Overview & Reviews

The Chevrolet HHR was something of a late arrival to the compact wagon scene. Its name stood for "Heritage High Roof," referring to its tall retro-wagon styling, which Chevrolet claims was inspired by the '49 Suburban. Everything else about the vehicle, however, was decidedly modern.

Though compact in size, the Chevy HHR featured clever interior packaging solutions, including a split-folding rear seat, a fold-flat front passenger seat and a cargo area floor (with built-in grocery bag hooks) that allowed it to accommodate bulky and/or long cargo items. For shoppers searching for a used versatile compact wagon that's also stylish, the HHR certainly merits consideration.

Most Recent Chevrolet HHR
The Chevrolet HHR was a compact four-door wagon produced from 2006-'11. It shared its front-wheel-drive architecture -- and thus many of its driving characteristics -- with Chevrolet's Cobalt compact sedan.

In testing, our editors commented favorably about the HHR's smooth and quiet ride, ample cargo space, attractive interior, excellent visibility and versatile sound system. The cabin boasted nicely detailed gauges, tight construction and substantial-feeling controls. There was, however, no shortage of hard plastics on hand that sullied the overall ambience. The HHR's tall ceiling provided headroom aplenty, but the narrow body limited comfort for adults riding in the backseat. Other downsides included weak brakes, underwhelming handling dynamics and a lack of refinement from the 2.4-liter engine.

Four trim levels were offered: LS, 1LT, 2LT and a high-performance SS version produced from 2008-'10. A two-seat panel van version that came in LS, LT and SS trims was available every year but 2006.

The base engine was a 2.2-liter four-cylinder that initially produced 143 horsepower, but was bumped to 149 for 2007 and to 155 for 2010. Available on the LT was a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produced either 172 hp or 175 depending on the year (it actually went back and forth). The SS featured a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder good for 260 hp, along with stronger brakes and an enhanced suspension that together made it quite fun to drive. Front-wheel drive and a five-speed manual were standard with all, but a four-speed automatic was optional.

Besides the minor horsepower bumps, changes to the HHR were limited to standard features. Most notably, this included stability control for 2008 as well as antilock brakes and side curtain airbags the following year.

User Reviews:

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  The HHR that couldnt - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By Very - August 24 - 4:08 pm

  When the car hit 100.000 miles it stated to be an on going money pit new transmission new starter...door locks would not work engine blew up nothing but problems dont buy one!

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  Stylish Ride - 2010 Chevrolet HHR
  By E Souffle - August 11 - 10:13 pm

  Early HHRs had many teething problems some of them serious. My 2010 model has been trouble free. The car went in for two recall items: ignition switch and power steering, even though I was not experiencing any problems. Neither visit cost me anything. My mileage isnt great - about 22mpg (80% street). I dont use ethanol. A drop of ethanol has about 85% the energy of a drop of gasoline. Not to mention some water content. The car is plenty peppy for me. The A pillars are very thick take a little getting used to, but the interior is very comfortable. Entry/exit is very easy unlike some cars with a low roofline. I also like the useful cargo area and A/C. There is a little compartment in the middle of the dashboard - very handy. I do my own oil changes and the HHR is the best car for this. The new type oil filter is so neat, no mess. Owners of earlier models have reported transmission problems at around 40K+ miles. I only have 33K miles no problems yet. So far Im very happy.

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  piece of crap - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By Roberta - August 11 - 10:02 am

  I just financed this car and already had to take it back for recall then my timing chain broke which costed 1000 all for 2 months and now the engine blew this was the worst car experience i every had never again will i purchase from Chevrolet again im so hurt and disappointed

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  2006 Chevy HHR - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By rodfreeman - May 25 - 12:11 am

  So far I love my HHR.

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  motor seized - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Barbara Laursen - April 22 - 9:53 am

  We have always had the car serviced at Midway Chevrolet whenever the mileage told us to do that. Monday I was driving it and I went to pass a car. When I went into overdrive there was a "clunk" and I lost the overdrive power. No trouble lights came on so I continued on. The car began to "clunk" whenever I touched the accelerator and then as I drove. (I had to get to a doctor appt.)After the appt. I found a GMC dealer and by that time it was barely running and extremely noisy and the trouble lights were on. The engine had seized and all the oil was gone. I had 141,350 miles on it. We are getting a used engine put in. I thought the engine would last longer. Has this happened to others?

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  Piece Of Cr%p - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By alexborsberry - January 3 - 4:33 pm

  This car was the worst investment I ever made. Ive had problem after problem with this thing. The whole car should be a recall. The thing leaks water in the inside the gear shifter broke, blower motor went out, emergency brake cable snapped, I changed the air filter and the in take hose broke, and know the piece of crap is leaking anti freeze. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR. Also the chevy dealer is a bunch of scammers!!!!!

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  Accident - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By jordan2014 - March 2 - 5:32 pm

  I absolutely love this vehicle, its an amazing gas saver. I was so so about buying this car but my wife wanted it so we obviously got it. After 6 days today being the 6th me and my 19 month old were on my way to pick up my new born and wife from the hospital, and along the way we lost control and had flipped 4 or 5 times. The only damage was the roof. The above airbags deployed and saved my sons and I lives. I very strongly recommend this vehicle to anyone for the safety, all i can say now is thank you chevy.. thank you

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  Mislead - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By cmmarob - February 3 - 10:26 am

  I owned a VW Passat wagon. I was getting 26-28 MPG on the highway. A friend told me about the HHR and that I would receive better gas mileage. I traded for the HHR and got between 24 and 26 MPG. Very disappointing to say the least! Also the space in the back with the seat down is probably around 12 cubic feet smaller than the Passat. Another great disappointment. The interior uses a lot of cheap plastics and the window switches are on the center console. I have owned the car for 2 years and I still have to look for the switches every time I go to use them.

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  2006 Chevrolet HHR 1LT 2.4 5 speed - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By 06hhr - January 28 - 12:04 pm

  Bought April, 2012. When bought it had 50,432 on it, Just short of 2 years later its at just over 90k. Average over 20k miles a year. The clutch still feels new and the 2.4 Ecotec hasnt skipped a beat! All this said, I have done the following: -Thermostat replaced (factory installed coolant caused premature breakdown of OEM part. (known issue) - Fixed broken sunroof wind deflector (common issue) - Replaced/upgraded front rotors (OEM known to warp), upgraded to ceramic pads. Total cost, about $230 to fix, all easily done at home. The one thing I will need to have done is suspension bushings. Theyre shot and make the car creak horribly in cold weather.

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  Why doesnt anyone know what is wrong with my car - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By allij0812 - December 10 - 1:53 pm

  I purchased a used 2006 Chevrolet HHR in 2013. I have not experienced trouble at all until a couple of days ago. I was on the highway coming home from work and my odometers started jumping, then the warning light that display read "power steering". My steering was ok. My car was "jerking" real bad as I was slowing down and changing gears, each time I would press the gas the car would jerk. Got it home then had my neighbor drive it she is a certified mechanic. No problems during that trip. The next morning I drove it to do some errands no problems until I was almost home same issue just the odometer was not jumping and no "power steering" displayed. no one can figure out this issue, anyone ??