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Comments
I like the vehicle, I just wish it was a little more original. I hope they give the HHR a more modern look when the next generation is done.
airport. It had arrived only 6 days earlier, probably one of the very
first in the hands of the general public. Nearly everyone in the office
swarmed around it to check it out. This thing is *TINY*, dwarfed by the
GM minivan parked right next to it. It will just about fit 4 adults
snugly. Sitting in the driver's seat, headroom was comfortable (I'm 6
feet tall). However, all of the windows are teeny-tiny, with the
windshield seeming like a porthole. Even if 40's panel vans had windows
this small, the interior spaces were certainly bigger. I almost felt
like I was sitting in a coffin (yeah, a coffin with windows, but that's
the only way I can describe the claustrophobic feel). This was the base
model, in black, no roof rack, tan cloth seats, and with the 2.2L
engine. The visitor says he was not impressed with its power (having
attempted an impromptu drag race at the gate of the rental lot against
an Impala). The cloth seats were beyond firm. Not uncomfortable, but
not exactly pillowy either. Stowing his golf clubs in the back required
the turn down of one of the rear seats (and removal of its headrest).
Unless demand for a PT Cruiser-like vehicle with retro styling is really
still *that* hot, I don't really see this as a top seller. It's really
not a practical vehicle for carrying adult passengers and gear, let
alone any towing. Was GM anticipating riding on the coattails of the PT
Cruiser's popularity, or were they anticipating some serious ramping up
of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) in the near future and wanted to
shunt off more of the SUV buying public into this compact-station-
wagon-in-disguise? If the latter, the buying public might be better off
buying an undisguised compact station wagon. Yeah, the styling is
eye-catching, but if you want something small with eye-catching style,
you can buy a Hot Wheels toy.
I am kind of surprised to read all the negetivity on the HHR so far?
I'm the last person who would want to be negative about the HHR. I've been living for this car for the past 8 months with no expectations of perfections. It just has some flaws that would affect a pleasurable drive.
Think of this though -
at 12000 miles per year
20 mpg ave. - which is most likely low
you would need 600 gallons of gas
premium is usually $.20 higher than regular
so, it would cost you an extra $120 per year to use premium - really not that much.
2.4 with auto provides adequate power - nothing spectacular. Would be better with manual.
Interior does feel a little cramped.
Rear view mirror seemed to create a blind spot for me. I am 6'4".
Ride is very nice.
Fit and finish seemed very good. Except that the center dash console cover was too loose for my liking - seemed cheap.
My kids thought the car was cool. I do like the looks even if it is late to the party.
I'll write more later.
I drove a Cobalt SS with the 2.4 right after the HHR - it seemed much peppier and the steering was more to my liking.
I am new to this forum but all i want to say that is on september 20th on TLC on the show Rides they are going to make some custom HHRs. And one of them has a STS Turbo kit bolted on to the 170 hp 4 it now has 345 hp. You want profomance there you go now it can compete with the magmum. :shades:
I've gotta say, after all the negative reviews, I had very tempered expectations. And perhaps it was for this reason I was very impressed with the drive.
I think some of the early reviews might be coming from traditional domestic buyers who tend to prefer larger, more insulated vehicles. I'm 29 and have always preferred smaller imports with manual transmissions. So, my perspective could be vastly different from that reflected in previous folks' posts.
To me, the car does not feel small at all. For its exterior dimensions, it actually seems very roomy inside. It's not something you can load up with a fam and hook a boat to, but I have neither a fam nor a boat. I think it's fair to say that if it feels small for you, you're probably not the target market.
I'm 5'11" and 170lbs. The driver seat felt very comfortable to me. But I can certainly see how someone much taller might find the space in front confining as the roofline actually slopes down in the front. As far as the upholstery, sure, it's nothing fancy. But it felt durable and grippy. For the price, it certainly seemed acceptable.
As for the dash, I do agree that the plastic was typical GM cheap. And the light grey color wasn't improving matters any. But I like the blue dash lighting. And I found the knobs for the HVAC controls and radio to be of high quality. The gauges? I love 'em - particularly the raised tach.
My mom's got a PT Cruiser and while I find the interior quality much better on the Cruiser, I've always been turned off by the steering feel (which is too firm for me) and the enormous, Silverado-sized turning circle. The weighting on the HHR's steering is much more to my liking. The response is quicker too.
