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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  Takes a lickin.. - 1995 Chevrolet Caprice
  By AmericanOwner - May 7 - 5:57 pm

  Bought this car in place of my 74 Caprice Classic (which was solid no problems). After buying this one from a lot, had a few basic maintenance probs but overall its been running solid ever sense. Has close to 200k miles and still rides better than most of my friends 2k late models.

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  Nice SUV - 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Joe - May 7 - 11:51 am

  We traded in a 2005 Saturn Vue because of our growing family. It is more comfortable, quieter, than the Vue. The Vue was much faster due to the Honda V6 that it had, and it was better on gas. For being rwd, the TrailBlazer did great in the snowy season we had in Detroit Michigan. We never got stuck, or slid off the road. We average 15mpg in the city, and 20mpg on the high way.

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  Love this truck - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By road1will - May 5 - 1:23 pm

  I love this Tahoe. Ive had several Suburbans before this and have loved every Suburban and Tahoe that Ive had. Mine has the 4.8 so I get about 19mpg city/25hwy. I do wish I had the 5.3 for that extra grunt though..

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  Backbreaker - 2008 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Pnut - May 5 - 12:35 pm

  I bought this truck brand new. I could not take the back pain anymore. There was absolutely no lumbar in the seat. Unfortunately, it took some time to figure this out. I had to push the brake pedal to the floor at times to get it to stop. In the beginning, it seemed to have a lot of power for a 4 cylinder. That didnt last long. I started to hear a noise that sounded like metal grinding on metal. That would be the next buyers problem!

• 

  Fun Ride - 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By hammer760 - May 4 - 11:58 pm

  Ive had my LTZ now for about 2 months and am pretty happy with it. Had an 03 Sequoia and was about to pull the trigger on an 08 but decided to test drive the Tahoe...thank God I did. Better looking, more features, and a better price than the Toyota. Only thing the Seqouia had which I wish the Tahoe has is fold flat 3rd row seating and a little more rear storage room. Ive towed our boat and the automatic rear leveling suspension (which I guess is only available on the LTZ) works great. I wish I would have bought this a few months earlier to try the 4x4 out. By the way the guy who wrote that hes getting 18.3 mpg 70% city is a liar. Im getting 14-15 mpg in 50/50 city/hwy driving.

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  Initial ownership observations - 2008 Chevrolet Aveo
  By SVM H-back - May 4 - 12:34 pm

  I would recommend this car to others based on initial driving. It has exceeded my expectations, which were for a small, simple, economical car. First tank of gas off the dealers lot in 60/40 highway/city driving for 2 different drivers yielded 32.8 mpg. Havent owned it long enough to rate build and reliability. For an economy car, I find the engine performance more than adequate, although not fast. 65mph comes in at just under 3000rpm. Ride is comfortable for a small car. Like the forward dash and high ceilings, which create greater interior room. Initially looked for used, but price of a new (with A/C installed by dealer) came in within budget.

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  AWSOME CAR - 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By DALOARI - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I LIKE IT I LOVE IT I WONT SOME MORE OF IT. THIS CAR RIDES LIKE A DREAM I DRIVE IT OVER 75 MILES A DAY BACK AND FORTH TO WORK. I HAVE ONLY HAD IF FOR 3 MONTHS WITH NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.FIRST CHEVY I HAVE ONED IN YEARS. I WILL GO BACK.

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  HUH - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By SilentBOB2002 - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Id have to disagree with your review on the cavalier it has been a great car both economicly and when taking to the curves on the weekends.

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  Inline 6 - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By KeithAH - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I like everything about this truck EXCEPT the poor fuel mileage. I get about 16 mpg average. This is running about 1/2 city streets and 1/2 freeway. On long trips, the mileage increases to 18.5 mpg. So city driving mileage is really poor. The inline 6 power band really comes on (and is felt) at 4000 rpm! It cruises down the freeway (at 70 mph) at 2200 rpm!! The power is only usefull when REALLY getting on it. So normal driving is out of the power band. Less horse=bad economy. I think that if I was buying another, I would get the V-8. The mileage would be better and there would be more low end horse power.

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  Love the Car - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By Ben - May 3 - 9:50 am

  I just bought this vehicle and my wife and I love it! It is sporty, yet big and has lots of room. And the best part is the v6 3800 engine. It provides very good speed and power at the same time getting excellent gas mileage on the highway. Driving is effortless and fun!