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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  Will Not Die - 2000 Chevrolet S-10
  By cole_dizzle - July 11 - 12:57 pm

  I have about 230,000 miles on mine. The transmission is starting to go on it, but it was a great little truck. I bought it for $5500 in 2006, with about 130,000 miles, and have been pretty hard on it since then, with no major repairs. Very pleased.

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  2011 Chevy Equinox: A review - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By timmyg14 - July 11 - 12:21 pm

  In December of 2009 I bought my wife an 08 Trailblazer. It was awesome. It was perfect for vacations (we go camping alot in the Adirondacks) it could pull a boat, and was a beast in the snow. In March of 2011, my wife would not stop complaining about gas mileage of the Trailblazer, thus we traded it in for a 2011 Equinox.

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  Great Suv - 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
  By jgot - July 10 - 3:29 am

  We bought our 2003 ls suburban after dumping our horrible 1996 Ford Windstar van. The suburban had about 30k miles on it. It now has 120k miles on it and we have had no major problems with the vehicle at all. We love this truck. The gas milage is actually not bad we get around 18mpg.

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  Amazing - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By bubikon - July 6 - 8:13 pm

  OK, it is not a vehicle to be reviewed like all others, i.e. zero to 60, handling, Corinthian leather, etc. It is just a completely different concept of driving a car. The thrill exists because it uses virtually no gasoline, unless you drive over 40 miles. Even then it seemlessly transfers to a 35 mpg Chevrolet. But the fun is keeping it in electric and Chevrolet has a wonderful panoply of buttons and dials for your pleasure to fiddle your way to quiet, electric bliss. The average person fills up about every month, and now I get 15 mpg in everyday use. This is the perfect car for the two car commuter family. Fit and finish are adequate and the style is Prius modern, but who cares.

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  more fun to look at than to drive! - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro
  By camarra - July 6 - 9:36 am

  I rented this car for 10 days and put 1400 miles on it. I found it extremely comfortable to drive, however, the visibility issue is really bad and it was good that this model came with a backup camera! I didnt feel that the acceleration was all that impressive but it did have a lot of get up and go. I felt that the interior was fairly well laid out, but hard to get used to - I would have had to use the manual to figure out many of the features and Im pretty computer literate. I dont particularly like the holographic speedometer display which reads out your current speed in the windshield in front of you. I dont know, for instance, if theres a way to turn this off.

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  Disappointing Gas Mileage (not as advertised) - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By gibby9 - July 4 - 4:07 pm

  My wife and I purchased this vehicle largely due to the advertised 28Cty41Hwy mpg (CDA Transport rating). I immediately noticed a large discrepancy and contacted GM who advised me of a normal 6000 mile break-in period. After several subsequent contacts with GM and trips to the dealership (no trouble indicators), there have been only slight improvements. After 18000 miles I am getting only approx. 75% of advertised mpg. GM rep stated that a 10-15% discrepancy is "normal" and basically admitted that the rating was likely unattainable except in ideal conditions. Why then does GM advertise the rating if it knows it to be false?. After reading numerous reviews, poor mileage is a common complaint!

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  Love My Yellow Cav - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By kimmy03cav - July 1 - 10:39 am

  I love my little Cavalier. It has gotten me from A to B everyday since day one in 2003 when I drove it off the lot. When I first brought her home, I had numerous little problems, bad wiring harnesses that blew my blinkers out weekly, rusty roters that caused a pulsation, blew my speakers too but, In 8 years the only major problem was a fuel pump after owning it for 7 years and 110k. Its peppy for a 4 cly. 2.2 automatic. Best car ever! I lover it and I dont want to sell her but I need room for little ones.

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  Disappointing MPG - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By vgehts - June 30 - 1:48 pm

  The onboard computer doesnt calculate MPG correctly. Based on records Ive been keeping for the past five fill ups I am getting on average 2.5 MPG less than what the computer tells me. Each fill up is pretty much in that same 2.5 MPG ballpark. So instead of getting 32 MPG on 90% highway driving and 10% city, Im really only getting 29.5 MPG.

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  wish I could drive it - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By crank_shaft23 - June 28 - 8:21 pm

  I like cavaliers and its ran in my family some lasted forever or up intill it got totaled, so I bought my first cavalier, a 01 coup with a 2.2 automatic. drove it home 60 miles drove it to the store and back about 50 miles drove it to the dmv 25. Damn overheated and blew a head gasket didnt even have it for 3 days yet and blew the head gasket. other then that it was fun when it wasnt broken.

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  Seat belt trouble - 2011 Chevrolet Traverse
  By cmca - June 27 - 2:48 pm

  Has anyone else had problems with the seat belt in the middle row breaking. After only 63,000 miles on my 2009 traverse, the seat belt broke. Chevy wont fix cause it is out of warranty. what kind of seat belt breaks with only 63,000 miles on a car. Glad I was not in a wreck!!!