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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  Our baby saved our lives! - 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Mary Walker - December 23 - 3:59 pm

  This vehicle is comfortable to drive and ride in. Location of accessories and controls makes sense and are easily accessible. We were in a nasty collision in a freak ice storm a few days ago. This vehicle cushioned all of us and kept us safe. I am currently looking for another Suburban as I have owned many cars and trucks over the years and am extremely impressed with this vehicle. Kudos to the designers.

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  Great Car - 2013 Chevrolet Impala
  By Phil - December 17 - 9:38 am

  This car is a great car. There are so many good things about it. It has a great engine (3.6 LFX) that is durable, yet fuel efficient. It has 300 horsepower and you can definitely feel it when you step on the gas, but at the same time, it can give you great fuel economy on the highway. This past weekend, I took the car on three hour highway trip and got 148.4 miles out of a quarter tank of gas. Thats pretty great. The transmission was a joint build by General Motors and Ford. Most of the time, the transmission shifts very smoothly and you cant even feel it if your not paying attention to the shifting. Every once in a while though, the transmission will feel like your driving a car with a manual transmission and clutch. People complain about the suspension in this car and while its not the best handling car in its class and you can get a little bit of body roll, the car handles pretty well and is a very smooth ride. There is brake fade at higher speeds so be careful of that. I plan on upgrading the brake pads and rotors when its time to do so, but four wheel disc brakes is nice. This car does stop very well. The tires are Ultra High Performance Goodyear tires from the factory and their okay. Im definitely switching to a better brand of tire (Michelin) when the time comes. If you drive in a cold environment, be careful of accelerating with the Goodyear tires on it. The car will burnout a little bit (another reason to get better quality tires). The seats are nice and comfortable, but the rear seats offer the most comfort. There is also a lot of leg space of all of the passengers other than the person who sits in the middle in the second row seating. There are two lights for the rear passengers as well which is nice for them while there are lights in the rear view mirror for the front passengers. The two front seats are power, but only the driver seat has lumbar support which is manual. I understand that GM would want to save the power lumbar support for Buick and Cadillac, but the front passenger seat should have lumbar support as well. The heat seats work wonderfully and people who sit in the front love it. The driver heated seat warms up faster than the passenger seat which is normal according to the owners manual. The driver seat heats up very quickly and is very nice. The gauge cluster, messages on the gauge cluster, radio, and HVAC controls are easy to read and use. Its also nice that the driver and passenger have dual climate control. The auto dimming mirror, heated outside mirrors, and rear window defroster work great and quickly. The Bose sound system is wonderful! It has 8 speakers and an amplifier. The leather seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, leather wrapped transmission shifter, and leather arm rest are holding up well. Its a very solid car and I think that people should really take a look at this car. I had a couple of minor issues with the car, but I had the dealership take care of them. Other than that, its a solid car.

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  A Chevy Family now! - 2011 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Dennis - December 16 - 6:52 pm

  I cant say enough good things about this car! It runs super quiet, has great pick up and passing power, rides smooth, gets great gas mileage (27/mpg combined for me with 50/50 city/highway), looks sharp and has awesome audio system. Im thinking of buying another one right one for one of my teenagers. Its been a while since weve owned a domestic car but the 2011 Malibu has changed our minds - were a Chevy fall now!!

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  Great mid-size - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Justin Kay - December 12 - 7:26 am

  The other reviews I have read are nowhere near my experience. I have owned this truck for a year and I absolutely love it. The fuel economy is tremendous and the overall value of the truck has been terrific. The MyLink is a little wonky at times, but the overall driving experience of the truck far surpasses that of the 2012 Silverado that I owned before this truck.

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  Great First Car - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Carl - December 11 - 10:27 pm

  I learned to drive on my impala and have loved it since day one. The only issues its had are power steering which seems to be common but is worth it to own a fun to drive sedan. Since ownership ive put a flowmaster exhaust after market HID headlights and other mods. It makes a pleasant noise when you accerlate. My car now has 128000 miles and has been trooper. Only complaint is antiquated trans and the engine not being tuned to full potential. 242 hp from a 3.9 seems low when 3.6 now makes 303

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  Awesome Tahoe - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By kolocar - December 11 - 9:13 pm

  Purchased this 2002 LS (with most of the LT features) in April 2015 with 104K on the clock. Its now December 2015 and we are approaching 123K. We have driven it on at least a half dozen trips between Dallas and Chicago, Asheville-NC and Colorado Springs. With the exception of having to replace the flex fuel module, the truck has been amazing. Extremely comfortable, and with handling reflexes that would otherwise be expected of a much smaller SUV. Absolutely love the 325 CID V8 - smooth and pulls strong all the way to 6000 rpm. It uses a quart of oil about every 6,000 miles - amazing. It has hauled anything we have had to stuff into it.

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  Just hit 30,000 miles and not a glitch. - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By russrusscase@yahoo.com - December 10 - 4:07 pm

  This is my third Chevrolet product and never a problem. They really build a great truck and automobile. I was and wax regulary and it looks like the day I drove it out of the showroom. So many standard featrues and great comfort. I always service at the dealer and feel like Ive saved a ton of money and issues. Absolutley care free driving these past 3 years for me. If you find a clean, low mileage one, buy it.

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  Good car - 2015 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Kerry McCormack - December 10 - 9:49 am

  Ive had my 2015 Chevy Cruze for just under a year now. Ive got around 7k miles on it and really enjoy it. The car drives really well, good handling and "tight" driving feel. The seats are comfortable and the cabin is versatile when it comes to folding down seats to accommodate cargo. The car is good on gas, but I think Chevy can step up their game and push it to do better. I very much like the design of the car and the solid ride it has. Ive taken a couple of road trips with it and it proved to be quite comfortable. I was looking for an efficient car that easy to drive/park as I live in the city. Ive had zero problems so far and would recommend this car to others. The Cruze has been great.

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  awesome car! - 2015 Chevrolet Spark
  By kristen - December 9 - 7:44 pm

  I owned a chevy spark for a couple of months i loved it. I was recently in a car accident going 45 i was t-boned, the called rolled a couple times and then flipped upside down. I walked away with a couple scratches, the car was totaled. I would recommend this car to any one looking for a low cost full-efficient and safe car.

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  love it - 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Sherri - December 7 - 9:52 pm