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:

• 

  Need bigger engine/more power - 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Cleo0243 - October 4 - 3:26 pm

  I purchased this car(4/6/2010) in great condition. 3.1 V6 - 119,000 miles-New firestone tires, great body and paint(gold), no leaks, leather, interior also great shape, 2 new window motors, new shocks and 2 extra tecs for the oil pressure and volts. I just had to replace the alternator (4/22/2010) I drove the car about 120 miles yesterday. What I notice is that the body is heavy and I feel the car needs a bigger engine and more power. I thought WoW, Monte Carlo was always known to be a great fast American car. I guess I expected more power for the weight of the car. My sister owns the 1992 Lumina with the same size engine and her car seems to have more power, but the cars body is much lighter

• 

  Love to the Maxx - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By Buy American - October 2 - 6:36 am

  Got a great deal for this 2 year old Maxx with 21,000 miles on it. Great car to drive. I had read the reviews about the steering feeling wierd, uh what are you talking about? This car handles great. The power is incredible. The Chevy maxx is a great utilitarian car. Oh and I am averaging 28 miles per gallon in mixed driving.

• 

  Not as good as 2000LS - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By Cam - October 2 - 6:30 am

  Had a 2000LS (Great car) and so I bought a 2007 LTZ. The 2007 car is smaller and the back seat has little leg room, leather seats are not comfortable, back seat sholder belts are ratchet type and close to smallest size and wont relase without releasing the belt(everybody that uses these complains there too tight) Im getting 16 to 19.5 MPG which includes 25% highway driving and 3 cylinder engine mode( Im an easy driver and this is much worse then the 2000) The outside mirrors are smaller and have a bad blind spot,(beyond me why they dont incorporate a small wide angle mirror into the rearview and why the insurance companies dont promote this). Make sure the car serves your needs!

• 

  Great Alternative to SUV - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By warden - October 1 - 2:13 pm

  I bought this vechicle to fill my need for a family vechicle which would could do some hauling. In the past, I had chosen a variety of SUVs & pickups to meet this need. Great vechicle for hauling people and stuff if you dont need 4wd. Fairly good mpg, lots of space, considerably cheaper than an SUV of similar size. Overall a great alternative to an SUV if you dont need 4wd. I chose this over a Equinox, Escape, CRV, Liberty, and several other small/mid-size suvs as it has almost as much space, is considerably cheaper, gets better MPG, and offers features (telescoping wheel and movable petals) that no one else has. I am 63" and my wife is 5 and we can both drive this car.

• 

  My long blac Kat - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By JaxxKat - September 28 - 10:00 am

  I took my first Corvette home from Kerbeck in Atlantic city on a rainy day,that was good luck cause I didnt run it too hard.Ive had a few great sports cars but none have had the raw power and road holding as this ZO6 Corvette. The brakes are awesome too. So far ive had only one little problem that the dealer fixed.Its fun too own a Corvette..

• 

  vette rocks - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By bigcat - September 28 - 10:00 am

  put the top down and kick it for the cruise of a lifetime.

• 

  TrailBlazer disappoints - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By unclebug - September 28 - 10:00 am

  This inline six should get much better gas mileage. With all city driving I am lucky to get 12 mpg. Very disapointing!

• 

  Work to be done - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By patrick sullivan - September 27 - 1:13 am

  Overall not bad. I really cant get past the blind spots. Drive is nice. The plastic on the inside needs to go.

• 

  More con than pro - 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By SGT509 - September 26 - 10:00 am

  The 1500 is made to drive down the highway empty not use for anything. The 6 speed auto trans downshifts on every little hill. My gas mileage is poor. Three tanks of gas and I have gotten 14.8, 15.1 and 15.8. No wonder they took out the standard gas mileage calculator. GM puts in an odd size spare tire. You cant add accessories to the 1500 like extra battery, plow, etc. It has soft paint that easily scratches. It has a small turn knob to put it in 4WD. Poor color choices. Lots of XM dead spots. Even my Z-71 package has very little ground clearance because of the plastic scoop below the front bumper.

• 

  CHEVY MALIBU AN AMERICAN CONTENDER - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By rebmulpjr - September 22 - 2:00 am

  finally a fun american built car to compete with foreign mid size cars. no need to keep buying foreign cars of this class when we have this great new american sedan. fun to drive and good looking. where does edmunds find lack of power? maybe they should try driving the v6 model and leave the 4 banger at the dealership.