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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  Astro Snow Mobile - 2002 Chevrolet Astro
  By D-Mac - December 31 - 11:53 am

  bought the astro w 130,000 mi. 3yrs ago. 160know. Replaced a jeep cherokee with it and so happy with our choice. More cargo and smoother ride. Mine is not a soccer mom mobil. Its the Toy Box. And I have a long playlist. Take one seat out. still seat 5 comfortably. and put 5 bikes in the back. Or skis or snowboards... climbing gear... windsurf/kitesurf rigs... or a mixture of them all. In the winter move the seat to the back row and you have a nice space to put ski boots on or have lunch between snowkite sessions or sleep in it..rear heat works great. No need for a rocket box. but it has factory racks so easy to do if needed. Hook up a trailer and pull 4 dirt bikes or two snowmobiles no worries. Right now its winter and this van loves it. So stable on ice and snow. Good tires of course do help a lot. We ski little cottonwood cny and chase wind for snowkiting so often driving in blizzards. Its weight is well proportioned to its size and make it a smooth reliable snow mobile. The gears work awesome. Just put it in 1st or 2nd on steep snowy downhills and you barley need to use the brakes. I work on the great salt lake, if its not stormy, and have to commute across a 15 mile dirt road which gets icy, horribly washboarded, and rutted this time of year. Set the cruz control at 45 and let the S-10 chassy do the work. although i have had to replace fuel pump and catalytic converter, normal stuff for its age, affordable parts and minimal labor made it no big deal. I recommend this van to all fun hogs... especially snow lovers.

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  "ITS A WINNER" - 2015 Chevrolet Trax
  By Paul R. Rodriguez Jr. - December 30 - 5:06 pm

  Im a musician and this vehicle gives me everything I need and then some. I could not be more surprised at what I got as far as value. I am in love with this vehicle....seriously!!! Great small SUV for the city (FROM PHILLY) I recommend highly. I read somewhere that the vehicle was slow, sluggish, well let me just say that I use to drag race and the Trax is not slow...NOW your not going to win many drag races but lets be real, you have more than enough power. Well enough said, go test drive a Trax!!!

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  2008 Trailblazer - 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Lynn Douglas - December 30 - 2:21 pm

  We bought it new, I now have 160,000 miles on it and are heading for Arizona tomorrow. No problems whatsoever. New bat., new tires, new alt., thats it. I have a 18 camper and traveled around the USA. handled great, could use a little more power, but did nicely in the mountains. I have a 4500 lb. boat and we go to Lake Superior, approximately 350 miles, and it handled the job nicely.

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  outstanding - 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Ray Ross - December 30 - 1:09 pm

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  Good for the money - 2014 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Steve - December 27 - 11:15 pm

  I traded in a 2012 Honda Civic ex and got a 2014 camaro LS. It really seems like a lot of car for the money you pay. Its pretty much the price of a same year civic coupe, maybe with an option or two or a trim level above base but still... Its not much more expensive then a Ford Focus either. You basically are just giving up fuel economy and getting a lot more car for the money. I mean the base model is 323 hp and you can get 1-3 year old used ones well under 20k that have only few miles on them. Very affordable! If you have money to spend you have a supercharged beast in the ZL1 and then the Z28 which has a 7.0 L V8. The car is a lot of fun to drive. the front seats are very comfortable. The back seats are very cramped however. Visibility out of the back isnt very good but Im getting used to that. Trunk space is great - but Id rather have more backseat space. Pretty sure the trunk ate the backseat. Also the sound system is decent but lacks a USB port for a flash drive or cell phone sync cord. A tad dissappointing considering the civic I owned had a usb and you could pick songs on a phone or iPod through the cars sound system while driving with relative ease. Now being stuck with an old aux cord you would have to scroll through your phone which is dangerous while driving. Next car Ill have to get that type of system again as it was extremely convient for playing MP3s. So to summarize, PROS are the cars looks performance, trunk space and comfort in the front seats for a very reasonable cost. CONS are the cramped back seats, rear view visibility and lack of a USB port, though that may be an option in a more expensive trim level. Fuel economy is fairly decent highway if you are on cruise control, otherwise its not great but not horrible.

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  Gas saver - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By Dale todd - December 27 - 12:09 pm

  I bought this 2012 as a leftover on the lot in late 2013. Dealership titled it to save the tax deduction thus making it a used car with 800 miles. I own a pharmacy and we make deliveries for customers. I installed a rapid charger at Rx for about $600.00 and avg 220 mpg. I go months without fueling up. Plug ins are great for the right person and situation. In SC the weather does not impact the charge range as bad as up north. Worst I have had is 38 miles vs 44 in summer. Overall it is a great vehicle so far. No issues other than a recall notice I received and dealership handled. Not even sure what it was it gave me no problem.

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  NO PROBLEMS WITH TRUCK JUST TO MANY RECALLS - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Charlton Parks - December 26 - 11:20 pm

  Had truck almost a yr now and had no problems with anything. I have just over 13,000 miles now. The only thing I dont like is the Chevy MyLink. Im not going to pay extra money every month for Navigation that sux. My Garmin is way better and its paid for.

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  love my chevy truck! - 2002 Chevrolet Suburban
  By gerry scotti - December 26 - 4:35 pm

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  How do you spell Fun? CORVETTE - 2015 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Gary Graham - December 25 - 9:15 pm

  Mine is an 8 speed automatic (no choice to select). I had a 2001 Corvette C5 convertible for years. Fantastic car. Then I drove a 2015 C7 Z51 wih magnetic ride (shocks), NPP (exhaust), PDR (Performance Data Review) video, etc, etc options. As a retired 68 year old driver of 50+ cars (many of those sports cars), I fell in love with this car immediately. This is no "garage queen". I drive my Corvette. I had taken a sports car driving course in Florida several years ago, so I can and do drive spiritedly. I can appreciate what the C7 can do. I am taking another course soon at the Ron Fellows Corvette Stingray Owners course to learn even more about this beauty. The service support is wonderful. Get to know your Service Advisor. He will become your friend because most of them are true specialists and appreciate the Corvettes uniqueness. I get 21 mpg around town and 29+ mpg on the road. The MIchelin "summer only" high performance tires track beautifully, but lose some of that "stickiness" in cold weather (<32 degrees F).

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2015 Chevrolet SS
  By Charles Jackson - December 25 - 8:42 pm

  Car is beautiful the only minor setback is gas mileage but if thats of concern then you shouldnt even consider buying this car. I Love Mine !!! Charles In Honolulu Hawaii