Chevrolet HHR

ateixeira · July 2004

Agreed.

Problem with any trendy design is demand fades quickly. The guy that paid $25 grand for that early PT or New Beetle on E-bay took a bath in resale later on.

-juice

theo2709 · July 2004

New spy shots here.

npgmbr · July 2004

Wow, thanks for sharing that with us. I'd really like to get one of these. Was hoping to get an Equinox but its just too big for me. Im hoping that the HHR will be a little smaller than it looks in the pics, but I have a pretty good feeling it will be much smaller than the Nox.

mpg7 · July 2004

PT DURANGCRUISER???!!!

theo2709 · July 2004

Even more.

npgmbr · July 2004

GM won't price the HHR as high as they did the SSR. The article I read yesterday stated the starting price would be around 23k. But with the options you want who knows how much higher it could go. My cut-off is 28k.

ateixeira · August 2004

Thanks for the links.

The greenhouse does remind me of the Durango, but I'm sure it'll be a lot more compact.

I hope it's more space efficient inside than the Equinox.

-juice

npgmbr · August 2004

Yeah I know what you mean. I wanted an Equinox badly but it turned out to be much larger than I need.

My brother kept pushing me to get a Trailblazer (which he has) but im usually riding alone in my car so it does not make sense to buy a large vehicle.

I'm guessing that the HHR may be just a little bigger than the Element and considerably smaller than the Equinox which would give me the utility of an SUV but the compact size of my current G20. However, if it turns out to be too small, like the size of the XA then I'll get the Equinox (which my brother would hate because he now wants one).

ateixeira · August 2004

Equinox has good passenger room but the shock towers eat up a ton of cargo space. And I'm not sure that shelf makes up for it.

They're nicely styled, though.

I also wish the 'nox got the Malibu's 3500 engine, which is nicer.

What engines will the HHR get? It would fly with a 3500, that might even be overkill.

-juice

npgmbr · August 2004

Don't yet know what engine it will get but the article did state that the engine would be putting out 220 horses.

ateixeira · August 2004

Maybe the engine from the Cobalt SS?

-juice

theo2709 · August 2004

theo2709 · September 2004

The 2.0L SC FWD Ecotec made 240 HP in the Malibu XTREME concept.

medinamalibu · October 2004

definitely not a compact Maxx. Styling looks cool, kind of a PT Cruiser meets Tahoe/Yukon. The true test of the HHR as a wagon for me, is if I can lie down flat behind the front seats (been on one too many road trips with nowhere to sleep in the car). So for space, price, power, image, and fuel economy, I wonder who this car will compete with.

Yet to be seen: reliability, fuel efficiency, and manners of the Cobalt. I hope they are good, because GM won't have much time to fix them before the HHR comes out.

caddybuilder · October 2004

i hope they do the i-5 motor like in the colorado but if it is fwd drive i don't know if they could do it

medinamalibu · November 2004

I see they announced it as a five-passenger vehicle, but I'll bet there's room for a couple seats in a third row. With the Ecotec 2.2 rated at 25/34mpg that could be a winning combination -- a 7-passenger compact wagon, something we haven't seen many of since the Colt Vista.

avanti · December 2004

I've got to think the HHR in production-ready trim will show up in L.A., NYC, and/or Chicago in Jan./Feb. '05. I am the very pleased owner of a PT Cruiser, it just needs a little more width (so three fit in the back seat better) and more cargo space. I'm hoping the HHR will be just enough bigger and have more toys than the PT does. They could look interesting next to each other in my garage...

theo2709 · December 2004

LA. Debuts in early January.

trekman1 · December 2004

but it still looks a lot bigger than a PT to me. I guess time will tell.

medinamalibu · December 2004

If they're the same height and width, I'd estimate the HHR as being a foot longer than the PT Cruiser. Now will it be at the Cleveland (Ohio) Auto Show in late Feb/early March?

hammen2 · January 2005

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0501/02/D01-47332.htm

medinamalibu · January 2005

Well, it is a handsome vehicle, though it looks more trucklike than in the spy shots. Especially in the head-on view, the windshield looks fairly shallow: I'm a little nervous about peripheral vision and leaning on my air bag at red lights. Just a thought based on a first glance; first week of March, I hope to meet this new creature in person.

johnnyc4 · January 2005

I've just seen the HHR in CanadianDriver.com and I think it's cute. It's much cuter that PT Cruiser. Atleast 5 inches longer and an inch wider. It looks a TrailBlazer in the behind angle. I think this car(Truck?)will be a click! It has 170HP from its 2.4L engine with 4 hydramatic.

charts2 · January 2005

Great body lines, great looking interior, great wheels, and the price is right. The price is what is what is holding back the SSR.......I believe this HHR will be a hit.....a few months ago I was a skeptic about this vehicle...

npgmbr · January 2005

I agree that the SSRs price was just a little more than many people want to pay for a non SUV. Sat in one at the Washington Auto Show this weekend and loved it but could never afford one.

I was never skepticle about the HHR and think it will be a big hit. Was hoping to see it this weekend but was told that it will debut this week in Detriot.

Where did you see the interior? I have not yet seen any pics of the interior.

npgmbr · January 2005

Actually, I just found some interior pics at detnews.com. Not impressed by them but will still buy one if I like it when it comes out. If I don't, gonna get an Equinox.

strager · January 2005

Unless GM is pricing the HHR to allow for the traditional $5000 GM rebates/incentives, I think it's priced too high. Young people (the intended target) don't have that kind of money. I'll bet the HHR will sell really well to AARP members.

GM needs to learn a few things from Scion.

npgmbr · January 2005

Actually I think its priced correctly, just below the Equinox.

