The HHR - Heritage High Roof - is a wink in styling to the 1949 Suburban and the hot-rod SSR pickup.
Packaged tightly in a bulldog of a wagon based on the Cobalt, Chevy rethought the traditional wagon, says Lori Queen, vehicle line executive.
"Everything we did on it was for personalization, function and cool," she says.
She had a tough act to follow with the success of Chrysler's PT Cruiser, and cracked the whip on her team of engineers.
"We wanted chassis refinement and (reduced) noise, vibration and harshness to separate ourselves from the others," says Queen.
If it's the shape and stance of the HHR that makes passers-by smile, it's the interior usefulness that will make the owners smile.
The team went out for two weeks, brainstormed and came back with a wish list of items and costs, says program engineering manager John Cockburn.
"Tens of thousands of hours went into computer simulation in chassis setup to place acoustic dampeners, seat bases and the rail structure," he says. "HHR was built for five-star front and side ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Safety equipment includes dual-stage front air bags and optional head curtain side-impact air bags.
"The panel gaps are the smallest we have done," Coburn says, "which helps for a quiet ride and fuel economy.
"The focus on interiors at GM is huge," says Dean. "And this is one of the first interiors that benefits from that focus."
A panel of Quiet Steel between the cabin and engine bay, dashboard soundproofing and baffles at all the noise paths (pillars, doors and channels) help to quiet the cabin.
Creatively styled gauges are trimmed with satin nickel trim. Heat and air conditioning are controlled by handy dials with readable graphics. The driver's seat has manual height adjustment for views comfortably over the hood and fenders. Tall side glass promotes good over-the-shoulder visibility.
Interior plastic is plentiful but durable and of what appears to be good quality in complementary colors. Seat fabrics appear up-level, too, and the headliner is an attractive woven fabric.
Cockburn says the seat designers gathered for a 1,600-mile trip, rotating three people between the seats, and never had a sore butt. Raised hip points help entry and exit.
The front passenger seat folds flat, allowing transport of 8-foot trombones, surfboards or school projects. There's a storage box on top of the instrument panel and a glove box, and there are coat hooks and seat-back pockets.
At night, a single ray of "mood" light beams down from ceiling to the window switches waaay down on the lower console - a neat touch to help awkward packaging.
The high roof pays off for back-seat headroom and a feeling of spaciousness. Cockburn, who is 6-foot-4, climbed into the back seat to show off the 39.5 inches of leg room and nearly 40 inches of head room.
The back seats are raised but have no center armrest. Nor is there a center rear headrest (for visibility issues, Cockburn says) and the center seat leg room is blocked somewhat by the floor console cup holder. The dome light is split for cargo area and dual reading lights.
Sizewise, the cargo area with seats folded will just fit a midsize go-kart, wall to wall, end to end.
Behind the rear seat back, a movable shelf can be adjusted up a foot or angled to an unusual 45 degrees. With grocery bag hooks underneath, heavy bags and bundles can be loaded on the angled shelf so they don't slide, and you can still lift the cover to the lower cargo hold. The battery is housed in the "basement" of the cargo area, with jump-starting terminals still under the hood.
The base engine is a 143-horsepower, 2.2-liter, double overhead cam four-cylinder that runs on 87 octane. The up-level LT gets a 172-hp 2.4-liter, which runs best on premium, though it is not required.
Enthusiasts will want the zip of the 2.4-liter, but neither engine is as overwhelming in performance as fuel economy. Both engines with the automatic are rated 23 mpg city and 30 highway; the manual gets 22/30.
"There's a lot of bandwidth with these Ecotec family engines - for more horsepower - such as supercharging," Cockburn says.
An HHR SS is sure to follow. The standard transmission is a five-speed manual, or you can opt for the bulletproof four-speed auto shifter with no frills such as a manual shift mode.
There are two suspension settings, and the LT gets the sport mode with a sharper steering calibration and tire upgrade. Even the base suspension is firm but comfortable and can handle enthusiastic maneuvering without wallow and whine from the tires, to a limit.
Chevy could have come up with a more sophisticated parts list (like a five-speed automatic or four-wheel disc brakes), but what they used works better than critics might expect.
