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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  Cute Little Commuter - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Expymom - August 10 - 10:00 am

  Surprising amount of space up front and in trunk. Fun little car to wrack the miles up on and not feel bad about it. This little guy is sacrificing to save a new Tacoma Double Cab.

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  2500hd Chevy - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By beemer - August 10 - 10:00 am

  Excellent vehicle for towing a 5th wheel camper. The 8.1 and allison are a perfect match. Tows better than the cummins I used to have.

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  Solid Vehicle Some Unexpected Issues - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Colleen - August 10 - 9:33 am

  The interior is solid, performance is good. However, the steering wheel and drivers seat vibrate excessively when idling, the gas mileage is under 20mpg when using the a/c, the struts squeak when going over bumps and the ride is very stiff (you feel every bump).

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  Its fun again - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By firstchevyguy - August 10 - 2:00 am

  Bought the LT loaded and its hard to believe this is a Chevy. With much research, I got more bang for the buck in this automobile than I could get with Mitsu, Nissan, Honda,VW or Chrysler. It is put together well, responsive (although no rubber burner) and comes with important safety features like the side air curtains.

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  Nice Little Car - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By REMICH - August 10 - 2:00 am

  The Cavalier is a lot of car for the money. Plenty of power and torque, handles well and gets good gas mileage even at 75 mph. The style should be updated though. The chassis is pretty solid, but I have an annoying squeak in the front suspension that they only seem able to fix for about 2000 miles at a time. The manual 5 speed takes some hunting for gears and even after 10,000 miles I still get the wrong gear sometimes. All in all though, its well worth the $10,700 I paid for it.

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  Time will tell - 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By dave - August 9 - 10:52 am

  First GM product I have puchased in 30 years. Ive driven a 97 Land Cruiser since it was new and its still going strong with 160,000 miles. I will say the Tahoe has a tough act to follow, but so far so good.

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  Fun Ride - 2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Jarred - August 8 - 1:25 pm

  Ive had the SS for a few weeks now and I love it. It has the feeling of a car except youre sitting up higher. The fuel economy is pretty poor but what do you expect for an SUV with a Corvette based engine. The engine has a nice rumble to it. Ive always had vehicles with leather but opted for the cloth on this one and I couldnt be happier. The seats are actually more comfortable than the leather. Overall Im very happy with the Trailblazer and would highly recommend it to anyone.

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  Perfect fit - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By bobby g - August 8 - 11:23 am

  Very pleased and surpised about the handling and comfortable fit of the seats and placements of all of the controls. Felt like I had this car for years, even though my previous car was a large rear wheel drive, the Malibu took no time getting used to it.

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  Nice Vehicle - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Lorenzo - August 8 - 9:32 am

  Very nice ,comfortable, and good handling SUV. Has all the options. Great sound and power when you need it.

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  My First Car Purchase - 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Jr. Acosta - August 7 - 11:02 pm

  I recently purchase my Tahoe and so far, its been OK. The shiny red color really stands out there along with the performance tires. I took it to the dealership to fix the grinding and clunking noise from the brakes and the alignment and shaking. It was covered under warranty. It stinks that I had to stick with the 30 day, 1000 mile warranty. ( Dont stick with these types of warranties car shoppers!)The grinding noise is gone but I still have the clunking sound. Im not sure what this could be.... I also hear a clunking from the axle when I acccelerate or shift gears. It tend to shake a little bit when Im going at speed of 85+MPH. The interior is very comfortable. Happy with my purchase.