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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  Cobalt LS 2dr - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Kevin - April 24 - 5:33 pm

  My Cobalt has been a decent car for the past 6000 miles Ive driven it. Gets great gas mileage! Only thing is now, the engine chugs between 2500 and 3500 rpm. Im going to take it in to check it out. The car has lots of trunk space, but has a very small trunk opening, so you can only fit rather small boxes into the trunk, which confuses me.

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  03 TB Ext, 94K miles, Original Owner - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By 03tbext - April 24 - 5:17 pm

  Had this from day one. Just had dealer replace the exhaust manifold ($100 cost to me, could have beem $770). Cracking of the manifold is common, rear of the O2 sensor. If you smell exhaust under the hood when cold and freshly started, as well as a strange noise that clears up in 3-5 minutes, you have the problem. GM covered this up to 8 years and 80K miles for free, I was lucky to get for $100. Thanx GM :) Replaced all four antisway links myself, easy (gets rid of clunking when going over bumps). Also had to replace all four brake rotors and pad sets. Very happy with the Rugged Trail T/As, 94K mi. on the remaining orig. pair. Installed K&N cold air intake kit, no diff in econ.

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  07 Cobalt LS - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By ken - April 23 - 6:13 am

  Cobalt LS 4dr with no options. With almost 4 months and 5000 miles, I think this is going to be great commuter car. 31-34 mpg mostly highway commute to work. Great AC and adequate radio/CD/mp3. Comfortable front seats and adequate rear seat room. Big trunk. Added aftermarket cruise (really just expensive switch), factory servo controls are already there. Plastic wheel covers and small tires will be replaced with alloy wheels and bigger tires when appropriate.

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  Our Sand Nox - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By CLKrause - April 22 - 12:20 pm

  Fun to drive, decent mileage but could be a little better. Love the way it handles, pickup and room in the interior. Love the 5 speed tranny, always keeps you in power band and passes easily at all speeds Looks of a Lexus 330 SUV but the price of a Chevy and we are a Chevy family. Great stereo w mp3 player

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  2002 Cavalier LS - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By alrosu - April 22 - 10:00 am

  So far so good. Ive had 2 oil changes so far, one at the dealer and another at a local place in town, and both have overfilled my oil by at least 1/2 a quart.

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  I am sold - 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By JimboH55 - April 22 - 10:00 am

  I have been a suburban buyer for years. I went to the dealership that I always deal with. Drove the new suburban and was ready to purchase. For the heck of it my bud who I deal with all the time ask me to test drive the Avalanche. I was sold once I got into it. Had all the comfort, power, and drove better than the burb. The next day I returned to purchased the Avalanche after driving them both again. Trust me the looks will grow on you.We have had some very strong storms this spring in MO no leaks. If your a burb user like I was. You use the back half more to haul cargo than passengers. Need to look at the Avalanche.

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  Back in America - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By Johnny - April 21 - 7:16 am

  Selected an LT for a company car, having driven two personally owned Nissan Maximas the last several years. I drive for business use and put approximately 40000 miles a year on a car. I had a choice of two Dodge products, a Toyota Camry, and the Impala. Selected the Impala mainly for color choices and enjoyed a rented 06 while in Seattle. After one week and 1200 miles later, I have been pleasantly surprized by the quality and comfort of the car. Its not the sporty car Im used too, but not bad.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Jim LaMaster - April 18 - 12:08 pm

  My wifes 2011 Cruze LT has been a wonderful car for her. It was purchased in October of 2010 and one of the first Cruzes sold in the U.S. We had some safety issues to begin with such as a faulty gas line and a passenger seat that would not recognize the passenger and therefore not turn on the air bag. But once this was resolved (GM and the dealer made it a priority to resolved these issues pronto) it has been a very reliable car. The car is spunky for the little 4 cylinder it has, thanks to the turbo, gas mileage is very good and I recommend the Cruze to folks as it has been good to us.

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  05 Maxx - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By Canuck44 - April 15 - 1:23 am

  I have 140,000km on mine and have had a few problems, I have done the front brakes twice and they need it again, the rear hatch light went on the fritz and started blowing fuses, the intermediate steering shaft needed to be relubed (clunking in corners), the DVD player doesnt play 1/2 of the DVDs out there, the rear wiper stripped and now the rear seat belts detach when I tension the seat belt when installing child seats. I use the UAS instead and am going to install a new one to see if it is any better. Other than that the car has been pretty good, good combination of power and mileage.

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  2006 HHR Review - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Tim - April 13 - 5:46 pm

  Although I like the overall looks and performance of my HHR, I am totally disappointed with the various electrical issues I had to put up with during the cold weather months this past winter. Issues with HVAC lights blinking on and off, battery going dead three different times for no reason, rear wiper motor have to be replaced for intermittent operation,windows that freeze and will not open after car has been warmed up for 45 minutes and last but not the very leaset, snow and ice build up at the front door which rubs the paint when opening the door. With all this said, I plan on replacing this car after driving for just 10,000 miles and I was a loyal GM owner for over 30 years.