Ride-wise, I thought the HHR I drove with 16in. wheels was pretty cushy. A bit more softly-sprung than what I'm used to, but without a huge handling penalty. That said, this is no sports car. All in all, acceleration was certainly adequate, but it really needed a stick. Hopefully, the stick version won't have the weird clutch release of the Saturn Vue.
What can I say? I was impressed. For someone like myself (*fairly* young and single), this vehicle holds a lot of appeal. If the salesman was correct, it'll do 32mpg highway with a stick (and the 2.2L) and yet I can still shove an 8ft rigid kayak inside with the front passenger seat down. What more could a person ask for?
The salesman with whom I spoke made it seem as if Village was extra special because they had one, but I drove through St. Boni this morning and Thurk Bros. had a black one on the front lawn. If Thurk has one, everybody has 'em.
I'm heading over to the Eden Prairie today after work and I'm hoping Suburban Chev has one with a stick. We shall see.
Anyone seen an H with a stick yet?
"My mom's got a PT Cruiser and while I find the interior quality much better on the Cruiser,"
I've got to see one in person, but I was disappointed by the interior pix. I had a PT Cruiser and one of the nicest things about it was the interior. I thought GM was upgrading interiors, but the dash and doors look very plain on the inside pix I have seen of the HHR.
You also said:
"If the salesman was correct, it'll do 32mpg highway with a stick (and the 2.2L)"
Well, that would go a long way to winning me over...the gas mileage on my automatic PT Cruiser was worse than my Mustang V6 with stick and worse than my current Honda CR-V with automatic. I am certainly willing to drive a stick, and could live with the slightly small displacement on the HHR base model (2.2 vs. 2.4 on the PT) What do they do on the PT...dribble the gas out the tail pipe?
You said:
"A bit more softly-sprung than what I'm used to, but without a huge handling penalty. That said, this is no sports car."
That's sad to hear. The other bummer about the PT was the soft suspension on my base model. I was hoping for something more akin to a sport suspension on the base model HHR. I DO value handling.
I am interested enough to try a test drive, though.
Keep in mind the one I drove had 16" wheels. You could get 17" wheels if that's your thing. That said, I thought the handling was decent. But, like the Cruiser, it's no sports car - at least not coming out the factory doors.
As far as MPGs, my mom's Cruiser is an auto too and, like you say, it sucks gas like there's no tomorrow. I've borrowed it on a few occasions and was glad to give it back before fill-up time. In contrast, the 2.2L in the H I drove seemed vastly more refined than the 2.4 in the Cruiser - slightly quicker, but far smoother and from the looks of it, light years ahead in terms of efficiency.
The only aspect that really annoys me about the H is the plastic party going on behind the rear seat. I mean, how expensive is nylon carpeting anyway?
The 5-speed with leather and side curtain air bags would be the one for me. I haven't seen it in person, but I find it hard to believe that it has cheap plastic. What is cheap plastic? The Cobalt is a premium compact and doesn't have cheap plastic. Plastic is way to over-rated, give it a rest.
The expected 30 mpg highway is what attracts me. I wouldn't want anything that couldn't get at least 30 mpg highway. The 2.2 L would be perfect. I don't drag race anymore, and have been driving for mileage for over 10-years-now. My over 10-year Chevy S10 p/u still gets over 20 mpg, but did get it's lowest 25.2 mpg last year on a trip to Toronto.
I was in the store today and the new Road & Track has an HHR vs PT Cruiser shoot-out. The HHR won the shoot-out against the new improved PT. They said the Cruiser was improved, but seemed dated against the HHR. The HHR/PT overhead photo shows it to be considerably larger, but it only weighed (depending on options) about 140 lbs. more than the PT. Interestingly both posted the same 0-60 mph and quarter mile times.
