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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  Get your rotors checked - 2001 Chevrolet Impala
  By Chevy fan? - May 1 - 2:00 am

  This car looks,drives and performs great. However, the trips for warrenty work are killing me. The brake rotors are just one item. The brake pedel was pulsating starting at 30K and all 4 rotors were replaced at 34K. there is a technical bullitin out that the rotors are covered under the bumper to bumper warrenty. Dont let them talk you into "turning" them. At 19K miles the air conditioning required repair. First new GM product Ive owned, see the additional items for warrenty, makes me want to go out and get another one. Lets see, steering shaft, broken motor mount, cracked gage glass, faulty trunk light switch.

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  2wd reg cab 5 cyl - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By dgibb - May 1 - 2:00 am

  have the inline 5 (not listed in the above pull down menu) uncomfortabl seats engine noise in cab very high cheap looking interior features lousy radio speakers

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  Good vehicle, bad customer service - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Darras - May 1 - 12:43 am

  Mileage wise this vehicle gets about what it advertises. Im getting around 22-23mpg in the city. Havent had a chance to take it on a road trip yet, so I cant speak for the highway mileage. My major complaint is that I ordered a cargo shade upon my purchase and after nearly 2 months its still on back order, and no one can tell me when I can expect it. I called GM and they contacted a dealership that had a cargo shade in KC, MO and the customer who ordered that cargo shade had to wait from July till Dec. If you want an accessory upon purchase then forget getting it in a reasonable amount of time. This bad experience has made me feel the car was not worth buying.

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  Good Truck, but... - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Matt - April 30 - 7:36 pm

  I purchased new in late 03. Has been a very good truck for me. About 1000 miles a year I would tow loads that are 75% of max according to the tech manual. No issues on engine or trans for 50k miles. In fact, it towed like a dream. At 53k miles I lost my transmission. No excessive driving or cliff jumping. It broke without warning coming out of a church parking lot and costs me $3k to replace the entire transmission. IMHO there’s no excuse for a transmission to break at 53k miles. Truck is out of warranty so the cost is on me. Chevy dealership says, “so sorry. What a rare oddity to lose a trans at 53k miles”. I’ll remember that at trade-in time.

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  My Corsica - 1996 Chevrolet Corsica
  By naa0001 - April 30 - 2:00 am

  It was a solid car - took it through hell and back and its still kicking at nearly 200K miles. Not expensive, not much to look at but it will get you to where you need to go.

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  vvviiiibbbbrrraaattttiiiioooonnnnn - 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Humpf - April 29 - 10:00 am

  I too have had a problem with vibration in the stearing column. I purchased it used and took it to the local dealer (under warranty) who said they fixed it. To this day I still hear the vibration!!!!! )*^$#)+*!* I took it in again, and they said they would have to "really look into it" to find the problem. Hmmmm. Seems to be a common problem, but also a service departement flake-out.

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  never a venture again - 1997 Chevrolet Venture
  By neverventureagain - April 28 - 2:00 am

  bought in Jan 2001 with 67k miles. have grown to hate it quickly. the power sliding door had 2 recalls and still doesnt work right. Now have a recall for steering. Dexcool turns to mud, and the dealer will flush it out for nearly 400.00. now, with 97,000 miles on it,we have a new transmission. Dexcool turned to mud again. Jiffy Lube flushed it 5 times to and would not put dexcool in. They insisted on standard green anti-freeze. it works. had to replace both headlamps. seems the covers are known to fall off after so many years. had to replace both rear signal units. condensation got in and shorted them out. This thing is a money draining nightmare.

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  Super New Chevy - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Herbert H.Harris - April 27 - 10:00 am

  Impressive. Very solid. Performance is impressive as it breaks in.. Quick...reminds me of my 1970 BMW2002, performs that well, handles superb, ride excellent, impressive for the price.,,,Excellent, Superb build quality,,tight, nicve.ready for my first oil change..

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  Wind Noise! - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Merleal2 - April 27 - 10:00 am

  Very nice little truck to knock around town, but dont get it out on the highway over 60mph without ear plugs as it sounds like you were caught in a wind storm (outside standard cab noise) Dealer replaced windshield without much if any help. Local dealer admitted some have already traded in standard cab models because of the wind noise and said "I dont see how the engineers missed this" Brochure for LS model claims 6 radio speaker but I can find only 4.

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  Comfort - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Winner - April 27 - 10:00 am

  When Sitting in Drivers Seat, It is fairly Hard and close to the door frame, which hits you in the shoulder. Otherwise Nice Car