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:

• 

  2008 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab - 130,000 mile review - 2008 Chevrolet Colorado
  By dstanzini - February 19 - 5:39 am

  I must say, Ive always had Silverados before but was looking for something a little netter fuel-wise and lower to the ground for my elderly parents to be able to get in and out of. I am rather impressed with this little truck. Ive put 130,000 mile on it and the only issue I had was the water pump went at about 80,000, but it was covered under warranty. The only other annoying little issue is that the rear brake squeak after awhile. There is brake dust that builds up in there. This truck has a snow plow in the winter and I tow a trailer for the band and my classic 55 Chevy so I am not easy on it. Towing up hill is a little rough. Gas mileage is decent about 22 hwy and about 17-18 city

• 

  Love My New 2014 2LT Malibu - 2014 Chevrolet Malibu
  By reginanita - February 13 - 5:41 pm

  Have not had a small car for 13 years. Used to drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Have had it for 1 month and use it to tool around town. No long trips yet. The Stop/Rest works occasionally. Seats could be softer but the foam is dense so thats good. Blowers come on rather slowly. Fav Pages on Radio do not go back but must go thru 6 pages to go back to Pg 1. I feel it is shifting rough but may just not be used to the constant shifting. Support from GM and local Dealership is excellent. They are trying hard to please. Every time I return from a drive I tell my husband, "I love the Malibu." It handles great. Learning all the fun stuff, Sirius, AllStar etc. No plain Jane this time.

• 

  early transmission problems pleague both our chevys - 2010 Chevrolet Impala
  By billman2 - February 13 - 4:50 pm

  cant say much good noisy on rough roads and multiple trans repairs have deadlined the car while we still make payments on it.

• 

  unsafe problems reduced engine power/ service stabilitrac - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By lindseytn32 - February 12 - 8:11 am

  My vehicle has been great until it got cold outside and afraid its becoming a death trap. My vehicle has 83,000 miles and this winter my vehicle has decided to lower speed on its own no matter what speed im going.. I was on the interstate with my children doing 70mph and my vehicle violently started shaking the reduced engine power came on and service stabilitrac n immediately wouldnt let me decide the speed of my vehicle it dropped to 40mph and no faster there was no shpulder to pull off and had to drive it like that with people flying up on us scaring us to death. My dealership has tried a lot of things but this is still happening I can shut the car off and about three tries later it will

• 

  They just dont die! - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By ahnalia - February 12 - 6:51 am

  I bought my 98 z-24 cavalier with 101k "highway" miles on it in 2003. I have NEVER regretted the purchase. I have only had to have 1 major repair done on it (housing case) in 11 years. Mine has been through a lot. It has been stolen, and they hot rodded it and tore it up externally pretty bad, but it still runs. I let maintenence on it slip pretty bad over the years, and it still runs. No matter what punishment this car has been dished out, it just does not stop running. It also has some real "get up and go" when needed.

• 

  Pretty good crossover - 2014 Chevrolet Equinox
  By italiangrandpa - February 7 - 11:02 pm

  My wife fell in love with the Equinox in White Diamond. Lots of room inside. Well laid out dash. Shift smoothly. We went with a 4 cyl. Great on gas mileage a little lite in power.

• 

  got Camaro 2LS this week - 2014 Chevrolet Camaro
  By klimarov - February 7 - 9:29 am

  Ive been on market for a sporty car which wont be a complete gas guzzler like 6.2+ cars. I rented mustang few months ago, however didnt like it much in comparison to 2014 camaro. Camaro is one toy to own and the price is more than fair. front seats are amazing! who wants rear seats in a sports car anyways? The acceleration is excellent (mustang in comparison had 2-3 sec downtime after pressing the pedal), camaro has no down time. As for trunk, the trunk is decent, fairly big, only problem is the opening is small, but it can be dealt with. If you can afford it, i would suggest you get it.

• 

  Reliable Van, Some Mechanical Probelms - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By akk050708 - February 5 - 6:55 am

  I bought my van in 2010 with 100,000 miles on it already. Here it is Feb.2014 and I have put almost 71,000 miles on it. When I bought it, it had a transmission slipping problem. I drive it daily with this problem & as long as you dont gun it at a dead stop, & give it time to shift from reverse to drive it doesnt slip. But does have tranny issues. I have also had my ABS go out at about 140,000 miles. I still can drive it daily & has never failed me even with those issues. I have had some break repairs done, but other than that its been regular routine maintenance. I would buy this van again if they had newer models. Its been extremely reliable, never stranded me & my family.

• 

  LEMON - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By jeni740 - February 4 - 6:10 pm

  My car is a 2013 chevy cruze lt. I bought it 8/14/13 and it has been in the shop 7 times since I bought it. I had a water leak on the drivers side, the heater makes a weird grinding noise and the transmission surges, it also make a weird scraping noise when I put my foot on the gas. I finally had enough and called GM my car has 3,000 miles on it and has spent more time at the shop than my driveway. It has now been 8 days since I have had my car they have me in a rental until the paperwork is finalized on my new 2014 replacement cruze. I am so glad that they pulled me from my car it has cost me time from work and so frustrating.....

• 

  Great value... - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By elbarto247 - February 4 - 12:44 pm

  Purchased the car in 2004 with 9K miles. always taken care of the care by doing the maintenance myself. Car has had no major problems since i purchased. Just had my transmission oil and radiator flushed a replaced. Car still performs very well. Taken it on multiple trips a year and always average between 26-28 MPG. Have highly rated All season tires and always perform regular oil changes. Acceleration always begins to be a problem right before oil changes are necessary, but the car performs very well otherwise. Interior is differently not of high quality and things do brake but nothing a little lover and attention wont fix.