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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  Sad Equinox customer - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Tara - January 1 - 11:16 am

  When I bought my Equinox, I was very satisfied but in the past couple of months I have had nothing but problems which the dealership and Chevrolet refuse to recognize as problems. I have been nothing but unsatisfied with Chevrolet for the past couple of month. The gas mileage does not even get what it is rated at.

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  04 Z71 Tahoe Review - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Jis - December 31 - 4:47 pm

  Outstanding power, comfort and 4WD. Chose this over all others because of leather seat comfort, visibility and other consumer ratings. 10K miles on it after five months and no problems. Not even a rattle.. I drive long miles for work and the seats with lumbar support are unmatched for my bad back. Im getting about 17 mpg. Seat comfort is the best Ive seen, especially on long trips.

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  Satisfied so far - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By jonnyk981 - December 31 - 1:03 pm

  So far owning my 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LS has been nothing but a walk in the park. I have been a previous GM owner for many years now and this is by far the most impressive GM model that I have ever owned. I previously owned a 2000 Cavalier Z24 and my Cobalt puts it to shame! My Cobalt is loaded with fun features that werent even offered on most of the other cars that I was looking at in the same price range. The car is fun to drive, great on gas, and easy on the wallet too. The five speed manual transmission gives the car a sportier feel and I am very impressed with the perfomance of this cars four cylinder engine.

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  Good American ride - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Art Baskel - December 31 - 12:15 pm

  I might research the 6 cylinder the 4 cylinder is underpowered but it is a turbo....2012model

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  S-10 ZR5 - 2004 Chevrolet S-10
  By Chevy Queen - December 31 - 10:52 am

  Although the seat material is real bad its a nice riding truck and the ZR5 comes with a very nice design. The Colorado , to me, has absolutely no storage. You can at least put things behind the seat of the S-10, where the Colorado hasnt even got run for a long ice scraper

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  Trail Blazing in the 925 - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By Jack West - December 31 - 2:00 am

  Great Buy for 1% over invoice for a XLT LS with the LS Group2 package, and even more extras.

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  Computer missing - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Grote - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I got the car, and in less than five weeks my computer had to be replaced. Then after getting the computer back someone rear-ended me. I must say considering the force of impact the car withstood the blow. Im still waiting to get it back.

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  Fun Car - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Patch - December 31 - 2:00 am

  A real screamer. Loud as hell. Lots of engine note and road noise. Take the good with the bad, I guess. Chevy dealers (service depts) need to get used to dealing with people who paid 50K+ for a car and are used to BMW/Mercedes standards of service. Treating service customers like crap wont do.

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  Great Truck - 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Joe454 - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this truck after extensive research. It proved to be excellent in the snow, far better than my old truck (1992 GMC Sierra 2500 Ext. Cab 4x4), especially with the push-button auto 4 wheel drive, which always kicked in properly. Nurse the gas pedal and youll get decent (for a truck) gas milage with the 5.3L V8-- between 14 and 18 mpg on average. This is phenomenal compared with my old truck (9 to 10 mpg on a 7.4L 454 V8).

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  great - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By pvfd320 - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I love the truck!