Has anybody seen the May issue??? It compares the HHR against 3 other cars-Matrix, Mazda3, and Caliber. As they admitted, it was not a fair test as the Matrix and Mazda were manual trannys, and the HHR they used had 16 inch wheels (compared to the others with 17's). The HHR came in third, and was described as not being as fast as expected (but the 2 quicker were stick shifts). Still, they spoke well of our car.

 

The Caliber came first???????:-)

 

i get the magazine and have it and read it
new one just came out and have not read it yet

anyone ever go to
http://gmtv.feedroom.com/

great stuff

 

No way. It came last. They said it looked more rugged than it is, and that it wimps out over rough roads. The HHR "has a large, inviting interior, one of the friendlest faces on the road, and is easy to drive, but only if the pace is sedate." Prior, they said that it drew plenty of interested stares around westside L.A. where even the latest exotics are often greeted with a yawn. Also, they said "Even if the HHR seldom leads the pack, it nevertheless has enough power to keep it in the thick of whatever mad dash is at hand". The Toyota Matrix came in second, and the Mazda came in first, "the sportiest and the most fun to drive". Still, even with the auto, the HHR was only .6 slower in the 1/4 mile-16.9 @ 81.3 vs 16.3 @ 86.8 and .9 slower in 0 - 60- 8.9 vs 8.0. I have not checked the other sites for forums, but I doubt there is the aftermarket potential that the Ecotec powered Chevy has!

 

I read the whole thing - several contradictions in the article. As Lee mentioned, it was only roughly a 1/2-second slower in the 1/4-mile; yet labeled "sedate." they made another reference to poor handling - yet I'm certain the HHR rides smoother than any of the other cars tested.

Again I'm tainted by having spent so many years in publishing. It would be nice to get a fair review under fair circumstances (*the author noted that all the cars were mis-matched regarding options and pricing).

Whatever happened to responsible journalism?
How is the general public supposed to make buying decisions after reading an article like that?

 

Well, I am inclined to disagree about aftermarket for the ecotec, when the Caliber SRT4 comes out with 300hp at the end of this year, your gonna have to spend a lot to get that much out out of a 2.4 ecotec.That said, I do like the looks of HHR better and the cargo room is grand. But after reading a lot of threads regarding water leaks, wind noise at the rear side windows, paint chipping, radio clicks and pops, warped rotors, and price per options........makes me wonder a bit about the chebbie.........

 

Just remember that you are reading isolated problems posted by a very small percentage of HHR owners (there are only 700 members here, and over 60,000 HHR's on the road). People always hear about the bad while the good things are rarely reported.

I've had my HHR since October with no issues at all - and I have lowered it, subjected it to severe dyno testing three times, and prety much drive it with a lead foot whenever provoked. It has yet to complain - and gets 32-36mpg on highway trips! BTW - we have had over 6-inches of rain in the past 2 months (and I drive in it!), and not a sign of leakage anywhere.

So whenever you read about problems remember; every manufacturer has them - not just Chevrolet. It's impossible to make a mass production vehicle of any type and not have inconsistencies. Humans make the vehicles, and humans occasionally make errors.

I am very content with my HHR's performance, value & reliability, and I think many others on this site share the same view.

Of course you are certainly entitled to your own opinion as well.

 

Socal is right, isolated incidents. My HHR has been to the dealer ONCE for non-scheduled service, big deal. I think we all knew what we were getting into when we bought a 1st year model. Do you expect the 1st model Caliber to come rolling off the assembly line without it's share of bugs?

 

I'm sure if you can locate forums dedicated to the other brands you'll find a collection of mishaps that comes of mass producing items for other vehicles as well. Since I've got my HHR its been nothing but nice to me and even if I didn't like it I couldn't get rid of it at this point, I feel I have a duty to show it off for all those people that rubber neck as you drive by in it

 

Thanks CJ
thats pretty cool..