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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  Problems with steering - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Floyd Cassell - June 27 - 6:00 pm

  We bought our van used with 58000 km. Now it has about 94,000 km. It had a few little annoyances but nothing compared to now. As many of you have said, your steering is noisy and so is mine. I have a strange problem. It seems when it rains and the van is wet I cant even turn!! If Im holding down the brake and try to turn the van left it seizes up. I wait a second and slowly it loosens up and lets me steer? I also have a terrible grinding noise that comes from the rear. The brakes were just done and again when wet this noise comes back. Maybe we should try and trade it in? Any advice would be appreciated.

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  Watch the motor - 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By nancy go - June 27 - 12:12 pm

  I have enjoyed this truck very much if I could keep it from breaking down.. Thank goodness I had an extended warranty but it is now out and the motor is being messed up again..It rides and handles good and the motor and other things that has been fixed but some how not all. Motor was rebuilt and found out defective cam. Then the steering/widows/seals/yolk/uv/and all within a year. If I were to buy another Chevy product it would have to be 2 extended warranties to please me.

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  little clunk but still kicks - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  By gotink2dude - June 27 - 1:07 am

  The only think I can say is this car is "HOT"! I head turner. One little problem. I have a clunking noise in the front end when I go over bumps at slow speeds. Started about 700 miles. Been to dealer but no one there can here it so they say. Took it to a different garage, and 2 people drove it and heard it. Went back to dealer and they still cant hear it. Just going to wait till it gets really bad then take it back. Until then Im going to enjoy it, let everyone stare, and wish they had one.

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  Colorado Rocks - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By glj - June 26 - 9:58 pm

  This truck was the most dependable vehicle Ive ever owned. I put 125,000 miles on it and had almost no trouble. I just traded it in and feel like I lost part of the family.

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  Awesome mini SUV - 2002 Chevrolet Tracker
  By Pj - June 26 - 6:20 pm

  Me and my mother actually shared this vehicle, and it was everyones favorite. It was the perfect size, Decent fuel economy with the 4 cylinder, the 4x4 was unbeatable, for a little 4 cylinder we would take it mudding and it would just sail around all those big "Mud" trucks that kept getting stuck. A real gold class SUV

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  Great car - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Pj - June 26 - 5:09 pm

  Great little car, good on gas, peppy 4 cylinder engine, and very reliable, i took this car on road trips all over the place and now that shes gone i miss it, never should have traded.

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  Love my 4 GM SUVs - 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Joane - June 26 - 3:17 pm

  The 2003 Chevy Tahoe z71 is one of four gm suvs I have owned. The 1996 suburban was excellent but a bit big for me. My 1999 Yukon was awesome, averaged 20 mpg, and sold the day I put a for sale sign on it 6 years and 156k miles later. The 2003 z71 is the best design, averages 21 mpg, has the most creature comforts, us the best off road vehicle and at 126k is still in excellent condition. I just purchased a new 2009 Yukon hybrid which is loaded, has an awesome zippy engine, overwhelming new technologies that I may some day learn to use, and is stylish by todays standards. Off road use is iffy because of the new front bumper being too low to the ground, but it is also get 21 mpg. I am a fan.

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  I guess Im not the only one - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By LTAKBAR - June 26 - 2:50 am

  I am in the U.S. Navy and traveled a lot my first 2 years I owned the car. At 37,000 miles, the transmission went out and had to be replaced. At 45,000 miles the steering went out and had to be replaced. The air sensors have not worked after the first year. Now I have the car overseas and it is impossible to find replacement parts or get the recall items fixed. My water pump went out in Bahrain and I had to have my original dealer in NJ find a spare and have it FedEx to me. I am waiting on my car to be shipped to Korea and I already know that there is no one here that can fix it. The car looks good and drives good, but the maintenance is a nightmare and expensive.

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  The buggy that could - 2010 Chevrolet HHR
  By Dojobuggy - June 26 - 12:43 am

  Traded in my Ford Flex for the HHR SS and I am very happy with it. I went for the SS due to the power and handling package but ended up putting on the Turbo Upgrade and WOW. The HHR handles likes a sports car, gets really good mpg, has plenty of passing power and is very comfortable to drive. The bluetooth wireless is every bit as good as Ford Sync but their radio quality is not the greatest. Overall the HHR SS is the best model in its class out of the ones I had driven including Mazda and Mitsubishi.

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  Its been good - 2001 Chevrolet Venture
  By chevy40 - June 25 - 10:30 pm

  Its been good to me and my family, I have had a few problems but nothing the dealership didnt fix right away, but after 250,000 km the transmission is making a horrible clunking sound, hate to get rid of it but I think its time to put her to rest. : ( any suggestions for a new vehicle?