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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  Need to work the bugs out! - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Sgtpepper - March 31 - 10:00 am

  I am pleased with the vehicle overall but have had problems. I had the vehicle only two weeks when I noticed a whine in the rear. It turned out that the entire rear end needed to be replaced. Problems with electrical system Ive had to have the wiper motor replaced and now the recirculation fan on the a/c isnt working. Im also experiencing trouble with the automatic climate control system. Sometimes it blows cold and sometimes warm when set at 60 the fan speed changes even when it is set to manual control. I have also had occasions where the entire driver information system, including gauges, went dead on me. There is a wind noise issue with this vehicle.

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  malibu - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By jamoak - March 31 - 2:00 am

  Solid car. Bought it as a cheap comuter and have been pleasantly surprised.

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  quick daily driver - 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
  By 94impalaSS - March 31 - 2:00 am

  Very fast. Very affordable. Best performance value out there. Never had anything but scheduled maintenance. Yes, it has the stereotypical rattles. Handling and acceleration are extremely important to me. It will beat almost anything on the road. It certainly beats anything under 30 thousand. I use it as a daily driver and a winter car too. With traction control and snow tires, it is great in the winter. I absolutely love it. it is far, far, far, better than previous generation camaros!

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  Hot & Cold Tahoe - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By 1stTimeChevy - March 29 - 9:47 pm

  Picked up loaded Z71 on 02/17/05. We love the interior room and the smooth ride. Interior plastic is too cheap for a $40K+ vehicle - shame on GM! Gas mileage could be better but 16-17 isnt too bad for this size truck. Used 4x4 once and it seemed okay. Climate control makes a loud thump when energized - dealer says this is normal? Passenger side has a buzzing noise at 40-45 mph that cant be isolated - maybe wind noise? Had a major water leak on the rear hatch. Dealer claimed it was a faulty wiring harness compromising the gasket - well see if they were right. Overall still skeptical about truck - within 30 days of ownership its been in the shop 7 days.

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  Im lovin it! - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By dfdfirefighter412 - March 29 - 3:53 pm

  I was going to buy a new Silverado in 2006 and my salesman suggested I wait for the newly redesigned model. I couldnt be happier that I waited. The redesign is great all the way around. Interior is much more comfortable, exterior is a lot more eye catching and the trucks capabilities are more than ever. Ultimatly, the wait was worth my while and I would recommend anyone checking out the Silverado before looking at other options.

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  Good drive, great looks - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By ashbellini - March 28 - 6:47 pm

  We bought this car after almost a month of hunting. With two small children it was not my first choice of vehicles, but I have grown to love the roomy interior and reliability. Plus we constantly get compliments on the how nice it looks. Now that we are hunting for another car we first check out the other Blazers on the lot.

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  Still new - no problems - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By JTL - March 26 - 6:05 pm

  Like it alot but a little loose in the handling. Quiet and a great turning radius. Gas mileage average for an SUV. No surprise. In line 6 very quiet. Rides well - seats hard but that is good.

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  Not that great - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Scott - March 26 - 4:13 pm

  My wife and I love the look and feel of our Trailblazer but the reliability is what brings us down. Transmission went out at 25,000 miles and dealership kept car for 3 weeks to fix it. ENORMOUS amount of AC problems over the last 1 1/2 years. Dealership can sometimes "duplicate" problem and they just keep replacing parts but nothing on the AC gets fixed. Also, the clock will sometimes change to a totally different time by itself (jump ahead a few hours and minutes). One time, the complete dashboard electrical system just went out (all the displays and the speedomoter). I got it to come back on after I turned the engine off and on again. Car sometimes has trouble starting too.

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  Its Maxximum Love - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By oldntired1950 - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Ive only had the Maxx for a couple of weeks, but so far its lived up to every expectation. The interior is comfortable and well thought out. The seat, steering and pedal adjustments mean that anyone, including my 49" wife can find a comfortable position. The engine has plenty of power and the brakes are great. Even the electric steering that I had heard such terrible things about provides ease in parking and decent feel on the highway. I love the bells and whistles like the automatic climate control, automatic light control, the XM radio and OnStar. I think that the General has finally given us a winner!

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  Cheap Thrills! - 2005 Chevrolet Blazer
  By RexTrader - March 25 - 3:41 am

  It gives pretty solid performance out of a small SUV! The suspension is firm, like a 4x4 should be, and the brakes are solid as well. Ride height is high enough to simulate a full size Chevy! Conservative interior styling is very cool.