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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  Gotta Love GM - 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By GMFanatik - January 21 - 2:12 pm

  Coming from an 07 Cobalt SS/SC with some decent performance mods, this SUV is a beast. I am quite impressed with the comfort, performance, daily drivability, and overall fit and finish of my Trailblazer SS. Stopping power, go power, and manueverability are very surprising to say the least. Surprising in a positive way of course. I would not recommend the dealership I dealt with, but I would highly recommend picking one of these up.

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  Love this car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By SnowCat - January 21 - 2:10 pm

  My girlfriend at work had bought one, and after sitting in every single sedan on the market ever made for the 2002 model year with my Mother, I went down and bought one. I have not been dissapointed. I have a loaded LT. The cargo carring is great, road trips are not bad - NYC -> Chicago in a blizzard with 4 adults and one little white dog & loaded to the gills with luggage. Trip wasnt bad, and got 32MPG in all that. Wish it had a 5 speed & a better generation Traction control (Hubby has a 00 BMW 528, his is *nice*) but other than that - shes great.

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  96 Collectors Ed. - 1996 Chevrolet Corvette
  By bcar2x20 - January 21 - 11:43 am

  My 96 Collectors Edition is my daily driver! Live in Colorado and drive rain, snow or shine. I purchased with 108,000 miles and have been pleasantly surprised at how reliable the car is. Performance is great and still gets attention with over 135,000 miles on it. Drove down town last year to view a car show. When leaving a man and his young son walked by as I was getting ready to pull out. Much to my surprise they stopped and admired my car for 2 or 3 minutes stating "nice car we didt get to see Corvette today!". I think that statement speaks for itself. Still amazes me that a 10 year old Vette can have so much performance, quality and reliability for what you pay!

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  New car report - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Charles A. Werley - January 21 - 2:53 am

  I purchased this car because I wanted to save on gas! I drive 70 to 100 miles per day and gas prices are out of control. The window sticker said I would receive 33 MPG-- What a pleasent surprize I received --- I am receiving 40 to 44 MPG on my new Cobalt. I now have 1500 miles on my car.

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  Great SUV - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jessica - January 20 - 8:11 pm

  My husband and I decided to get something a little bigger than the 2 door Cobalt that I had, since we travel a good bit. We decided on the Equinox and absoulty love it. We did not need anything extremely big since it is just the two of us, but the room it has is great. This is my first SUV and I will never be able to drive a car again, it drives like a car but is so much higher off the ground. So easy to get in and out.

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  Great Car! - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Jeff - January 20 - 5:46 pm

  Fun Car! Never owned a Chevy before. I am surprised by the quality and design. Great sound system.

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  Very , Very HAPPY! - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By BRYAN - January 19 - 8:00 pm

  Had my Traverse for about 5 weeks. Drives great , well responsive good acceleration even loaded. Tows just as good as my Jeep GC. The best thing we like about is the interior. Especially the capts chairs in the second row. My gas mileage is about 21 mpg avg between hwy/cty. Better then my jeep which is about 18 mpg avg.

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  Great Vehicle - 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Happy - January 19 - 3:49 pm

  This vehicle has been good for everything. Very comfortable on long trips. Never had any major mechanical problems. Hauls large equipment weights. Plenty of space. I think it is great

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  Overall a very good vehicle - 2007 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Mark NJ - January 19 - 2:37 pm

  We were forced to purchase a new car after the Jeep dealer ruined our 05 Jeep Liberty. We really did not want to be in the market for a car and yet here we were. We began my search in the beginning of September and wanted to get a year end deal on a 2007 model. After reviewing a number of models, we settled on the Pontiac Torrent. Although, this was the first choice, we gravitated to the Equinox as we could not find a Torrent with the equipment desired. However, if we could have assembled the car ourselves we would have put the Torrent front on the Equinox rear. Since purchased we put on about 4,400 trouble free miles. We have not had to take the car back for any adjustments or correc

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  Nothing like it at all! - 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Surf Guru - January 19 - 2:00 pm

  After owning just about every kind of suv, car, truck, I purchased this from a friend and cannot wait to get behind the wheel each day. Sold a 2007 Toyota Tacoma Sport and replaced it with this vehicle and would never go back. LTZ equipment package, 6.0 366 hp engine tops. Get the factory navigation if you can.