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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  Good and bad points - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By chrisco716 - September 5 - 2:28 pm

  Have owned 2011 LT2 Equinox for about a year and a half. Bought it new. The Good - Nice looking and drives pretty well. Comfortable for passengers. Good options like heated seats, power everything including automatic opening tailgate. AWD. Nice computer. The Bad - Does not achieve expected mileage. We consistently average a little over 19 mpg in mixed driving conditions. Only about 24 mpg highway. Drivers seat uncomfortable... I have to put a rolled up towel in the bottom back to keep from getting back pains. The Ugly - Its a dog driving in the mountains or even getting up to highway speeds. The automatic transmission also seems a bit rough when accelerating hard.

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  not bad - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By thisguy3 - September 5 - 2:14 pm

  Recived this car with 95000 miles from family member, and have a mostly possitive experience. The V6 has plenty of low end torque, so much that we used to use it as a pickup for lumber and things, steering has very good feel for a minivan, although is a bit heavy at low speeds, and is fairly comfortable.

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  6 Month Update - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By cruzefan1 - September 4 - 3:56 pm

  I purchased my 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco automatic on 3/2/2012 so I thought I would give a 6 month update. So far I have had no reliability issues. The car is fairly quiet and rides smooth for a small car. The interior is very roomy and more upscale then some of the competition. I have been avg. 35-36 mpg with 75% highway and 25% city driving. There are a few things that could be improved, being very minor. The first being to make the center consel a little larger and a bigger arm rest. Second would be a little more legroom for larger adults in the backseat. Finally, the transmission seems to be a little sleepy and searching for gears.

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  I miss mine - 1997 Chevrolet Blazer
  By speedboy3000 - August 30 - 12:40 pm

  This was my second car, and it was the best thing a kid could have. Its 4x4 system got me anywhere and everywhere I wanted to go, places that none of my friends could get to. Loyal, trustworthy, and a real blast. And by real blast, I mean literally. Going over a mountain pass, it threw a rod. Unfortunately replacing the engine would cost as much as the car was worth, so I had to part with it. I researched if this was a regular problem, and to no avail. This was a fluke. It was a great vehicle and only wearing parts had to be replaced. I would get another in good condition in a heart beat.

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  No issuse until now - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By nickstjl - August 29 - 8:27 pm

  I was given my 09 impala as a graduation gift from my grandmother just a few months ago and it was a perfectly fine car until last week, im not sure if other people have these problems but I do and i makes me wanna sell the car at this point. First sometimes the key wont turn i have to physically move the steering wheel and push up in the shifter thing behind the steering wheel and then it will start, and the other problem i experience is that if I am waiting at a light or a stop sign for more then 10 seconds and i go to press the gas the break pedal sticks and the car revs up and burns gas. And when it dooes this the check engine light comes on for a split second, anyone else like this?

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  Best small truck money can buy - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By dougdangelo - August 29 - 1:29 pm

  My friends and I have owned s10s since we were old enough to drive. I bought my 02 s10 for $3800.00 with 168k on the odo. Since that time it has towed my boats, pulled trucks 3 times its size off the beach, been loaded with 1500 lbs of concrete blocks for home improvement projects, spent a good deal of time off roading in the hills of KY, and all the while took me an additional 72,000 miles. I have now passed the truck to my brother who uses it every day. I cant say enough good things about it. It is completely bulletproof. There is a good reason you see so many of these things on the road to this day. There is nothing on the road today that posesses the rugged simplicity of the S10.

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  Best Purchasing Decision I Ever Made - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By ratrbridin - August 26 - 6:02 pm

  For the first time in my life, I have made a WISE decision when purchasing a new vehicle. I was very skeptical giving up my truck and buying an "Economy Car." Im 6 215lbs, but my new career has me driving a personal vehicle to make sales calls. I am overly impressed with my Cruz Eco. Very stylish, and the biggest surprise is from the 1.4L Turbo. It is very responsive and I am AVERAGING 35MPG, with my best score on the highway being 42.6MPG. I thought I would be embarrassed to drive an economy car. Chevrolet has made a believer out of me, however. I love this car and would and am recommending it to all my friends and associates. Way to go Chevy.

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  A lot of fun - 1999 Chevrolet Tracker
  By steadc - August 26 - 3:50 pm

  I bought my Tracker for my first car and I learned how to drive manual on it. Its so much fun to drive and I get pretty good gas mileage. The only thing thats had to be replaced is the clutch and soon to be the tires and top.

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  06 Cobalt LT automatic - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By jflowers1 - August 26 - 2:00 pm

  Very nice car but have had some problems along the way. We bought the car used with about 80k miles a little over a year ago. So far we have had to put an air conditioner compressor, steering stabalizers, and now fuel injectors in it. Little more than expected but still a good car. If your considering buying, try to find a good cheap mechanic bc these problems and more will arise most likely especially when you look at reviews for anyone that has had the car for a bit. There was a recall for the fuel injectors but the recall didnt cover our VIN number which is rediculous, it has all the same signs and symptoms listed, they just dont want to fix it.

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  Proud owner of 2005 Rally Yellow SS/SC Cobalt - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By jason2012 - August 25 - 10:18 am

  I dont know what the hell you people are talking about, i guess u dont know how to take care of a car. MY COBALT was bought in july 2005, only issue i ever had with it was my 2 gear, gearbox, BECAUSE i was petal to the metal, of course it was under warranty at the time and was fix beautiful. another thing, nothing big was the molding around the sunroof button, came off when racing a crxgsr turbo LOL, was fix and never came off. Thats About it RIGHT NOW i got 140k miles on it and it runs PerfecT! I sugguest u people learn how to warm up ur car and maintain it well. sounds to me u are a bunch of retards. BTW this is GM expect Speed not Need lmao. GREAT car its Paid Off And WIll be kept!!