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:

• 

  Nice family van -- so issues - 2005 Chevrolet Venture
  By thecatman - July 18 - 1:13 pm

  Got my van in Dec. 2009. I travel 12 miles on mostly a hilly expressway and get between 25 -26.5 per trip. Problems Ive had are the horn stops working because of a fuse. I replace it and then 2 months later it blows again. Also I wanted to get bucket seats for the middle row but Chevy changed the seat design on the 2005. As a result you can only interchange these seats with another 2005 and they are IMPOSSIBLE to find. Ive been trying for over a year. I have a side and middle seat and they are not comfortable on long trip. But I am happy with the van, rights nice, rattles a little but no major problems after 143,000 miles. I would buy another Venture only with bucket seats.

• 

  Work Car - 2012 Chevrolet Malibu
  By rlhinmi - July 16 - 7:37 am

  Recently my workplace replaced the 2009 Impala I had been driving with a 2012 Malibu. The exterior design looks more modern than the Impala, but the ride is much more stiff. The steering is very light, reminding me a little of the Buick my grandparents had in the 80s. The build quality seems good--solid Ka-thunk when doors close. Interior graphics for the trip computer and clock seem dated. The power adjustment for lumbar support is a nice touch. In 1500 miles of mostly highway driving the car has been getting 22.5 MPG with E85, which is required by my workplace.

• 

  Love it or hate it - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By carlover1996 - July 15 - 5:20 pm

  We bought our Malibu in April of 2010. In the beginning we absolutely loved our Malibu. After a few months of owning it problems/things we dislike began to appear. First, the 4 cyl is not enough for this car. It has devoloped a hesitation when hitting the gas (delayed for 1-2 seconds sometimes and is dangerous when trying to get out of the way!). Second, the seats are hard and uncomfortable for more than a half hour. They hardly have ANY padding and the backseat had no center armrest. Third is visability, its not horrible, but if you are around 5 feet tall you will have trouble or cannot use your mirrors. Other than these issues the car is a good overall car, but we are about to trade it in.

• 

  great value - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By jtaft - July 14 - 5:54 pm

  Got this car because it was roomy (Im 64") and a solid price - Ive owned since new, now have 42xxx miles on it - did have one warranty repair, had to replace the pass. side airbag, but other than that...no issues - the in car computer said I was averaging 26.5 mpg, I thought that was a little high, so I tracked it for a month myself and did the math, and I came up with 26.3, great milage with decent power...look, it doesnt handle the best, but its not a sports car, its not the most attractive car, but its not a caddy - this is just simply good, solid, reliable transportation at a great price - love this car and would buy again in a heartbeat.

• 

  i love my blazer 96 - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By blazer2979 - July 12 - 10:00 am

  i bought my blazer 4 days ago for 600 bucks i mean it pretty beat up but it still runs great for a 96 it has 140k miles and it has never had any real major stuff fix. i could brake down tomorrow and i could scrap it to get my money back. i love the power and suspension it takes turns great the oil in it hasnt been change in the last 7k miles so im going to flush that out. it starts on the turn of the key its an amazing car and i love it. i gets great gas milage for a suv too

• 

  Fun little car - 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By outdoorsy24 - July 9 - 2:23 pm

  I had this in highschool. It was fun, looked cool for the year, got great gas mileage, and never gave me any issues.

• 

  my equinox - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By min8828 - July 4 - 7:19 am

  i really happy with my equinox is 2005 and I bougth it in FL with 30.000 m , the only problem i m having is the i need to hit the gas pedal to start the engine , i have 129.000 miles now . its good suv .

• 

  Its an okay car. - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By dqirving - July 2 - 6:21 pm

  This car was my first car. It was a really beautiful gift! However, I got the car in early May and I live in Texas and my A/C never really worked (And my signal had issues). Roughly two weeks after getting the car the Power Steering went out on me. Then I get the car back and its been okay. The air still does not work and I havent had the car for two months yet. Im already trading it in because the dealers sold me a car that had problems that they werent willing to fix in the first place because it would cause the price to jack up and then it would be nearly impossible to sell. Overall, I loved driving that car and it got me to and from, but it was pretty small, being that it is a coupe.

• 

  2007 Impala LTZ - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By bdunmire - June 29 - 11:24 am

  I have owned my Impala LTZ for over a year now. Just before my full year was up I had to replace my stainless exhaust do to my mufflers rotting out on top. When I did that I noticed that my back tires where worn on the inside. I had tires replaced and was told my rear camber was out and could not be adjusted. I found out that GM fixed Impalas that had this problem only with the police package, under recall, so i order the part kit as there no difference between the those parts on my car and a police car. Now that I have those problems fixed I have no other issues. I do love this car it’s fun to drive, comfortable, and looks good. However I will not buy another GM vehicle after this one.

• 

  143K and counting - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By brennick - June 28 - 7:12 pm

  I dont know what all the bad press is on this car. I bought mine new in June of 2004 and have been totally pleased with it. It handles well, is quite peppy when Im by myself, and has incredible room both inside (amazing head room) and in the trunk. I get 27-28 mpg in town and have gone over 40 on the highway 40 when Im solo. With the 5 speed tranny it is a blast to drive in the mountains of Oregon and Idaho. I put a hitch on mine and can comfortably pull a small boat and still get in the low 30s for gas mileage. The only thing Ive done is replace the timing belt as routine maintenance and the water pump as my mechanic noticed it was starting to leak just a bit. I love this little car!