12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Probably the Worst Car Ever Made
Date of Review: Nov 2, 2005
The Bottom Line: A great car if you don't like big Cadillacs.
Those are the exact words my Dad used after my test drive of the Chevy HHR. He elaborated by saying it was too small, not comfortable, poorly laid out controls and just plain ugly.
My response - I bought it.
Road Manners
The HHR is a small car. My Dad drives a 2003 Cadillac DTS - guess what - the DTS is too big, drives like a sofa, controls are outdated and its just plain ugly.
Regardless of my disagreeement with Dad, the HHR drives nice for a small car. This is no $50k car, so expect a small car ride. A little rough on bad roads, but it maintains its stability and control. I drove a PT Cruiser and a Toyota Matrix - the HHR is slightly better than both (base models only).
Steering is sharp and precise. No lag in the steering wheel at all. The 5 speed manual shifted flawlessly. For the last 30 years I had to agree the Japanese manual gear shifts were better than their American counterparts, but the HHR feels great in your hands.
The four cylinder engine gives a nice roar, but it is definitely underpowered - but not terribly underpowered. You can get a bigger engine, but with gas prices where they are its your call. I stayed with the base engine which is supposed to get 30 mpg hwy.
Interior
Not spacious, but big enough. With the rear seats down you have plenty of space for a trip to Home Depot, but you won't fit a 4x8 piece of plywood in the back.
The A/C works great (but its fall and hasn't gotten over 60 degrees F ), and the defroster is so powerful it cleared the ice on the front windshield in less time than it took me to go inside and find my scraper (about five minutes).
Seating is extremely comfortable for my one hour commute. I haven't taken it on a long six hour drive yet, but so far the support for my legs and back has been fantastic (the same I could NOT say for my '99 Pontiac Grand Am).
Conclusion
I've only had the car for 40 days, so I plan on editing this review as time goes on. There are definitely big holes in this review (long term reliability, quirks that I haven't discovered yet, performance going up steep hills and a six hour session in the car).
As of right now I would definitely buy this car again. For under $16K it comes with A/C, p/w, p/dl, keyless entry and OnStar for the first year.
One complaint - no Sirius radio option. GM is in bed with XM. That's a minor issue and easily remedied.
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