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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  2010 Chevy Cobalt - 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By dennie75 - December 17 - 9:00 pm

  This has been a good car. Besides having to fix a few things. The check engine light came on first and there was a leak in the fuel hose connected to the tank. The fuel tank was replaced. Then started to notice a noise/clicking every time I turned the fan on and had to replace the motor for the fan in the front because a blade was broken on the motor. Next had to pay to replace the front right strut because it was leaking. Most recently water was leaking into car change drawer near drivers side and also dripping down to floor. The seals needed to be done again and hopefully I will not have anymore problems anytime soon. Good luck to other cobalt owners and hope the cars run with less issues.

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  Dont buy one - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By bob483 - December 15 - 10:26 am

  My Chevy Cruze now has about 7000 miles on it and until recently I thought it was a decent car, despite the fact that the gas mileage stats are pretty much exaggerated, the best I have ever got with mine is around 33, 34 miles to the gallon on the highway. So dont buy it for that reason, you can do better. My biggest complaint however, Is the cars terrible lag when you step on the gas when you are already moving. It can definitely be dangerous if you are in a situation where you need immediate acceleration like I was the other day. The car took forever to accelerate. I will get rid of this car soon and certainly would never consider another one.

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  Fun car to drive, if the bugs die. - 1997 Chevrolet Corvette
  By hand77 - December 14 - 5:47 am

  Ill start by being fair, the mileage of my car was low, and I got an extremely good price from a friend. With that said, the car was awesome, most of the time. It was a blast to drive, got compliments everywhere I went (nassau blue color), and was just plain sexy to look at. But the rear end went bad, transmission needed replace, wiper motor never worked, driver side window motor went bad. Yes I did hot rod the car, but with it being a Corvette, you would thing it would hold up a tad better. To each their own, the car was a blast, but I wont own another C5 base car.

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  Functional - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By horsepower7 - December 10 - 4:04 pm

  i have owned it since 2005 and when i bought it the dealer put a towing package on it it had about 100,000 miles on it. it is great for light towing. i have also taken it of road onto some trails hunting. It goes through snow and ice really well and i should know i live in northern WI.but for this particular Model trailBlazer I have found that many of my friends that have owned one along with mine have had the exaust manufold crack around 120,000 to 140,000. overall my trail blazer has 157,000 miles on it. there is a slight leak of anti-freeze in the rear heater coil. Personally my trailblazer has done its job and will continue to for a good many miles.

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  2013 Malibu ECO 2SA - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ticner58 - December 10 - 9:36 am

  I cant understand all of the negative reviews about this car that are out there from certain publications. I now have 3000 miles and simply love this car. I just did a 880 mile one way trip on all interstate driving and averaged 34.3 mpg. This is while driving between 70 & 77 mph all of the way. Under regular driving, 55-60, I have attained over 40 mpg while commuting to work (18 miles one way). Some publications say to purchase the Camry, Pris or Sonota hybrids over this car. Go ahead and price them out using 2SA option, add a sunroof and see what price you get. I found that I was able to get exactly what I wanted, without getting other options that I didnt want or need with the Malibu.

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  Best SUV Ive ever owned!!! - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By metalbourne - December 9 - 9:08 pm

  Ive had around 28 cars and suvs and this one is my favorite (the only one that comes close was my 2002 Tahoe LT). I purchased my TB with 72,000 miles on it 3 years ago and now have 115,000 on it and have only done normal things (tune up, tires, brakes, fluids, belts, lights). The only major thing that I had to do was the flex plate on the transmission was cracked. My TB is used every day for work and I do a lot of city driving and it turns better then most sub-compact cars do and can fit in most if not all parking garages in Philly, New York, Washington DC, and so on. The ride is great, the truck is easy to work on and tows my pop up with ease couldnt be happier with this pack-mule.

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  Good Car, Poor Assembly Quality... - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ocker - December 7 - 10:24 am

  This is the third Malibu we have purchased since 2004 (from the same dealer and the same sales representative) and each model has been better than its predecessor. The 2013 model has an excellent power train – the 2.0 liter turbo charged 4-cylinder engine, coupled with the new 6-speed automatic transmission, performs better than the 3.0 liter V6 engine in our previous 2008 model. The interior and exterior are both well designed, the interior is comfortable, and the car drives and rides well. I have only driven the vehicle 200 miles to date so can’t comment on fuel economy yet, although my first top-up suggests that it will meet the EPA city mileage estimate.

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  My first cardefinitely a good choice - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By jlm14 - December 5 - 11:52 am

  My family had always been all about Hondas (and my dad a BMW person). This car has impressed me. 13,000 miles, no issues. The six speed manual is fun. My drives from Chicago to Champaign get me ~43 MPG at 75 mph cruise ctrl. I have seen as best as 46 MPG (65mph hwy) and worst 36 MPG (city). I see mixed 39-40 avg. These numbers are from my own calcs. Solid drive for a 1.4, turbo picks up, the interior isnt great but looks decent. Good lines looks elegant for a compact sedan. Bluetooth works all the time for me, good sound, very quite ride, and smooth. Takes awhile to learn how to use the gears properly, 4-6th are all O/D gears so I use 3rd to pass a lot. Overall, good, I recommend.

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  Hits the mark - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By knobbytire - December 2 - 2:55 pm

  I replaced a very troublesome Mazda 5 with a Sonic LTZ hatchback. Im averaging right around 40 MPG, and once was getting 52 MPG and my worst fuel economy on a tank was 33 MPG. It handles nicely, is efficient on interior space and fits really well into a small garage. its comfy enough that we packed the entire family in the car and made a 13 hour road trip. With 5000 miles on it, Ive had no problems, and it doesnt even have any rattles. The Bluetooth and hands free is great, though I wish you could control an iPhone from the steering wheel.

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  Great Car! - 2012 Chevrolet Impala
  By cj7123 - November 26 - 1:31 pm

  If you need something to change in every year of a car, then this isnt the car for you. If however, you want a safe, comfortable and reliable car, this is it. It has many creature comforts from heated seats to satellite radio and sync. We are getting 30 mpg with the new engine and transmission! So, if you need "bling" you might want to look elsewhere, but if you want a strong, reliable car with descent gas mileage for thousands of dollars less that the other cars they compare the Impala to, look no further!