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:

• 

  Its a truck not a Car-a-van - 1993 Chevrolet Astro
  By JabbaDaddy - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Bought used from Dealer and have never regretted it. The 93s rattle here and there and have a stiff truck like ride, but we wanted and got a solid Chevy truck, not a wimpy half breed Car-a- van. When you need the power with the 4.3 it will put you back against the seat. Great for towing a boat and utility trailer. This year we changed the original fuel filter and battery. Replaced exhaust once and had new brakes and shocks 2 years ago. Thats it. Still gets close to 25 mpg on freeway @ 60 and on cruise. 147,000 miles and going strong. Wouldnt be surprised to see her top 250 before its ready to scrap heap. We love our Astro!

• 

  Review - 2000 Chevrolet Astro
  By Info - April 5 - 2:00 am

  This is a great vehicle. Very comfortable, roomy, and dependable.

• 

  my poor poor cor...sica - 1995 Chevrolet Corsica
  By bugout - April 4 - 2:00 am

  Bought as program car in 1996, never had problems until last winter. I let the catalyt convertor go bad-in turn causing major engine failure. Wish I would have taking better care of my poor,poor, cor...sica.

• 

  Manual Z28 Camaro - 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
  By LatinoXX49 - April 4 - 2:00 am

  In my opinion, chevrolet makes one of the best cars. An exxample of one of these excellent cars is my Z28. I have never had such a reliable car with such amazing power and performance, not to mention the beauty of its body. My car has driven me everywhere and has not given me one problem yet

• 

  Consider this little SUV - 2001 Chevrolet Tracker
  By MikeinMO - April 4 - 2:00 am

  A well engineered little SUV and a lot of fun to drive.It will grow on you.No problems-26 mpg on the freeway and about 23 overall.I got 4wd, but consider the ABS instead.Id recommend the 4 cyl mated with the manual-save $4,000 and sacrifice towing and smoothness but make it up in fun (adventure) and economy.The 4 door wagon isnt huge, but more storage than a lot of station wagons.If youre looking for a practical and reliable SUV that will actually handle off road situations, you owe it to yourself to consider the Tracker.CR has been down on it despite good reliability an crash test results-its time for people to recognize the Trackers strong points given $15,000 price.

• 

  Wow - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By don - April 3 - 2:36 am

  Ive had my HHR for only a week now but have logged about 300 miles. The 2.2 motor has enough power to get around and gets outstanding fuel econ. Im avgering 25 mpg in western PA! The price was right, I would recomend it to any family member, (this is coming from a Dodge man). Chevy has restored my confidence in GM vehicles.

• 

  not a bad ride for the money - 1991 Chevrolet Lumina
  By jmar - April 3 - 2:00 am

  I just bought my 91 Lumina Euro sedan w/ the sport package. I pretty much just use it to get to work and it seems to be a decent buy so far. It has a nice ride, is roomy enough and has plenty of torque. Some negatives, the build quality is not all that great. The interior door panels feel like they will come off any day now. It is loud from the exhaust and also road/wind noise is a bit excessive. I have read that the rear brakes should be checked often and that the charging system is weak. Overall, this is a good car that you wont be embarrased to drive and can actually be fun to drive if you dont mind some fairly minor quality issues.

• 

  A great car! - 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Jake123123123 - April 3 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car! It gets a bad rap from the people at consumer reports because of its reliability, safety, and resell value, but they clearly dont have their prioities straight. The bucket seats lock you in when you blast off in this 275 hp performance car. A rocking bose stereo comes standard. Its loud, and you really feel the road - just like it should be. I love this car!

• 

  My Sunburst Orange Cobalt LT - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By maverickkat - April 2 - 1:06 pm

  When I went to the dealership to pick up my Cobalt I was unsure of what color I wanted, but when I saw the orange it was mine. I left the dealership with three miles on my car. I have had a few problems with my car. I have had to have the windsheild replaced as well as the shifter and had to have some body work done. The windshield has no weather stripping so moisture gets underneath. The keys to my car would get stuck in the ignition so the whole shifting unit had to be replaced. As for the body work the headlights on my car were not lined up properly so the bumper was rubbing on the headlights causeing the paint to scrape off my bumper.

• 

  Good, Reliable Car - 1996 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Joshua Krause - April 2 - 2:00 am

  We (my family) have owned this car since brand new. It has 35,000 miles on it and it runs perfect and has never had a problem. We had the front brake pads replaced at 32,000, but this is all we had done except for routine maintence. It is fun to drive and is one of the best built cars Ive driven.