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:

• 

  My Cavalier - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By JoeinSand - June 22 - 2:00 am

  So far my experiene is great. It may lack some features other cars have in that makeket, but I love the over all look of my Cavalier. I have the base model w/ the sport pakage. Its much better than my last Dodge Neon or Nissian Sentra.

• 

  NICE LOOKING - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By KIMOLAND - June 22 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car in 2003, started hearing the wind from the drivers side, took it to a dealer they said it was the door. They wouldnt fix it because we didnt buy it from there. over all, it is a nice car, we got a great deal on it. Gas milage is not as Vhevy claimed, only makes about 23-26 range not 34MPG. Low profile tires made it so attached to the ground and handles better. a little loud engine from inside, not as bad from the outside.

• 

  RATTLES - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By gerald shokes - June 21 - 2:00 am

  VERY COMFORTABLE ON LONG TRIPS WITH LARGE LOAD CAPACITIES. ROAD MILAGE IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE EVERYDAY AROUND TOWN MILAGE. DRIVABILITY IS EXCELLENT. HANDLING IS EXCELLENT. POWER IS EXCELLENT. WORRY ABOUT THE TRANS. ,DUE TO MY SON HAS AREADY HAD TO REPLACE HIS 98 TAHOE TRANS. AT 50K MILES.ONLY USE MOBILE ONE OIL WITH NO LEAKS AND PRESENTLY HAVE 80K MILES ON MY SUBURBAN SINCE PURCHASED. DRIVES DOOR RATTLES GOING OVER BUMPS AT ANY SPEED, SUSPECT LOOSE AUTO WINDOW MECH.

• 

  Malibu for who? - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Big Blue Malibu - June 21 - 2:00 am

  Great Handling Great Riding AND fUN to Drive.Very thoughtful features like fold down rear seats-the latches are in the trunk.But beware of the electrical system 3 weeks after driving the car the power steering quit! Entire steering column had to be replaced-and the cd skips and the cruise control does not work properly-hopefully dealer will be able to fix the cd and cruise.

• 

  My Suburban - 2004 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Ktdrt - June 21 - 2:00 am

  I have to say that the Chevy Suburban is an all around good SUV. The Options package I have is the "Ducks Unlimited". Had a lot of small problems in the beginning like the locks kept popping out of place, and service engine soon light kept coming on. But overall, is a great SUV. Of course its a gas hog. But.......

• 

  25k so far - 2003 Chevrolet S-10
  By Tb917 - June 20 - 2:00 am

  The truck is great Looking and turns heads. The ZR2 is a great factory off road package. It has the power, and the 4.3 runs strong. In my experience i am very disappointed in the gas mileage, the EPA estimates arent close to what i get. I can match the EPA driving like a grandmother (not exaggerating) but if you give the gas more than a touch watchs your fuel needle. Definatley not for a heavy foot, although it does have the power and "get up and go" for passing and when you need it. The torque is great and more than the new Colorado. The tires in later 2003 models were changed to crappy general ameritracs rather than the previous BFG ATs. GM cuts corners

• 

  Truck - 2001 Chevrolet S-10
  By Darwinynigal - June 20 - 2:00 am

  Needs bigger tires

• 

  Good Work Truck - 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
  By Sean - June 19 - 12:30 pm

  Ive driven this truck almost exclusively on gravel and dirt roads in Iraq. This truck has plenty of torque and loads of hp. It has an awesome exhaust note. The Iraqi army is also using these trucks to supplement their HMMWVs. Rear seat could use some more leg room, its hard to get out of the back.

• 

  Love it, but - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By Mike Washburn - June 19 - 2:13 am

  I bought this car for the economy after owing an SUV gas guzzler, I was not disappointed! Gets between 25 and 32 mpg. I have a shake in the car though that the dealer has not been able to get out after 5 visits and two new sets of tires. Love the car but hate the shake, seems like a quality control issue.

• 

  A loaded truck for once - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By scott - June 18 - 5:33 am

  This truck replaced a 91 S10 2wd that was bought new and was faithful its whole life but the rust finally deemed the little truck a loss. This time 4wd and extended cab were musts and this truck was sitting there waiting for us with 27k on the clock and clean as can be. As you can imagine the difference between the 2 is huge and this brute makes you king of the road with the height, the 5.3 under the hood, and these leather seats that Id never think would be in a Chevy pickup. This truck is wonderful and with a couple personal touches it will probably be in the family until it turns to dust.