http://wheels.ca/article/asset/32517 ----i thought this was interesting. I do agree about the blind spots and altho the panel hhr looks very sharp, i'd prefer the regular hhr with all the glass. I drove a 1999 chevy astro van with no rear side windows as a autoglass installer for many years and i was pretty careful and good at avoiding and causing accidents. Many times i was in situations where i had no choice but to back out of parking lots or drive around dimly lit parkades and also thru new car dealership/bodyshop lots. In the fall when it would get dark early and with the heavy rainfall we often get...it was not too fun. Personally, i like the hhr with as much glass as it comes with, including a power moonroof. It brightens up the interior on those dull depressing cloudy days and in the summertime you can let that nice sunshine in. Please dont shoot the messenger (me)!! I am just posting my opinion and those that enjoy their panel hhr's should continue to be glad they bought theirs. Just thought i would post an interesting article.

 

I agree. I like the looks of the full panel HHR as well as the one with only the rear-most windows "metaled" in, but wouldn't trust myself with one. I've enough of a challenge with a normal HHR's visbility, and I've never driven a four door car before; it's a new experience.

 

About 2 feet ,then the driver takes over.

 

That's a weird article. Not a review per say, more like a rant. Yes, visibility can be an issue with the HHR (even more so with the panel), but that's why it has oversized mirrors. I mean, there is always going to be a need for delivery trucks and vans, and guess what: they operate mostly in cities.

I don't have statistics, but are delivery vehicules more likely to get into an accident? Maybe.

As for myself, my outside mirrors are positioned so that I have no rear blind spot, and I learned during a summer job to back up a van using the mirrors only. Whenever I park, the rear goes in first, so as to help when leaving the spot (I did that anyway with my previous cars). Parallel parking isn't an issue either, if you know how to use mirrors. The one blind spot that I have and worry about (especially with pedestrians) is the A pillar on each side of the windshield.

My HHR doesn't have ABS or TC, and only 2 airbags ! My god, I must be a rolling timebomb.... I think he's got it wrong too; the most important safety feature is not the eyes, it's the brain.

Yves

 

I drove a small pickup truck for years with a cap on the back and you just get use to it, I did have Jr West Coast Mirrors so that really helped. I would love the panel but I still need that rear seat until my son moves out (another yr) .

 

Please don't let this guy drive a FedEx or UPS truck or any of the other 100's of thousands of windowless delivery truck's that have been on the road for 50+ years.....

It' amazes me how many people don't know how to position their mirrors.

 

I have my mirrors positioned well for driving to help alleviate the blind spot problem, but still have problems backing up...I can't figure out where the back of the HHR is relative to the car in the next spot.

There have been times when it looked like I was about to hit the car behind, only to find out I was almost 2 feet away from it.

I had a similar problem as well with the Malibu's, but not to this degree.

 

I drive a 2007 HHR panel everyday with no problems.

 

If you really start looking around there are thousands of windowless cargo vans on the road everyday. They take some getting used to but once you know where to look and are fairly careful its not a big deal. If you are prone to making abrupt lane changes you might have a problem but for the most part its Ok

 

It just like consumer reports saying that they couldn't see out of rear quarter panel because of rear seat headrest. I dont have that promblem rear seats are most of the time down