All your guys comment are very good to know and its nice to see what everyone has to say. The big test will come when I get out on the highways and interstates.
I've bought this car for the looks but also partly for the mileage. I did a similar trip last year from Calgary to Moad Utah and into New Mexico. That trip was in my 3.8L V6 Impala. Same number of people and probably same amount of stuff. We had some incredibly good mileage out of that things. We got around 30mpg with the cruise control set at 80 to 85 for most of the trip .
If the HHR doesn't do significantly better I will be very disappointed .

Thanks for the input y'all!

 

I agree with Mike. I don't use mine very much.

 

Your HHR will NOT do better !!!

Family also has an Impala with the 3.4. Daughter on the same trip mentioned previously got close to 36 mpg. I believe her car is "stickered" at 32 mpg on the highway....her results probably has something to do with the additional torque.

But, I am waiting to hear your results.

The trip that I will be taking, mentioned previously, is approximately 2500 miles one way, and have made that same trip each of the past 4 years. The vehicle used, 2001 Olds mini-van (3 adults and luggage) is "stickered" at 26 mpg highway. That is what I averaged for each of the 4 trips.

I'll be taking that same trip in the HHR....so it will be interesting to see the results.

 

Could also have something to do with aerodynamics, the HHR has aerodynamics similar to a boulder...

 

Good One.....

Does anyone know the offical coefficient of the HHR???

 

Hey, one of my former associates from GM just stopped by. He informed me that most vehicle manufacturers now "under estimate" highway "sticker" mileage by about 20% and city by 10%. Da Gov', allows this to present a more realistic consumer expectation for mileage (mileage compliance tests are performed on a dyno, by trained professional drivers, over a electronically dictated challenge course). This allows the average driver to approach and expect a more realistic mpg.

Just thought I would pass that along....for trivia info.

 

The other disadvantage is the power-to-weight ratio. The Impala or Malibu with a V6 has a lot less mass to push vs. the horsepower it is pushing it with. This means that the HHR with its 2.2 or 2.4L 4-cylinder has to work harder to propel the same load at the same speed. This translates into more of your foot being in the throttle at the same speed, hence less mileage per gallon.

As Dan mentioned above; - aerodynamics add to this problem.

I think a V6 RWD HHR would be THE ticket!

Hello...GM?

 

As someone who drives a LOT, 26K miles in 26 weeks, I've found that with/without cruise, uphill/downhill, the best you could probably expect out of your HHR is around 34 mpg. My DIC is pretty consistantly around 30-32 with some limited city driving. I've not taken an extensive road trip but I could see where you might gain a couple extra mpg. I bought mine primarily for the look and mpg.... while mpg is important I think the HHR is nicely placed in the middle between room/space and mpg. In order to get much better mileage I would have to go with a LOT smaller vehicle and it's just not worth it for me...

my two cents....

CBL

 

BINGO...Mike.

 

4.3 V6 and RWD, AMEN