The idea of young people getting an affordable car is tired. As automakers put more technology into automobiles the more expensive they become. The HHR will not be alone as an auto made for the young but bought by the older. The same thing applies to the PT and Element.

As a 34 year old Generation X'er I thought I didn't want to be driving an Element when I hit 40 but the HHR will fit my style and personality just right although im sure I'll have another car long before I hit 40.

csandste · January 2005

This thing looks a lot better than the earlier plug ugly artists conception. The price might be a turnoff however. Today on CNBC they were quoting $20-30K. I thought Canadian Driver had it priced at $20-27K. I know the American dollar is depreciating but didn't know that it was at Canadian levels. At the actual selling price of PT Cruisers, i.e. starting at $14K or so, this would be on my short list.

gshock · January 2005

can be found at the main Chevy site, including registering for add'l info as it becomes available.

vanman1 · January 2005

Looks good but (interior is stellar) but it's still a PT knock off in my mind.

caddybuilder · January 2005

Stolen from here <---click I like what West Coast Customs did to it.

Great page with tons of in progress WCC HHR photos.

Man they are rollin'! WCC superstars, ha.<---click

npgmbr · January 2005

Knock-off really means nothing in the competition between the PT and HHR. The HHR actually looks like what Chevy says it resembles (50s Suburban). I would not say it was a knock-off but would say it was a competitor to the PT.

smalltown · January 2005

The HHR looks more appealing to me than the PT Cruiser. Since it is based on the 49 Suburban, Chevy should consider giving us born in 1949 a discount. Based on the interior utility, it is one way for us to downsize from minivans when our kids are grown.

deadwood · February 2005

Does anyone have any idea what information will be available on the "Driver Information Center" that is available on the HHR?

From the photo one thing is the outside temp. What else?

shiznannigan · February 2005

Driver info centers usually just display things like outside temp, current fuel mileage/how far you can go on remaining fuel, and maybe a compass.

I love the look of the car, but if it's really going to be around $23K, forget about it. Chevrolet's own Malibu Maxx starts at 22K, and has a more impressive list of features... like a V-6. As much as I like Chevy, they would have to be stupid to price this vehicle $8,000 over it's main competitor, the PT cruiser (I know, this comparison is drawn out, but I think that's what the average buyer will most likely compare to the HHR).

vanman1 · February 2005

I can't see how anyone can not compare this directly with the PT. While I do not think GM is being realistic with it's sales projections, competition is always good. I really wish GM had gone with a more modern design or something different to attracts a new crowd rather than such a similar vehicle because judging by the features and interior, it looks like it will be a good little vehicle.

csandste · February 2005

I just bought a Maxx for 16K without GM card or owner loyalty rebates. Had I had those I could have probably got one in the 13K range. When you can get that much car at that price, buying a newly introduced HHR without rebates at 20 grand is a real tall order.

turboshadow · February 2005

I, for one, wish Chevy would bring out a Cobalt wagon in addition to the HHR. I haven't seen one in person, but from the pics I've seen, the HHR is just hideous to me.

I like the Maxx a lot, and the Equinox a little less, so I guess Chevy has their bases covered with people like me.

Turboshadow

medinamalibu · February 2005

One picture of the 2LT on chevyhhr.com is of the speedometer. Numbers look orange against a black face, in increments of 20, with 80mph at the top. Could get used to it.

The good news is that the outside temperature display is in there, to the left of the odometer. Wonder if that feature is on the LS and 1LT...

npgmbr · February 2005

For those that are interested, heres a link to a site of a guy that restored a 49 Suburban. After seeing this I'd say the HHR looks more like a 49 Suburban than a PT Cruiser or a Durango as some has alluded to.

http://www.bobscustomcreations.com/images/Van%20Book%20Pictures/p- ages/034_JPG.htm

johnr1 · February 2005

The Mazda5 is supposed to start at $20,000 CDN. The P/T is at what, $15-16,000 CDN now. SWB Caravans are available for $20,000. Wonder what the price of the HHR will be in Canada?

christopher35 · February 2005

Chevy should slap some real ash or teak on the sides of this baby and it's a Surfin' Safari! What nostalgia!

npgmbr · February 2005

You have a good point. I think that would be a great addition for the HHR.

medinamalibu · February 2005

Let's go surfin' now, everybody's learning how, come on a safari with meeee....

And they should build the Bel Air. One week till auto show!

medinamalibu · March 2005

They had the blue HHR on a five-foot-high slanted turntable, and the customized one behind ropes. Bummer. So I still haven't gotten a better look at it than what's on the internet. Did get to check out the Ford Freestyle, though: not a bad package at all.

pontiacjeff · March 2005

medinamalibu · March 2005

It's a crossover wagon with 7-passenger seating, a CVT, flat-folding rear benches, and a chassis designed by Volvo. Mid- to upper-20's on price.

I still want the HHR though -- I was just able to check out the Freestyle there, which gave it an immediate edge.

medinamalibu · March 2005

Driving home from work, at the stoplight next to me, I saw a vehicle similar to the HHR in taillights and profile. I cranked down my window to see it better ("what is it?") see the word HEMI on the back. Oh, heh, Dodge Durango. The HHR wouldn't be quite so big. Sigh... want it. Six months away.

charlotte7 · March 2005

Anyone have an idea of what the pricing is going to be on the HHR?

I've heard rumour that they'll start around 23K for the base model. That seems awfully high to me, given that they're basically an extended PT Cruiser. I'm interested in one, but I'm not sure I want to pay in the mid-20s for a 4-cylinder wagon. (I have a 4 cylinder 04 Outback wagon now, and got it out the door for 20K).

Chevrolet HHR

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