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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  Great truck....almost too good - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By blakeg - November 25 - 10:00 pm

  I have almost 90,000 miles on my 4x4 T-hoe. I have driven her up and down the California coast off roads and camping, snowboarding in the mountains, weekly daily driver So cal traffic, towed small boat/jetskies/dirt bikes at times, and it sits outside on a peninsula at the beach (damp saline weather) for over 6 years. Its been a great truck. Obviously after 6 years things are going to wear and turning over the big V8 burns fuel, tires, brakes, batteries, assorted plastic buttons....if you cant run with the big dogs get off the porch. Its comfy and has great road presence. Im stoked so far - hope to have the same review in 100,000 more miles

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  Great car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By sigmachi152 - November 25 - 9:22 am

  I bought my malibu new back in 2004 and so ive had it for nearly 9 years and has a little over 98K miles on it. I bought it because it was one of the better cars that had great mpgs at the time. Overall it has been a pretty reliable car. I read that several people had to change the light bulbs on it numerous times. This is the only issue ive had with mine as well. I think I have had to replace the same bulb about 6 times in 9 years. Its a random annoyance but beats most other issues you can have with a car. I just replaced the spark plugs this weekend since it is close to 100K....6 iridium plugs and cables cost just under $80.

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  Impressive first drive - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By tradosaurus - November 23 - 5:35 pm

  After owning a 2008 Honda Accord and then test driving a 2013 Honda Accord I opted to buy the 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco after test driving it. I was impressed with the interior road noise as well as the exterior and interior design. It reminded me of my 2010 Camaro I use to own. I only have 100 miles on it so I will update this review in a few thousand miles. Hopefully it will be positive.

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  Gas Mileage is a Joke, and the engine is too weak to be fun. - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By jberger1 - November 21 - 5:23 pm

  I live in California, and I drive between 70 and 75 miles per hour. I am averaging according to the cruze LTZ 25.7 mpg. The car is extremely underpowered with an incredible amount of turbo and transmission lag. This car has the worst breaks when you really need to stop in a hurry. Also, under extreme deceleration the suspension is too soft, and the rear of the car will try and come around on you if your wheels are not straight. This car would be perfect if it had about 80 more horsepower, and some decent programing for the transmission. Also, the trunk arms cost you some considerable space, as they collapse into the trunk. Pistons on the side would remedy that little problem.

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  my suburban - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By lilb9012 - November 20 - 12:52 pm

  i have a 2007 chevy suburban. i love it but it has to many problems. the drivers door now creaks. some how the dash board had a crack in it. the batterie dies a lot. i wish it had a little better gas milage. i dont drive it 24/7 i have drivin it a total of 10 times in 1 wk and and i used a total of 3/4ths of my tank. i get 11.5 miles to the gallon. and my speakers had to get replaced twice because they got blown out, i dont use the bass a lot and i dont blastthe music a lot but they just come and go..

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  2013 Malibu Transmission went OUT!!! - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By howsebaby - November 19 - 2:14 pm

  Yes...at 2333 miles yall! I was in the middle of 5pm traffic in Little Rock, AR and when I went to make a left turn at a VERY busy intersection, my BRAND NEW 2013 Malibu would go NO WHERE! Luckily I was less than about 100 ft from the dealership where I "leased" it.. Long story short...being it was a lease, it went BACK! ASAP!!! I dont know if anyone else has yet to have this horrible experience yet, but I can definitely feel yet another recall coming on for these cars... I loved that car too!!

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  Great car - 2013 Chevrolet Sonic
  By chall1011 - November 18 - 10:16 pm

  The best part is I can fit my convertible car seat, a infant car seat and still fit an adult in the back seat (traveled 150 miles like that today) The fuel seems good but im not sure, i went on a 2 hour drive today an back, an used almost 7 gallons of gas, i was pretty upset with that. Backing out of my drive way, whenever my tires go down the front of the car hits into the drive way, it does that on alot of peoples out where I live... not much i can do about it, but they are really low to the ground. Its a great car , but we will see as the time goes on. Oh and the throttle is horrible!

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  Problems with navigation and radio . . . - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By dougstamm - November 15 - 1:56 pm

  My 2010 Equinox included a navigation system which was perfect since I use a nav everyday in my business. The best feature for me was that it allowed me to punch in and save several addresses at the beginning of my trip then just hit the new destination when I was ready. Well so much for that. It now: 1. takes several miles before it even recognizes where I am 2. no longer saves a new destination 3. the compass style select button works intermittently 4. The radio volume and the station save work intermittently! The local dealer says it cant be fixed and it will cost thousands to replace. VERY FRUSTRATING to say the least!

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  Love my 04 Venture Van - 2004 Chevrolet Venture
  By sakb3947 - November 12 - 10:17 pm

  I have over 180,000 on my van with little troubles. I like the way it drives. I can haul things in it, pull trailers with it and I can haul all my grandchildren in it. Have had very little troubles with it. When it was new a rear wheel bearing went out but was covered under warrenty. I had to repair some window controls but that was easy.

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  So Far...So Good - 2011 Chevrolet Malibu
  By damytquinn - November 4 - 8:40 pm

  Have owned this car for 20 months and wanted to wait until this point to write a review on this Malibu. This has been the most reliable car I have ever owned(and I have owned over a dozen new cars in 33years of driving). It has never been to the shop for any unscheduled service. I was not planning to trade when I did, but an unexpected windfall convinced me to trade and was glad I did! This car now has almost 25,000miles and still is as tight and quiet as the day I drove it from the dealership. Every thing works the way it is supposed to. I am averaging 26mpg in 70%/30%hwy-city driving which is NOT what I was hoping for when I bought this car, but its not terrible.