizms. My next vehicle - another Tracker.

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  I loved my Lumina - 1996 Chevrolet Lumina
  By bndr37 - February 7 - 12:52 pm

  I absolutely loved my Lumina. It was my first car, and it just recently died at a whopping total of 308,000 miles on it. I didnt have to put any work into it while I owned it except the usual oil change and whatnot. The only reason I didnt keep it was because I blew a head gasket and it would have cost me more to fix it than the car was worth, since I only paid $600 for it.