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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  Barbie car - 2001 Chevrolet Tracker
  By Dave Bransky - May 5 - 1:37 pm

  I purchased this Tracker to be a second hand vehicle, but with the price of gas the Tracker is becoming my main driver. The only problem I have had with this vehicle is that it is on its third heater core, and if it wasnt for the fact that I have bypassed the core, I would probably be on my tenth. Dealer has no reason for this problem, but has paid for all the heater cores that have been installed.

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  Clearance Specials - 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Marko221 - May 5 - 8:30 am

  I purchased an extended cab 1500 with the "Limited Edition" package that isnt advertised much. It came with chrome 20s, special suspension, 3.73 tranny and the 5.3 V8. XM satellite radio is free for 3 months. What sold me was the 0% financing for 72 months during the July 4th weekend. Biggest complaint is the turning radius. Seems too small for a long vehicle. Excellent power. Im chirping tires during rolling acceleration. Stiff suspension bounces you around when bed is empty. Seating for 6 is huge! I can stuff 6 adults comfortably and can still feel the power during acceleration. The overall look is mean yet distinguished. Ive had many Chevy owners asking me if this is the new model.

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  Oh, the irony - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Author Name - May 4 - 4:03 am

  I bought this car as a cheap commuter. I have about 60 miles, round trip, of commuting daily and wanted a basic vehicle with good mpg. My only real complaint with the Cruze is that there is no cruise. You would think that even in the base model, you would get the vehicles name sake as a standard option. Other than that, Ive put about 30,000 miles on the vehicle and required no maintenance other than oil changes and other routine work. Its not slow, but its not fast. It gets competitive gas mileage. It does well in snow and icy conditions, for a front wheel drive vehicle. For the level of options, the price was competitive, except the lacking cruise control. Overall, its been a great little a-b car that I plan to drive until it blows up. At the rate the car is going, that will probably be a while.

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  Fell in love with it again - 1995 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Keith S - May 4 - 12:17 am

  Was actually looking to buy a 97 or later used Corvette but when accidently came across the ad and pictures of the car. Then it came back to me how much I was impressed by the look of the later C4s when I saw them. And at first I thought "no way Im a Torch Red kind of guy, but the more I thought about it, hey, why not -ts a Vette! I love the look, size feel and reactions to this car. Yes it is impossible to get in and out of and yes it is loud, but hey it is a sports car!

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  Trailblazer - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By William S. Frye - May 2 - 11:56 pm

  After five days and only 250 miles of driving my 2006 Trailblazer the left rear tire blew out while driving on the Interstate at 70 MPH. I was able to safely get the vehicle onto the shoulder. When I examined the tire, I noticed the sidewall had seperated from the tire tread. Im an automobile mechanic and have seen this type of damage many times. It is caused from driving on a flat tire. I had not idea that I had a flat tire, the ride, stability and handling of the vehicle did not give any indication of a flat. To cause the sidewall to seperate, I had probably driven several miles with the tire flat. It handled so well in this situation that I feel very safe driving it.

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  Good but not Great - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By The Mow Man - May 2 - 10:34 pm

  Like the truck, but it can be improved.The seat belt location is hard to reach, it eats headlights and tail lights. Good power, lots of room for hockey equip, dogs and kids. Nice looking. Thinking about moving to newer.

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  Half-way there - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By Big T - May 2 - 5:07 pm

  This is a nice ride which has a lot going for it. The 280lb-ft of torque is above average. The car is big, roomy, comfortable, and has a huge frickin trunk. Interior and Exterior styling is OK. (In my opinion the 2006 has a better interior, but worse exterior.) An SS needs to be a V8 rear wheel drive. The 2006 get us SS fans half way there.

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  2004 Impala SS - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By RepeatChevyDriver - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Having been tempted to purchase a new Impala SS in 1996 but not doing so and observing the cult following the model has had since 1996, it was intriguing to hear that a 2004 version was being built. The current SS will never have the same aura as the 94-96 rigs because of its FWD V6 configuration, but it is still a marked improvement over the base and LS models. The 2004 Impala SS is also a great bargain in comparison to other similarly equipped vehicles. It feels great to drive and has a lot of available acceleration at any speed. I may seriously consider trading it in, though, if the rumors are true and a RWD V8 Impala is on the way.

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  Dependable - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By dependable - May 1 - 10:00 am

  I bought this truck used. This truck has gone through hell and back. I have never had any major problems with it. Great truck for the northeast and the snow. For a truck it is not bad on gas. I get 16 in the city and up to 23 on the highway.

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  mostly dissapointing but good daily driver - 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By joker42369 - April 30 - 8:46 pm

  I had this car for 4 years with leather interiour and 3.1L engine. For the driving enthusiast which i am, this car was a dissapointment. It rolls around turns and is just way too slow. However, it started up every day for me with no problems ever, and stayed together pretty nice considering how bad i beat it up. The leather interiour was nice and the confiest coupe you can find. mileage was about 17-18 city. looks good only from a few angles.