Let me tell you, it is still not worth it!!!!!
for the guy that labeled me to driving ole' domestics, no sir, i drive a 01 toyota celica. i know what ergonomics is all about. the HHR does not.
even in the highest equipment form this ride is all show from the outside, (never doubted its looks) and no go from the inside. 2.4 L is ultra smooth and gives a bit more power but nothing that feels anything like 170 HP. AND you have to give it PREMIUM FUEL which at my local pump is upwards of $2.34 a gallon. That was a huge turnoff. other than that, the car was loaded, but yet again i could never, ever get comfortable in the seat and this one had the power adjustable seat, wife neither. YES, i will agree with other that this car demands attention, but hey their is nothing else like it on the road, duh, same thing when i bought my celica, instead im still smiling when i drive my celica, who cares who in the heck is looking at you when your uncomfortable. as for gas mileage, let me tell you that i actually bought a FULLY LOADED vibe today, it was so freaking fresh off the truck they hadn't had time to prep it, so they put me in a chevy cobalt 4 door 5 speed manual 2.2 L , the car that the HHR is based on, well they gave it to me to drive until my car is ready on monday well, with a full tank of gas i drove 60 mostly HIGHWAY miles to home and the gas needle is already down to 3/4 of a tank, you do the math, the HHR is NOT going to get 30 miles to a gallon. Anyway, after driving the HHR I immediately drove the Vibe and wow, what a difference, more room up front, more power, more comfortable. a better vehicle all around. hum, maybe because it's really a toyota with gm pricing. I BOUGHT IT!!!!!! i double dare any perspective HHR buyer to drive the HHR and VIBE back to back and absolutely seriously doubt you will differ from my opinion. yeah, the vibe may have a few square feet dissadvantage in storage but think about usuable storage. your not gonna pile stuff to the ceiling and you will love the vibes 30 MPG CITY .
i drove one with auto in brnsvlle today. it was ok, nothing that wowed me but it should make a lot of future owners happy.
no stick sightings yet.
The Cobalt gets very good mileage if driven normally. In the July MotorTrend it received a 28.4 mpg all-around rating, which was better than the Corolla's 28.2 mpg. On the Cobalt forums most people get in the mid 30's mpg with the Cobalt, with some reporting upto 38 highway. This would make me believe that 30 mpg is not out-of-the-question with the HHR, though the aero-dynamics don't help. From all of my years of driving, most GM vehicles achieve their posted mpg or more, mine did.
i love the vibe interior, very sporty with the dark two tone trim. HHR is one big grey blob. hhr stereo is pretty cool though. this is all my opinion though, go check them out for yourself.
Amen to that. I was interested in a Vibe a couple years ago. That was before driving a few. The stick version was very unpleasant - imprecise and balky. It was virtually impossible to drive smoothly. Then I drove an auto just for curiousity's sake. It was snail-slow and made more racket than I find tolerable. Neither was a GT, but according to the auto rags, upgrading to that model doesn't reduce the noise levels or buy you a better shifter (although it does have an extra gear). It's just quicker - but only if you rev the living heck out of it.
I think the Vibe is the bargain-hunter's special. On paper, it looks like an amazing deal. It gets great fuel economy and has the lowest cost of entry in the class, but when you're driving one at no time does a smile cross your face. It's A to B transport and that's it. This is reflected in its very low showing in the last Car and Driver comparo.
I second that emotion. The monotone light gray doesn't do the H any justice. IMO plastic is always cheaper looking if it's light gray.
I have seen interior pics of the H in neutral however and that looks better. I have yet to see one with my naked eyes in that color though.
What makes you think the HHR is so much heavier than the Cobalt? The Cobalt is around 2800 pounds (still a porker), and the HHR should be around 3000 pounds with a GVWR near 4000.
Sorry. The HHR as you know is built on the Cobalt chassis and has a larger body, though not enough to make it heavier. In fact if you would have looked it up, the Cobalt sedan with 2.2 L weighs more at 3,216 vs 3,155 for the HHR. You can ad on another 50 lbs. for the 2.4 L engine. It really didn't take science after all did it. The 2.4 L doesn't demand high octane fuel, it is just recommended for higher performance. Again I would take the spirited 2.2 L engine in this vehicle. If it's responsive in the Cobalt, it will be just as good in the HHR. I have seen the interior, though by pictures, and there is no blob about it. It has car like instrumentation similar to the Cobalt. Very attractive. Gray is the most common interior color in vehicles. Sorry this isn't your color, but it would be my choice.
I couldn't post the website that has the specifications because it would be violating the edmunds rules.
