HHR Replacement/ Chevy Orlando
01-12-2009, 09:34 AM
#102
Member
Join Date: 01-13-2008
Location: Guthrie, OK
Posts: 71
How can you say compete??They are nothing alike.The HHR was not built to compete in the SUV market..its a retro compact..made to be different. In a sense its a combo of everything made, but not anything alike.The SUV's on thre other hand are geared to wards the ex minivan and yuppie and well its new and i gotta have it crowd.Soccermoms, kids to class and family trips and and and....take a look at the group here..do we look anything like those types? yeah sure Im sure its used for such..but that was NOT the reason it was bought,correct? Compete..thats like saying the Hummer is competing with the vette! The HHR is more of a bare bones sport vehicle.Wheres the luxuries that the SUV's have? Ain;t non! Its plastic..its highly modable...it ever has a turbo with unrealistic HP for the average crowd! Soccor moms don't need a 14 sec car,,they need grunt!To haul all the groceries and neighbor kids and pets and wide screen TV's! Wow..you all amaze me.If it were to compete..don't you think the advertising would have been more evident?Where as,,there is practically none.Its a hot rod to compete with the other 4 cyl hotrods.Thats why it looks like a retro panel...............
This is how I say compete. The HHR is a Cobalt wagon. I like the retro looks because it makes it stand out, but the facts are that it is a wagon version of a compact car. The Orlando is going to be built off the same platform as the upcoming Cruze and is going to be 4 inches longer than a HHR. Not a SUV, not trying to compete with SUV's, (I owned a TrailBlazer before the HHR so I certainly can tell a SUV from a car) but is in fact, a station wagon version of the Cruze. Of course, we can't call them that any more, because that's uncool, but some of us are old enough to remember them.
GM is going to discontinue the Cobolt when the Cruze comes out. So yes, I would say that if the Orlando is on the lot, and is roughly the same size as the HHR, and both are small station wagons built on compact car platforms, then yes, they would be in competition with each other. I can not believe that a HHR is going to be sold along side an Orlando. There is no equal to the HHR SS but neither is there any equal to the TrailBlazer SS and it is no longer being built.
A lot can change in the next two years, just look at the last two, but I would say to treasure the HHRs that are out there now, because I don't see it outliving the Cobalt which dies in spring 2010 as things stand right now.
P.S. When I owned the TrailBlazer 4x4, I was neither an soccer mom or yuppie, I used it extensively to go off-road to go backpacking in remote areas, I now own a 4x4 pickup truck for recreational use and the HHR is my daily driver.
01-12-2009, 10:11 AM
#104
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 06-21-2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 939
I would consider replacing my HHR with the Orlando (if the changed the name.) I like the styling of the concept but I've only seen pictures. I've also read that the Orlando chassis will be able to accept and all-wheel drive drivetrain which I would be very interested in. That is the one thing that the HHR lacks which I've realized will be a key determining factor when I purchase my next vehicle.
01-12-2009, 10:23 AM
#105
Senior Member
Join Date: 07-05-2008
Location: Akron Ohio
Posts: 5,464
The problem is the Orlando is a true small SUV/minivan.
The HHR is not really a SUV but it is not a car and it is not a truck. It is in a class of it's own and like the PT has created it's own class.
Even the styling is a factor to what it is.
While the Orlando will be a great vehicle I can't see me ever buying one as I don't want a Minivan or something that looks like one.
The HHR SS is as close to a Mini an American company offers.
The HHR SS is a people hauler/truck/performance car/ something that does not look like everything else. That is why I bought it and the Orlando only fills a couple of those slots.
The HHR is not really a SUV but it is not a car and it is not a truck. It is in a class of it's own and like the PT has created it's own class.
Even the styling is a factor to what it is.
While the Orlando will be a great vehicle I can't see me ever buying one as I don't want a Minivan or something that looks like one.
The HHR SS is as close to a Mini an American company offers.
The HHR SS is a people hauler/truck/performance car/ something that does not look like everything else. That is why I bought it and the Orlando only fills a couple of those slots.
01-13-2009, 12:44 AM
#106
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-13-2008
Location: Washington State, where it rains
Posts: 4,708
Not a wagon..not a van...not a SUV and not a truck....each state has its own version of what it is because there isn't any common accepted catagory for it. Its a frickin toy!! So lets go play!! ( heres one..its the practical step sister to the Solstice.....)
01-13-2009, 06:03 AM
#107
Senior Member
Join Date: 07-05-2008
Location: Akron Ohio
Posts: 5,464
It is what the federal goverment the lets GM call it what it wants to. To them it is a SUV because of the Fuel milage rating helps the pick ups.
I always liked Chrysler. THe PT in normal form was a SUV and in convertible it is car.
When you sell 100,000 units it makes a differance. Just this reason it may help keep the HHR around even with the Orlando.
01-13-2009, 11:38 AM
#109
Senior Member
Join Date: 10-19-2007
Location: Temple Terrace, FL
Posts: 196
I liked my first generation xB a lot. It had excellent passenger room, great milage and with the ground effect valences looked odd but cool. The HHR SS however I enjoy a great deal more. The second generation Scion xB I would never consider and pales in every way to the HHR SS.
