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Wagons Chevrolet HHR Chevy HHR Test Drive - What Did You Think?
39 messages, Last post on Sep 20, 2008 at 1:42 PM
You are in the Chevrolet HHR Forum. Your Host is kcram
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Replying to: smogdung (Dec 28, 2005 6:51 pm) 
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A bit of a slug, in the acceleration department (well, what do I expect - 2.2 liters in 3100 pounds, vs. 2.0 in my stick shift Focus ZX3 weighing about 2600 pounds - even a stick shift can't make up for that). Handled much better than the automatic I drove a few weeks ago (why? probably a difference in subjective impressions - the automatic test drive was mostly straightline, the stick shift test drive today had some curves, and once the car hunkered down it gripped well). Nice interior. I can see why it is popular, but I am migrating more towards a Malibu with the 2.2 (even more of a slug, but not unexpected!). |
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Replying to: micweb (Nov 16, 2005 5:04 pm) Oh, and btw, you don't have to get all the other extras (I consider 'em goodies, but I understand lots of people don't care to pay for the frills). The 3500 is available in base model sedans. In fact, a coworker bought one that was practically a stripper except for the 6 cylinder about 3 months ago. |
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Replying to: jerrywimer (Nov 18, 2005 4:33 am) This is so that people who now want the 4 can upgrade it from an LS to a 1LT and still keep the 4. I kind of like 4's too...call me crazy, it dates back to Fiat 128 days when a DOHC engine was really cool....
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Replying to: micweb (Nov 18, 2005 10:57 am)
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Replying to: jerrywimer (Nov 18, 2005 4:33 am) I would rather have the 2.2 L engine in the HHR and put the extra money into something else. I wouldn't be drag racing this vehicle, and I have been driving for mileage for over 10-years-now. |
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Replying to: geemac (Nov 19, 2005 6:02 am) |
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Replying to: micweb (Nov 16, 2005 5:04 pm) The 2.2 does have decent torque and at half throttle it seems to pull quite well from a stop. It's only when/if you floor it does it seem weak. Most drivers won't ever do that. The 2.4 auto I drove had a lot more kick than the 2.2 manual. Too bad the 2.4 is so hard to find with manual, but the majority of buyers probably wouldn't be interested.
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Replying to: allfiredup (Nov 20, 2005 9:46 pm) |
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test drove the HHR today, it was LS with automatic, everything else was standard LS trim, sticker price was $17K salesperson didn't know much about, in fact he told me it had abs but that isn't even available on LS , only LT. but the drive what about what i expected. poor acceleration with the 2.2 L, it was myself, wife, and salesperson riding along. brakes felt mussy especially during hard braking before taking some cornering. vehicle feels much bigger than it is. it reminded me of my mom's old 92 ford tempo, cabin fever sets in real quick behind the wheel, you feel like your looking out at the road through a port hole, and looking through the sides and rear view mirrors is the same, parascope anyone, needless to say the view is extremely unconvention, basically the same as the 1949 suburban though, they certainly got the look and all the ergonomics to go with. surprising my biggest gripe and complaint is with the seats! I have sat in alot of chevy cars, the greatest by far is the tahoe which i have 2 mounted to a bench in my garage for relaxing, the worst by far is the HHR. i am not kidding when i say the seat fabric is the quality of your local walmart fabric store. i mean everything about it is terrible, the fabric is so smooth your rear slides around in the seat, the thread count looks so low you swear you can see the foam cushion. guys, it is not the least bit durable. seat adjustability is very good, but support is very bad, i am 6 4" and my wife is 5 4", neither of us could get a truly comfortable seating position and we don't suffer from any back problems. anyways, back to the drive, i played with the accessories while my wife drove, okay standard stereo, most everything was located on the center control stack, easy to use, but usuall cheap plastic knobs and buttons. noticed considerable power loss when engaging A/C on and off. typical of a 4 cylinder but i can imagine much worse with another person and a load of cargo in the rear. suspension handling was comfortable, soft, but not the least bit sporty. i didn't jerk the wheel, but i made some moves around traffic and it felt much more dramatic than it actually was. the cargo area is the best part of the show, drop the rear seats down, and you'll have all the midside suv owners envy every square inch. you get a rear carpeted mat to cover the really cheap plastic floor which is nice. dont get me wrong, i like the easy cleanup of the hard floor, but it is so cheap looking anything with a sharp edge will tear right into it. I gotta give a big thumbs down to the HHR. the styling is ultra cool looking to me, but that's simply not enough to overcome being down on power, downright uncomfortable to drive, and it's poor handling and cheap materials. Maybe the LT2 will offer more promise, but at 20K , what doesn't?  p.s. i forgot to mention the gimick cargo cover under the rear hatch, supposedly it slides out and fuctions as a table for tailgating, however it's only rearward support is a single thin plastic leg which the salesman could never get to work right. ie. it folded up when i laid my arm on it. basically an engineering joke if you ask me.
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