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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  Noisy Equinox - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By NoisyEquinox - July 20 - 9:16 pm

  My husband works at GM and we are SO embarrassed of our Equinox. The engine pings/rattles when driving and idles like a Diesel. Why is GM continuing to produce this vehicle when they have no idea what is wrong with it and are refusing to even acknowledge it! People have asked to test out my car and I have to make excuses because my husband works there and Im embarrassed! Why is GM continuing to be at the bottom of the pack when it comes to car performance and customer satisfaction!? I would love some answers because we are getting nothing concrete from gm! I have wasted my time on the phone and at the dealership. Dont buy the 2010 equinox!

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  Solid Car - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By Bill - July 20 - 8:16 pm

  Given that this was a Chevy, I didnt expect much in the way of reliability. However, I have been very surprised! This is a good and very reliable car. I currently have 133,000 miles on it and it is still going strong. The only real disappointment was that the transmission was replaced at about 105,000 miles. The front brake rotors also warp easily, but those are easy to replace when replacing the pads. The engine still does not burn or leak a drop of oil.

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  LTZ 2010 - 2010 Chevrolet Traverse
  By A - July 20 - 3:31 pm

  Very comfortable, mpg as advertised, lots of space and pep. LTZ package is much better than standard. Chose this car over Enclave and Arcadia because it looks more chunky and tough (Enclave is a little effeminate). Driven Florida/New York twice - excellent performance and comfort.

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  Pretty cool! Fat fenders & WIDE tires! - 2010 Chevrolet Corvette
  By sevargmt - July 20 - 1:52 pm

  This is my 1st Corvette. Im impressed with the car - better than any of the competition at a much cheaper price. Didnt realize the car would have such a cool factor. Good gas mileage, comfortable and rides reasonably well. If you order a Corvette one can go to the plant in Kentucky and watch your car assembled - I did and it was well worth the price. A once in a lifetime experience! The factory workers were nice and committed to building a quality car - more than one told me they wanted the car to be perfect for me. Id do it all over again. The dual mode exhaust is a must have option - I upgraded mine with a aftermarket remote to open/close the valves at will. Very cool! Love my vette!

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  Consider another vehicle - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By getting frustrated - July 20 - 12:20 pm

  I bought my Equinox used with 23,000 miles on it. Was a great car did a lot of traveling in it. The car now has 93,000 miles on it and is killing me in repair costs. Transmission flush costs 300.00! No place would do it except for my dealership. Problem of hard shifting got worse and found out valves were bad in the transmission. Cost for new part 4200.00 plus labor at dealership. I got a used one at half the cost. Told this is common for this type of transmission. Brakes need replaced a lot but are fairly cheap. Key stuck in the ignition, and lots of front end work constantly needs done. Not good in the winter in the snow or rain like it used to be. Feels unsafe. Consider another vehicle.

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  Ok but a few problems - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By OUIMET - July 20 - 11:56 am

  Great gas mileage and interior space in the back, but a few problems. Seats are kind of narrow, no front storage, not the best in snow/ice being it is so light. Dash compartment broke, interior mirror falls off, and my radio comes on all by itself, you can hear the springs clunk in the winter dealer says nothing they can do about either the radio or clunking. Other than that, great space in the back, great gas mileage, full body galvanized steel so wont rust, and have had no problems passing when I need to. Both my big dogs fit in this small car where they would not in others. You get what you pay for.

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  You Get What You Pay For - 2004 Chevrolet Blazer
  By BlackKnight - July 20 - 10:24 am

  There is a reason that the 04 Chevy Blazer is affordable and that is due to the reliability of it. The style remains unchanged as you are unable to tell an 04 from a 2000. Ive had to put brakes numerous times, ball joints, engine sensor (2x), oil coil line, smell on anti freeze despite no leaks, leak on driver side floor. In addition the 4WD switch went out and apparently that is fairly common as well. I perform regular maintenance but after purchasing in 06 with 25K miles on it, I have estimated that I have put close to $3000 in repairs, parts, and labor. That is conservative. The trade in value is horrible and I will need to keep it until the last loan payment to get money in trade

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  Great Value - 2009 Chevrolet HHR
  By derbs24 - July 20 - 7:46 am

  Have the 2lt 2.4 auto great car, traded in my 4 door ram hemi and have no regrets. Great mileage, 22avg on e85,30 mpg avg on regular. Have gotten 32 mpg avg at 75 mph with the a/c on. Lots of room for 4 people and luggage, pulls a small trailer for a dirt bike/lawn mower. Fun to drive, oil changes are breeze. Cheaper quality, lots of plastic. I paid $18,000 on a $24,000 sticker though so cant complain. Good looking little gas save with lots of room. Chose this over the Kia soul due to room/mileage.

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  Read before you buy - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By EMCD - July 19 - 4:09 pm

  My wife bought this heap with 17k thousand miles on it and it now has 48k. It is a perfect example of why I will never buy a GM product again, the interior is falling apart, the problems listed by other owners is the same we have experienced: gas light not working, radio will not turn off when door is opened and ignition is off, ignition had to be replaced (we took it in three times telling them it was not working but were told each time it was something else like the battery. No need to look further to see why this company (American or not) is going out of business. Terrible quality- dont put someone you love in one. We will get rid of it as soon as we can and buy a Nissan or Honda.

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  Fantastic - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By Steve - July 19 - 1:01 pm

  This car averages 1000 miles per week at 70 mph most of the time @ 31 MPG. Since I bought it there have been no running gear or A/C problems. In fact greasing the doors and oil changes every 3k is all it has seen. It runs today as well as the day I drove it off the lot.