It's an enjoyable driver - smooth, snug and refined. The electric steering is light to the touch and there's good balance between throttle and brake effort. I didn't test the manual transmission, but the automatic gives good shift points and I wasn't left starved for performance.
Prices start at $15,990 for the LS, which comes with the 2.2-liter engine, five-speed shifter, 16-inch tires and steel wheels, remote locking, air conditioning, power windows-locks-mirrors, six-speaker CD stereo with iPod jack. The HHR 1LT is $16,990 and the 2LT is $18,790. Loaded with XM, sunroof and automatic transmission, the price tops out at about $23,000.
The 2LT test car, with $4,365 in upgrades, is $21,355.
Accessories include running boards for $445 - and those do add the true '40s-style touch; an upper-deck spoiler, $395; carpet floor mats with HHR embroidery, $105; and black door sill plates, $91 for a set of four.
Comparisons to the PT Cruiser are inevitable and understandable. The Cruiser is 7.3 inches shorter than the HHR, a couple of inches narrower and 56 pounds lighter, and they both have about the same head, leg and shoulder room.
Chevrolet has been nagged by industry wise men who say that the retro wagon fad is through. For sure, public enthusiasm at seeing new-old re-creations has matured, because the shiny black test car with the chrome package didn't make crowds stop as did my first drive in a Cruiser.
But even the PT Cruiser is starting to look old, and with three-buck-a-gallon gasoline as the new threat, the good ideas in the HHR make it the latest cool ride with a purpose.
SPECS BOX
2006 Chevrolet HHR LT
Body style: five-passenger, five-door, front-wheel-drive compact wagon
Engine: Aluminum DOHC, 16-valve, 2.4-liter, four-cylinder
Horsepower: 172 at 6,200 rpm
Torque: 162 foot-pounds at 5,000 rpm
Transmission: five-speed manual; optional four-speed automatic
Fuel Economy: 22 mpg city, 30 highway, manual; 23/30, automatic
Fuel tank: 16.2 gallons; premium recommended, not required
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 103.5 inches
Length: 176.2 inches
Front head/leg/shoulder room: 39.5/40.6/53.5 inches
Rear head/leg/shoulder room: 39.6/39.5/52.7 inches
Curb weight: 3,208 pounds; LS, 3,155
Cargo capacity: 55.6 cubic feet, rear seat folded
FEATURES
Standard equipment: Remote locking, air conditioning, power windows-locks-mirrors, six-speaker CD stereo with iPod jack, power driver seat with lumbar, 60/40 split folding rear seat, fold-flat front passenger seat, cruise control, floor mats, rear cargo mat
Safety equipment: Dual-stage front air bags with passenger sensing system, front belt pretensioners
CHASSIS
Suspension: Front: strut-type suspension with stabilizer bar; rear, semi-independent torsion beam with stabilizer bar
Steering: Electric, power-assisted variable-speed rack-and-pinion; turning circle: 36 feet (LS) to 37.7 (LT)
Brakes: Power front discs, rear drums; optional anti-lock brakes
Tires and wheels: P215/50R 17-inch all-season steel-belted radial blackwall tires on aluminum wheels (LS, P215/55R 16-inch all-season tires and steel wheels with wheel covers)
PRICING
Base price: $18,790, including $565 destination charge; price as tested, $21,255
Options on test vehicle: Automatic transmission, $1,000; 2.4 liter engine upgrade, $650; anti-lock brakes, $400; side head curtain air bags, $395; XM satellite radio, $325; chrome package, $295, includes outside mirrors, grille, lift-gate applique, door handles and roof rails; seven-speaker Pioneer audio system, $295; six-disc CD changer, $295; luggage rack roof rails, $150; fog lamps, $115; running boards, $445.
The competition: Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty, Scion xB, Honda Element, Chrysler PT Cruiser
Where assembled: Ramos Arizpe, Mexico
PLUSES: A different style of economy and function. Smooth driving despite the humble Cobalt beginnings.
MINUSES: A-pillars are wide. Options and accessories can be pricey to the bottom line.
Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at mark.maynard@uniontrib.com.
