- hatchback 140,141
- 1,944 below average
- 3,000 great
- Waterbury, CT
-
- autoshopper.com
- 1,944 below average hatchback 140,141 black automatic
2006 chevrolet hhr review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Gm's answer to chrysler's pt cruiser. introductionthe chevrolet hhr was launched as an all-new model for 2006. It's built on the platform of the winning chevy cobalt small sedan, and incorporates the cobalt's best features: engine, transmission and suspension. The hhr is on a smaller scale, but there are no bones about its retro styling. we found the hhr to be fun to drive. It isn't a sports car, but it's nimble and we were pleased with its acceleration. The hhr feels more responsive than its horsepower, torque, and transmission ratio numbers suggest. Plus it gets decent fuel economy. The interior wasn't as functional as we'd have liked, however, and the base cloth fabric left us wishing we'd ordered the optional leather. lineupthe chevrolet hhr comes in a simple ls model, plus a 1lt and 2lt. Abs comes standard on the 2lt, and is optional for the ls and 1lt 400). Electronic stability control is not available. walkaroundif there's ever been a case of a picture of a so-called suv being worth a thousand words, the hhr should be it. It looks like a 1949 panel delivery truck, with the edges smoothed over. This is the current look, whose origins are unclear, but may trace to the mitsubishi endeavor, whose flattened and edged flares were designed purely to be noticed. speaking of the current look, the tail lamps are two round red vertical bulbs on each side. The big grille is chrome, every inch of it, and looks almost exactly like the '49 suburban grille. The headlights, however, are modern glittering wedges, containing one big beam and the turn signal. the front and rear bumpers are molded plastic, unlike the steel in the body. Technically, they may be part of the fascia, but because they take the conspicuous shape of bumpers, they are more like square lumps extending from the extremities of the vehicle. the glass runs neatly uninterrupted all around the vehicle, with five rectangular windows from b-pillar around the rear to b-pillar. There's something about the simple shape of these windows that gives the hhr a low-rider look, although the roof itself is relatively high, as the name declares. Roof rails are almost useless without crossbars, and we think this vehicle would look more appropriate with a functional black after-market rack anyhow. the hhr was designed by the same man who designed the pt cruiser; he left chrysler for gm shortly afterward. We received quite a few comments on the hhr's looks, all of them favorable, some thinking it was the new pt cruiser, and others simply asking what it was. 'wow, that looks terrific, just terrific,' said one fellow. We asked what he liked about the styling. 'well, i've got a '23 dump truck,' he replied, 'which i wish i could drive on the street because it looks so cool. The tan cloth interior, despite its name of 'cashmere cloth,' looks like upholstery that might be found in an inexpensive furnished rental unit. The door pockets are small. There's a useful flip-up compartment on top of the dash, however, and there's a small glovebox. in the rear, there's one cupholder and small door pockets. The back of the front passenger seat has a tight storage net, but not the back of the driver's seat. Even operating the driver's window, at toll booths for example, requires leaning forward and reaching down. Window switches should be on the driver's door. the turn signal makes a loud, rapid, annoying click. The rearview mirror blocks a significant chunk of forward visibility out the smallish windshield. the gauges and controls are, well, general motors. Superfluous chrome rings and trim, and instruments designed to look cool, rather than to be easily readable. one good thing (even if it is bright chrome) is the door handle, an ergonomically correct ring which actuates with a horizontal inward pull. if the hhr misses on the little interior things, the cargo storage possibilities are excellent, although the total cargo area of 55. 6 cubic feet is 8. 4 less than in the pt cruiser. The rear split 60/40 seat folds flat very easily, as does the front passenger seat; and since the 60-percent side of the rear seat is on the left, a long item like a ladder can be slipped in diagonally. The rear liftgate is one piece, and raises easily. not surprisingly, there isn't much legroom in the rear seat. Kids are always fine, as long as three of them can share one drink. We actually carried six 10-year-old boys on a soccer team for 60 miles in the hhr, and they were all happy. Even the two who squeezed into the way back. overall, interior-wise, the hhr isn't in the same league as the honda element. driving impressionthe 2. 4-liter ecotec is a wonderful little engine. It makes 172 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque at 5000 rpm, numbers which don't indicate anything special. In fact, that torque peak suggests that the low-rpm pulling power might be weak. We drive up a steep, slow hill every day, and the hhr plugged up the hill like a tractor, with no shifting-down of the automatic transmission. Which is more than can be said of the powerful pontiac gto we tested recently. transmission ratios have a lot to do with this efficient delivery of power. In fact, we liked the way the automatic, without a separate manual mode, could be easily manually downshifted anyhow, and how it held second gear going down that same steep, slow hill. Onto the freeway, foot on the floor, and the hhr 2lt really s. Anti-lock Brakes✔ Power Mirrors✔ Power Windows✔ Cloth Interior✔ Air Conditioning✔ MP3 Player✔ Aluminum Wheels
3,000 Waterbury, CTWaterbury, CT at autoshopper.com