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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  Excellent Performance/MPG Balance - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By 5th_mazda - August 19 - 10:49 pm

  This car is really fun to drive. We have the six speed and it really excellerates through each shift especially just above 3000 rpm when you can feel the turbo come on. We have also been pleased with the local driving gas mile of 33-34mpg but I was looking forward to see what we would get taking daughter to college. Just got back and were very pleased! Fully loaded on trip down averaging 65-70mph on first tank 39.6mpg, second tank ave 75-78mph got 36.4 and then on way back with just two of us on first tank ave 75-78 40.8mpg and second tank ave 65-68mph 43.2mpg. I think this is great for a car that is not a hybred and does not look like a hybred! US owned and made - nice job!

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  Nice Truck !!! - 2011 Chevrolet Colorado
  By bonharbor - August 18 - 6:06 am

  1600 miles on it and quite satisfied so far. I pulled a small pop-up trailer less than 100 miles and I was very impressed by the trailering aspects of the vehicle. The gas mileage was 14.5 per gal on the round trip. In summary good value, good looking black truck.

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  Wife loves it - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By mike600 - August 17 - 6:06 pm

  we wanted to downsize into a better gas mileage car.. we choice the cruze for several reasons. we like what GM did, I love the leg room, we liked the spec on gas mileage, it had the heated leather seat opt, in which most of the smaller cars dont have (in the price range)... etc. It drives very nice on the highway.. two long trips so far. one 600 miles to Dallas, and one to southern Colorado... Maintains speed up hills.... to early to tell about the Build Qual and reliability so I gave it a 4... based off other GM cars I have owned... which have been 3.5s-4s

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  Very dependable - 1999 Chevrolet Venture
  By grannytaxi - August 17 - 5:25 pm

  We have had a 1999 Venture for 8 years and have only had one major expenditure with it. It has nearly 170,000 miles now. It runs like a top and is getting better gas mileage (20-26 mpg) than when we first got it.

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  Great Truck - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By caseyredfox - August 13 - 11:18 pm

  I bought my Chevy Colorado in 2004 with 3 miles on it and now 7 years later have 116XXX and climbing, I have driven my truck like I stole it since the day I bought it. I have added a few performance things to the engine but have never done any major overhauls yet. Main thing with these trucks is to do the maintenance as scheduled, and they do have problems with the blower motors but that is an easy fix.

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  awesome when it starts - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By goin2bluoval - August 10 - 4:39 pm

  My 2008 cobalt sport sedan looks great...I get 37 to 52 mpg inst...this car has a ignition problem that GM ignores. Summer days are worse for this car, you can turn the key constantly, over an over or leave it until the steering column cools off, then it will start...thus, this is not a family car. Its only for going staight to work and back. Do not buy a cobalt. Auto trans.

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  Love it...but oh my! - 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By garihee - August 9 - 7:48 pm

  Love this car for its great lines, 350, availability of aftermarket parts and its ability to move in the snow. Unfortunately, were on our 4th transmission this one a warranty replacement for the new one we put in when the second one went south. The next time it eats a set of rotors Im going to spend some real money and buy a pair that should last. Theres also a sensor in the power steering that goes sour routinely and makes for some exciting wheel play on snow and ice and is in fact, a serious liability. Anyway, glad to have mine and no intention of letting it go its one of tomorrows classics!

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  Thank God for a good dealership - 2009 Chevrolet HHR
  By 1badstroker - August 7 - 11:29 am

  Bought my 2009 HHr in 4/10 and it has had more problems that all my cars I owned in 40 plus years. The pass. side power windows quit after about 4 weeks of ownership and the drivers side front and rear floors were wet. This water caused the wires to corrode and the ecm to go out which caused the windows to get no power. The dealer fixed this under good will. Then after that the dealer fixed another short and then after a time the key would not come out of the ignition. The dealer replaced the shifter and the ignition switch and that has corrected the problem. Since then I had to replace the battery and front brakes. All good now.

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  Fun, Fun, Fun - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro
  By rbeasley - August 3 - 10:45 am

  Bought a 1LT auto, with sunroof. I am over 60 and this car makes me feel young like when I had my 67 when I was 22. This car has a solid feel. The V6 is very quick. I average between 24 -28 MPG in mixed driving. Ride is good and better than the 2011 Mustang I test drove. Backing up is not great because of the view, but with the backup camera in the 2012 that will help. This car also gets the looks, people are always looking at it.

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  Best truck ever - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By ronnies - July 26 - 2:00 pm

  I own a 2002 S10 LS extended cab 4wd, and have since purchasing it used in September 2004. At the time of purchase, it had 26k and now has 98k. I service it regularly and have never had any issues other than the tires,brakes, battery that you will have with any vehicle. I have had the check engine light come on twice, and both times the thermostat needing replacing to process the emissions better. I have given thought to purchasing a larger truck with more interior space, but the truck just wont give me a reason to do so. I have offers to buy it constantly, but its a member of the family. We also own a 2011 Equinox which we love also, but if its just wife and I, we take the S10