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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  Could be better - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By ihateteeth - August 25 - 7:27 am

  My first foray into US manufacturer territory. So far the Cruze has been good but not without faults. Im not big by any means but the seats just arent wide enough. The air con is poor at best and not up to Florida summers. The bluetooth works when it wants to (rarely), and that old "gas mileage" thing. Not as good as I was lead to believe. In fact its getting worse rather than improving with time as Chevy suggests it should. Like the styling, particularly the front, and the car feels well built. The way the auto shift suddenly moves down when slowing is rather alarming though. Something I could do without. Would I purchase another? Probably not.

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  MPG - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By impala0169 - August 24 - 6:18 pm

  Just a not for some complaining about there MPG. Watch your driving habits. I have corrected mine and it makes a difference. Stopping and starting at stop lights. I watch mine and just got back from a 1000 mile trip.I wrote down my speeds and what the control said I was getting. On the interstate at 69mph I was getting 28.3mpg. On a stretch of road off the interstate where I drove at 58 and got 36.3. Both were flat roads and both were at no stopping for almost a hour on each road. The entire trip gave me 29.3 mpg with 90 % of miles on hwy and the rest city. Now you know you stop and go alot.Thats where you should study your habits. I have the same thing with the transmission jer

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  Middle East Oil=0 USA=100!!! - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By dsinned - August 21 - 7:14 pm

  If you frequently drive short distances and/or have a minimal commute, this car is a definite WINNER!!! You may NEVER need to fill up on gas again! Technologically, the Volt is leading edge state of the art. Charging the high tech battery is effortless. I heard the Volts Lithium Ion battery can be recharged 5000 times before wearing it out if once per day, every day of the year, that means this battery should last at least 13 years. However, GM provides a 15year/150k warranty for good measure! Tax incentives are going fast. It is easy to get over sticker shock because a Chevy Volt is an OUTSTANDING investment!!!

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  So far, so good - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By lashacotton - August 20 - 2:50 pm

  I just purchased my Impala SS with just 33K miles on it. I have driven the car for three days and the gas mileage has been great. This car offers a smooth quiet ride. The only thing that I am kind of disappointed in is the side view mirrors, they are not extended from the car enough and makes it kinda difficult to see what is besides you in either direction. Also because of how the body it shaped, it can also be a little difficult to see what is behind you.

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  Chevy Cruze 2012 - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By wildcatmom - August 20 - 6:46 am

  Fantastic car! I really like it. It seems a little snug at first but anything that it might lack in comfort it more than makes up for on the road. Gas mileage is unbelieveable and it handles well. Not like the 4 cylinders I remember from way-back-when.....definitely check this car out before you buy a any other!

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  like a dream... with a nightmare - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By kaytebug22 - August 20 - 1:07 am

  the passlock security system on this car has caused me nothing but trouble!! while edmunds review refers to the "float" like handling of this car as a bad thing, its one of my favorite features. i love the way my impala rides! and i travel across the country for a 900 mile each direction trip 1-2 times per year and a few 300 mile ea way trips too... and its a comfortable a ride over any other vehicle i have traveled in.

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  His and Hers - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By ckmolina - August 18 - 4:31 pm

  My husband and I both own the 2005 aveo. His has 11500 miles on it and mine has 11300 miles on it. I drive the hatchback LS and he drives the sedan LT. We have driven from Missouri to California and back with no problems. Both of our daylight running lamps have quit working reliably, both the dashlight indicator and the lights themselves. We havent gotten them fixed, instead we just turn on the headlights. Just recently we have had a problem with the sedan overheating. We are still trying to fix that one. The hatchback has had no major issues.

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  Love our Malibu - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kielu84 - August 13 - 5:51 pm

  My girlfriend and I bought a used 08 LTZ with 57K miles. So far it has been a good vehicle with no problems. Everything works as it should except we did have to have some work done on the front suspension. New struts, strut mounts, intermediate steering shaft, and some seals that were causing fluid to leak. The seals were covered under the 5 yr 100k powertrain warranty and the rest was under the extended warranty that came with the car. So far, its great. It rides nice, gets great mpg (2.4L 4 CYL), is comfortable and stylish. The ower before us said he and his wife never had issues with it and they were the original purchaser. I noticed there is no LTZ 2.4L option for writing this review...

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  Great car with great MPG but if you have manual watch out for cultch problems - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By smbaylor - August 7 - 11:33 am

  My husband and I bought this car on May 31st 2012. We love this car it gets great gas mileage which was perfect for us with my husband being in the National Guard and has to drive over an hour for every drill weekend and with both of us being full time college students. Saving this much money is gas every month if great. The one problem we did have with the car is that when I drove the car to Peoria which is an hour and a half from our home it broke down about 10 miles from where I was going. I had the car set on cruse on the highway and all of a sudden the RPMs shot up and the speed started going down quickly. Mind you both my husband and I learned to drive with a manual transmission so

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  2010 to 2012 2WD Colorado Crew Cab LT2 Z71 - 2012 Chevrolet Colorado
  By nickz71 - August 3 - 11:13 am

  I have owned 2 Chevy Colorado Crew Cabs starting with an 05 LS Crew Cab and 2.8L engine and a 2010 Crew Cab with 3.7L engine. Both were 2WD. My family and I have found this configuration to be more useful and appealing than the purchase of a compact SUV. The reason I write this is because besides the great service and reliability, the new 3.7L in 2WD actually gets as good or better than the 2.8L. We routinely drive 330 mi. each way to a family cabin. On three recent trips (May, June, July) we got 26.3, 26.5, and 26.7 mpg on one leg. This was with AC on or off. It just confuses me how some say this truck get no better mpg than full size trucks. It gets 17-19 city and 24 to +26 highway.