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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  2000 Chevy Malibu LS - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Mario - April 29 - 11:55 am

  Very nice to drive. Very comfortable for extremely long trips. Love to take it when I have to go to Kansas. Buttons are very easy to use and everything is in a good spot.

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  2005 Chevy Trailblazer LT - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Casper - April 29 - 11:50 am

  The car is quite nice to drive. Very easy to use especially with the steering wheel controls. I plan on taking it for a long trip this May so that should be interesting. Pretty quick at least faster than my Mazda. Very good car for a small family.

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  Bad Apple - 2008 Chevrolet Colorado
  By linusanderson - April 29 - 10:15 am

  I bought my 2008 truck new Dec 27, 2007 (it only have 2400 miles on it now ) and it has spent more time in the shop than on the road. If it setup for a few days it will not start and the dealer feels that the problem is resovled but I do not. I am afraid to use this vehicle for out of town trips because I will never know if it will leave me stranded in another state. This is truly a let down since I have been a Chevy man for thirty five years. I feel that a 2008 vehicle should be more reliable than its predecessors.

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  Love my Tracker - 2001 Chevrolet Tracker
  By LOVE MY TRACKER - April 29 - 9:30 am

  I have had my Tracker for over 5 years and have 168,000 miles it. The only money I put into this vechile was for regular maintenance. It handles great in the snow! This was one of the best purchases I have ever made. I will keep until it dies!

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  Never again - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Layn Hayes - April 29 - 7:09 am

  I purchased my TrailBlazer used, it drives and looks great, lots of wind noise until I put on wind deflectors from wal-mart to keep the rain off the door electronics. I had serious noise in 4wd and was told it was from dry pavement.now the front def. has to be replaced and GM has offered 25% of a $5,000 bill that can be done elsewhere for $2,000 a 12 labour charge because of a very poor design. I have had to replace the rotors and pads, tie-rod ends at 60,000K. The seat skirts have to be repaired. Kept loosing antifreeze, GM replaced the Head gasket to stop the leak. No wonder GM is a sinking ship. Tires need to be replaced now at 70,000K.

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  Sporty Ride - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By buckeye mema - April 29 - 6:57 am

  We have owned vans for many years but decided we wanted to size down. I loved the look & price of this car and the ride is good. Some of the interior design is a little "cheap" in quality, but with the good price of the car you have to expect that. The two things I do not like are the sun visors are too short, they could use an extension of some type & the way the hatch opens, it is hard to get it open you have to grab it in just the right place. We do take a number of weekend trips and have found the gas mileage to be getting better. We are getting about 30 miles to the gallon now. Too bad the gas tank could not be a little bigger, but like I said we owned vans before.

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  Low Rider - 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Low Rider - April 29 - 4:50 am

  I do love this car! Glad to see lots of others do too. Bought used, 2 months now. It is definitely a low rider. I felt bamboozled at the car lot where I purchased it. I dont think they had sold a car in days. Paid 8,900. Not sure it was well kept, all 4 tires are different brands. Lights go on and off. Knocks if higher octane gas is not used. Only bad thing to say that it sits so low, when you pull out of a parking spot with huge vehicles on both sides you cant see a thing. Also, I have very short legs and have to sit very close to steering wheel. I had a Kia and loved it but I hit a pole, didnt damage the body but with the poorly made unibody (all one piece)it was warped & totaled.

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  Transmission Problems Under 75,000 - 1997 Chevrolet Astro
  By Bonnie - April 28 - 11:02 pm

  Had 2 transmission repairs under warranty at 75 and 80,000. I dont think the dealership fixed it properly, because had to be assertive, and now it has lasted another 225,000 without problems. Had trouble with dealer trying to get out of warranty for transmission and throttle body, saying it is because we didnt have oil changes at GM and used our own serviceman (had regular oil changes every 2500 elsewhere). Dealer said transmissions must be overhauled every 15,000 or would void warranty and said that brakes needed doing at 7500 then didnt put enough brake fluid in and they failed after the repair. After warranty over have been very satisfied with van. Love van except front leg room.

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  Awesome - 1992 Chevrolet Camaro
  By CHAD - April 28 - 9:57 pm

  Only had this car for one year and am in love with it. First muscle car and I am hooked. The 305 v-8 has enough power for the size of the car and plenty for me.

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  Family loves it! - 2008 Chevrolet Suburban
  By tlkimble - April 28 - 9:14 pm

  My family loves this Suburban. The space is comfortable and they love the DVD player and the radio. The fact that we can listen to different things at the same time.