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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  GM stole my money. - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By mlemonchevy - September 24 - 9:17 pm

  My cobalt looks so nice. To bad, I usually cant drive it. A series of clutch problems has left me so disappointed with GM that after 15yrs of only owning GM cars, I vowed to never touch their products again. The warranty process was terrible. I paid for almost everything because they kept finding loop holes in the coverage. Their 800 number is even worse. Ive talked to many Cobalt owners, and weve all repeatedly paid for new clutches over and over again in cars with less then 50,000 miles on them. Each clutch lasts just under 1year with normal driving, no racing. I really feel frustrated, and so Im buying a subaru as soon as my loan on the cobalt is clear.

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  2005 Equinox - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By JP - September 24 - 9:13 pm

  I have had my Equinox for a month. I have always bought Chevys, but am slightly dissapointed in this one. The ride is good, albeit a little too much wind noise on the drivers side. The front seats dont seem "full" size, and the gas mileage is not up to par (18mpg local/20 hwy, AC off!).

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  Sick of my Trailblazer - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Linda - September 24 - 7:00 pm

  within days after the warranty was up, the front wheel bearings went out. the cv joint went out. the fuel gauge broke. the dash lights for the stereo/cd player temp control went out,... Not to mention the plastic parts that broke right after we bought it... lol what next? I hate the car.

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  Ill let you decide - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Mathias - September 24 - 3:15 pm

  Well i have owned this car for a while now and I have gotten what i wanted out of it. It stills drives okay but the motor is starting to knock with 150,000 miles on it. It goes where ever I want it to but i had to put some money in it to keep it that way. It always starts and runs without incident and has decent power for a 6 cylinder. Biggest complaint, the heater core is bad!!! No heat in the winter is tough and I have to flush it every year just to get a little heat for the start of the season. By mid winter its bad again. Also, no 4-wheel drive! Thats the number one reason i bought it and now it doesnt work either. Looking for a new SUV but dont know what to get. I love a Chevy.

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  Not as great as everyone says.... - 2000 Chevrolet Prizm
  By morningland - September 24 - 12:01 pm

  Needed a good car for school, thought the prizm was a good fit and bought one with only 40k miles on it. mpg is amazing on this car, getting 28-30 in the city! However, it consumes oil at an alarming rate (quart every 200m) so the saves equal themselves out. I maintained this car, changed oil and trans fluid but at 70k I can no trust it as reliable. Fuel pump just went out and now I am being told the transmission is going as well, so its a piece of junk. Interior is VERY poorly made, door handles break, seats uncomfortable, everything is made of cheap plastic. Me personally, I have had enough of American cars and will NEVER put my money in them again... EVER!

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  05 Silverado W/T L.B. - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Gabe - September 24 - 2:13 am

  After owning two other new Chevrolet Trucks, this one seems to be the best of the three. Its power (4.8 Liter) rivals that of my previous 97 5.7 Liter. Although the Cab is stripped down, it still has plenty of room and the seats are very comfortable. All control are laid out in easy reach. Plenty of head and hip room (Im 6,2"). The long bed has plenty of room for plywood and longer items. I would deffinitely reccommend this truck to anyone needing a simple work truck.

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  locked in - 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By apache - September 24 - 12:00 am

  With the doors locked and the windows up if you lose the battery contact on either side negative or positive you are locked in. If someone tries the door handle to free you it will not work. I was lucky the window down at the bank drive thru and had to use the key on the outside of the door to unlock. Something GM didnt tell the 99 silverado owners. Also, the stock battery bolts are to short for a good bite into the threads on the battery. I replaced both with longer thread bolts. A friend of mine put in a sliding rear window for a exit just in case. Checked with local dealer and of course the answer was "I aint heard of that before".

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  A long Time Honda Man tries a Chevy - 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Rick - September 23 - 9:52 pm

  This is the first Chevy I have purchased in nearly 30 years as I am a die hard Honda fan. It was time to buy a new truck and it came down to the Ridgeline and the Avalanche and I stepped out on a limb and bought the Avalanche. My honest opinion is the Avalanche wins from an exterior appeal and available bells and whistles" standpoint but the Honda wins on the interior quality, cargo space and clearly thought through and efficient space utilization. It is like the Chevy folks focused on what the truck looks like going down the road and curb appeal and the Honda folks focused on the interior " living quarters" area. Avalanche is a great vehicle but needs a little interior help!

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  Dont buy if you drive in snow - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Cnwave - September 23 - 9:02 pm

  I have disliked this car since I had to drive it in snow the first week I owned. I thought it would be o.k. to buy a FWD instead of an AWD. I was wrong and so was my salesman. He didnt think I would have a problem. Obviously he didnt know what he was talking about. I wont buy another car from Superior Chevrolet. After making attempts to get some kind of resolution I was unsuccessful.

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  Suggestions - 2009 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Irv - September 23 - 5:07 pm

  Just picked up vehicle today---to early to rate anything. There are 3 things I would suggest be changed. The rubber floor mats are worthless, to slick and you cant really even use them, the steering wheel needs to be covered, also to slick, the CD drawer needs complete revision. You almost need to stop the vehicle to return one to the holder. Not well designed.Irv