The big Buick Lesabre, base model, has a rating of 30 mpg highway, weighs almost 3,600 lbs., and is able to achieve that mark. My moms Buick Regal also weighs more than the HHR and has gotten as much as 34 mpg highway on trips. The former Caprice Classic weighed over 4,000 lbs., and could achieve 26 mpg highway.
Road & Track finds it light years ahead of the new PT Cruiser. Do you think the PT is a better vehicle as well?
In fact if you would have looked it up, the Cobalt sedan with 2.2 L weighs more at 3,216 vs 3,155 for the HHR
Then added in your current post:
The Cobalt weight figure I quoted was the LT sedan, the coupe is in the 2800 lbs range.
In fact the sedan and coupe are both about 2800 pounds, the 3216 figure was an error that orginated on GM's own site. For a while I thought the Cobalt was heavy like the current New Jetta, but in fact it is more comparable to the last generation Jetta/Golf - heavier than some competing small cars like the Civic but not overweight like the New Jetta.
The 3200 lbs approximate weight for the HHR is in line with the weight for the PT Cruiser. As larger, "hollow body" (wagon) vehicles, presumably they use more, and thicker, metal for proper body rigidity.
I got my Sept. Road and Track in the mail, and eagerly looked for the HHR/PT comparo - but it wasn't there! Are you sure it's in R&T and not another car magazine?
"The 3200 lbs approximate weight for the HHR is in line with the weight for the PT Cruiser. As larger, "hollow body" (wagon) vehicles, presumably they use more, and thicker, metal for proper body rigidity."
Seems like I read something about more strength in the floor pan or something. In any case, there are other ways to do this. The Matrix weighs about 2700 lbs.
The reason they are lowering their prices is simple... There cars are overpriced which results in huge discounts on them which make them less attractive (You see a car with a $5,000 discount and you must wonder why people don't like it) and also increases apparent depreciation on the vehicle.
Regarding the engines.. I think GM did a better job than Chrysler... yes there is no 200+ HP varient yet, but the 2.4 liter should provide enough power for the car to get out of its way. Even with the Chrysler the 150 HP version was only a problem if you were opting for the automatic transmission. Overall I would say that the HHR looks like a very good overall vehicle.. whether the styling will be a hit or not is another question but it looks to offer a good blend of performance and utility. With the possible exception of the DRLs (Which I hate along with automatic head lights) this car might be at the top of my shopping list when I go looking at cars in a few months.
I miss the interior grab handles on the doors - the PT Cruiser had nice handles. The Chevy doesn't have anything to wrap your hand around.
Then I got to thinking, and maybe GM is right. Those little "ash tray" style grab points on the door armrest don't look as nice as protruding grab handles, but there is no temptation to wrap your hand around the handle while driving with your arm on the arm rest. Why is this important? As side air bags become more common, you don't want your hand wrapped around a handle - when the air bag goes off, you want your arm free to get blown in towards your torso. Otherwise, your arm and wrist will get torqued by the airbag release.
I have a Focus ZX3 and it has side air bags, and I have to remind myself not to put my hand into the arm rest handle. Likewise, my former Golf had handles too and posed the same side air bag risk.
So, "cheaper" - no handles - is actually better!
As far as DRL (daylight running lights), I like them and they have proven to have saved allot of lives. They are required by law on all new cars in Canada, and many European countries are doing so as well. It can be difficult for a pedestrian to see an approaching vehicle on a bright sunny or overcast day. Additonally it helps to see these vehicles when pulling out into traffic. I have even thought of purchasing a kit to install in my pre-DRL vehicle, but I am running too many accessories as it is-stereo equipment. For those who don't want them on they can be deactivated but I would think of safety first.
I went to a local Chevy dealer yesterday to see their solo HHR that they just got in but it was sold. The salesman said it was gone fast. Two of the three salesman who were standing at the door smoking in the 90 degree heat said they never got a chance to see it. They are expecting 2-3 more this week. Interestingly, when one asked me if I was looking for a new car (not for at least another year), when I replied next year, just looking, they basically walked away without even trying to create some comradery or say a friendly "hope to see you again comment." When I was in car sales 15-years-ago, we showed a bit more interest than that.
I am trying to remember the last time I saw that harsh of a review...