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:

• 

  First American Car I ever bought - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jaime Livoti - December 11 - 12:56 am

  This is the first American car I ever purchased. I love it. Its my 1st SUV too. I will never buy a car again. It has lots of space, and is nice for trips. The rear seats recline. I love, love, love it! Its a good buy. I got a lot of car for little money.

• 

  Im finally at peace - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By IowaBreeze - December 10 - 1:33 pm

  I finally got rid of my 1999 GMC Jimmy money-pit and traded up to this Trailblazer two days ago. Almost immediately I had to drive in an ice storm and was very pleased about the handling and performance. Ride is very smooth, mileage is what one should expect for an SUV. Plenty of room for cargo, love the sunroof and other features. So far, so good!

• 

  Great Large SUV - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By hpopik - December 10 - 11:11 am

  Bought the Trailblazer from GM dealer in 2006 with 18,000 Kilometers or fifteen thousand miles for a great price and got the extended warranty for it. SUV has about 125,000 kilometers or about 75,000 Miles .The vehicle has been excellent as it is January ,2014 and still looks and drives excellent. It is a 4X4 which is great as I am in Alberta, Canada and we have over four feet of snow already this year so the 4X4 is great and no problems with it. This winter we went through the Rocky Mountains and purchased Cooper Winter Tires and the road control on both ice and snow is remarkable. The factory tires originally on the car are bad and I wouldnt recommend them to anyone. round Great SuV

• 

  Mini Limo - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By Fr. Scott - December 10 - 10:00 am

  I loved this car at first sight. It reminded me of a mini limo with its large comfortable backseats and skylight. The rear seats are also able to recline! The only thing I wish was that I had a DRIVER!

• 

  Great ColoRADo - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By TheKevster - December 10 - 10:00 am

  I love my Colorado. Its the perfect size. It offers room for 5 with enough bed space to haul most anything. It has lots of giddyup with the 5 cyl engine. I have noticed a lot of chips in the paint on the front of the hood. Might need to invest in a rock/bug shield.

• 

  A lot of bang for the buck! - 2016 Chevrolet Camaro
  By JON AKSU - December 10 - 2:58 am

  Great car thats fun to drive. Performance and options match or outperform that of European sports cars double the price. Dont buy from Autonation Pembroke Pines Chevrolet. The manager there was unpleasant and seemed dishonest. Their service center is really very disappointing also.

• 

  Owner - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Charlie - December 9 - 1:40 pm

  This is a fun driving family car. Great improvement over previous model. I have owned a Tahoe since 2000 and this is the best riding Tahoe that Chevy has made. It is very roomy and dependable have not had a mechanical problem up to date. Once the diplacement kicks in and goes into V4 mode it feels the same. When I need to drive fast it will automatically go into V8.

• 

  Crashed - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By hhr owner - December 9 - 6:20 am

  I owned my HHR for 8 full months. I ran into the rear end of a tractor trailer, and wasnt injuried with the exception of an airbag burn. I loved my HHR and will own another one very soon. To me, there is no comparison to a PT. Ive driven both, and enjoyed my HHR ten times more. My HHR was reliable, agile, and had great looks. GM has really turned their program around with this vehicle, and I cant say enough about the Ecotec. What a great engine. I just hope they introduce a boosted version in the HHR soon.

• 

  Pure power - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By ANTS Z28 - December 8 - 9:01 pm

  I bought the car a couple of months ago and its the best car Ive even seen. I did some work to it like a new flowmaster exhaust and a new k&n intact, also has a redone suspension not done by me But all in all there isnt many cars that can compare to the z28. Its a very fast car and really fun to drive...with some work the car is absolutely a perfect creation

• 

  Low cost fun! - 2015 Chevrolet Sonic
  By Ted T from Hollywood, MD - December 8 - 2:27 pm

  I bought this car out of necessity in October 2015 to replace my 2005 Ford Escape, which was in need of major repairs. My criteria was to find the least expensive Chevrolet I could by that was actually built in the United States. I have the base LS Sedan 5 speed, and my only factory option is a cargo net. Let me begin by saying I had no idea how much I would enjoy driving this car! It is by far my favorite of our family drivers, which include a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Latitude, and my daughters 2011 Chevy Cruise. My Sonic Sedan sits family high, it has great sight lines, it is very easy to get into and out of, even for occasional front seat passengers well over 6 tall. The trunk is cavernous, and with both back seats folded down, you can carry a ridiculous amount of stuff in this car. The Sears are comfortable, and with four average size passengers, there is more than adequate room in the car. The real pleasure of this little car is in how nicely it drives. I have the base 1.8 liter engine, with a 5 speed. The transmission is very good, and goes easily and almost crisply into gear. The gear spacing (ratios) are perfect, with just the right amount of performance overlap from one gear to the next, and this car will go 75-80 mph all day, without you the driver feeling like you have been beat up in a small car. The suspension is interesting. The car has a nice compliant ride over any road surface, and the ride quality is surprisingly good. Youd be tempted think it was sprung too softly, and then you hit a curve, and you take that curve in complete control. Amazing for a car with a beam rear axle; but then again, I read that Chevrolet had the suspension team for the Corvette set the spring rates and shock damping for the rear suspension. My combined mpg is 34.5 mpg. All day long. If I reset the mpg display before a hwy trip I can get 40 mpg. Thats the truth, and may be due to manual transmission. So, thats all the stuff I like. - - What I dont like is the quirky LED instrument panel. The only analog gage is the tach; everything else is digital. My biggest complaint with it is that there is no temperature display, which is a pain in the winter time. Im not a fan of the instrument panel, and I think that Chevy has fixed that, and gone more analog in 2017. Also, the base "infotainment" system is pretty lame; front door and A pillar speakers only, nothing in back, and am-fm only. I have to use an aux cord with my iPhone. There is no USB port in the base car (LS). I use a 12 Vdc adapter to charge my phone in the car. The Bluetooth, however, does work great, and I use that feature all the time. The car is also a WiFi hot spot, which is pretty cool. I should also say that I have had absolutely ZERO problems with this car, from a maintenance or build quality perspective. I is very tight, and very quiet. -Surprisingly so. In summary, I like this car A LOT! I bought it as "BT" - basic transportation, but it has turned out to be way more than that. Finally, on a recent business trip, I had the chance to rent a 2014 Sonic LT sedan with 42,000 miles. That car had all the stuff I like about my car, but with power windows, an automatic transmission, and a decent factory sound system, and with 42K on the click it was still tight and quiet. These are great little cars, that live a lot bigger than they actually are.