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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  Not what I was expecting - 2010 Chevrolet Traverse
  By BillW - July 19 - 11:19 am

  Odyssey was totaled in accident. Rented Traverse for trip to Reno from KC. Swallowed the gear, lots of room for 4. Smooth and relatively quiet on open road. Seats are not comfortable - rear seats dont recline and headrests pushed our heads forward. Mileage NO WHERE near what GM advertises. Shame too, as we were considering replacing our van with this vehicle. Checked it off our list after 4100 mile trip on open roads and avg 19.6 mpg. I could get 28 out of our van between KC & St. Louis. To be used primarily as a family trip vehicle, there are better cars available.

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  Performance - 2010 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Fern - July 18 - 4:12 pm

  I have 2200 miles on the vehicle. I was driving on the highway and the transmission stalled and did not move into the higher gear. Someone could have ran into the back of me. The engine light came on. I drove the truck directly to the dealer and they could not explain why the truck acted that way. This is the first American car I have purchased, and it is my last.

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  Over all pleased - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By ITS ABOUT TIME - July 18 - 10:28 am

  We ordered our NOX in Jan. because of lack of supply and color choices. I was amazed at how uninformed the GM website people were when asking questions. I had to go to the auto show to find one person to answer questions like percentage of American made parts? It is made in Canada and there still increasing production there. I am happy with the vehicle traded in a newer Civic to buy an American vehicle, this was the closest I could find. Weve average overall around 28 mpg combined. It rides nice, kind of noisy for a 4 cy. but overall like it. And would buy another one, at this point. The controls are a pain to use in my opinion.

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  I love the Traverse - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Mrs. Smitty - July 18 - 9:19 am

  I had to chime in and defend my Traverse. We have had the car for one year now and we love it. Its a very comfortable and quiet ride. We have not experienced any of the rear end noises others seems to be having. We have two kids and a dog and love the flexibility of the seating - we can haul 5 kids and a dog, or a bunch of lumber. The sun roof is a nice feature although we dont use as much as I thought we would because of the noise and wind (we do a lot of highway driving). My husband and to talk me into an SUV - but Im glad that he did. We test drove the Flex and some other vehicles similar to the Traverse and found the Traverse to offer to most style and value for our money.

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  Great American Built Car - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By Krehfeld2 - July 17 - 11:41 pm

  Buying a Chevy is warranted again. With the best warranty in the industry is the main reason I bought this car. The ride quality is amazing, Leather seats and Bose sound systems is great. Highway trips couldnt be better. 30+ MPG on a car that actually accelerates when you punch the gas is simply refreshing. Exterior styling is much better than in the past. Engine sounds fine tuned, and transmission shifts fluidly. I highly recommend this car for large people, leg room is high in quantity. I can fit my old cavalier in the trunk its so big. Dependable car, GM goodwrench stands by there product!

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  Money pit after 100,000 miles - 1997 Chevrolet Malibu
  By matty - July 17 - 8:27 pm

  I bought this Malibu with 50k on it. It now has 140,000. One thing I noticed on this car was that as soon as I hit 100,000 all the nickel and dime crap would break. I had to replace all the pulleys because a bearing went bad, replaced the ignition cylinder lock which turned out that if it fails you need to buy the ignition switch as well. I try to do my own repairs this repair went from 35 bucks to 285 in parts I had to buy both. (awesome engineering, way to go gm) the build quality with gm has been crap for many years as well as the other 2 manufacturers. Things break that shouldnt. Driving down the road one day and the overhead light just came off. Come on! Really? Average.

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  Malibu 1LT i4 - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Matthew - July 17 - 2:51 pm

  I have sat in all different types, the LS, 1LT, 2LT, and the LTZ. This is very important to note. The LS is very basic and is limited, also the LS has a different automatic transmission, in 1 LT and up, there is an automatic 6- speed transmission + pedal shifters (I really like this option). If you have or you are looking into a Malibu LS and dont like the power or performance, please look into another model type. I spent about a little more and went from the LS to the 1LT, I am so glad I did! The interior was more stylish and there were a load of options that werent available on the LS.

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  My review - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By jFlo - July 17 - 6:12 am

  Horrible drive-ability. No power. Crude seat adjustments. Poor visibility on instrument cluster. EXTREMELY poor ventilation, NO VENTS in rear of vehicle. Vents in front cabin have limited angles and dont even hit the driver. AC is so loud you cant hold a conversation. Massive blind spots- even in the peripheral of the front wind shield!

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  My Third LTZ Since 06 - 2010 Chevrolet Impala
  By boycotseattlegal - July 16 - 7:03 pm

  G.M. Continues to build great vehicles. I traded my 08 LTZ for a 10 LTZ. I really like the built in blue-tooth on the 10. New temp controls are better. Im a road warrior so I know what a car should be to be comfortable. Go with the LTZ model! You will enjoy this car. Its very solid. Take your new impala to a good tire shop or back to the dealer to check the alignment. This was second one Ive owned that was shipped from the factory out of alignment. Your factory tires wont last long if you dont get it checked out.

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  Farm and Family Friendly - 2004 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Farm Tough - July 16 - 4:40 pm

  Purchased used with 19000 miles. Live on horse ranch and need a reliable 4x4 vehicle to haul family of 5 and 3 dogs. Suburban has been great until 2010 and now it is in the shop more than on the road with expensive repairs, will purchase a newer Suburban in the near future, great overall vehicle for our needs, just need to trade every 5 years instead of 8. MPG for us is 18 hwy and 14 city.