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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  Beautiful - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Patty - March 2 - 4:10 am

  Did not want a new car, husband took me to dealership and it was sold. Absolutely love my HHR. Black with chrome package and aftermarket chrome rims, it turns heads. Love the interior design: fold down seats, lots of storage in rear, glovebox and dash storage, guages easy to read, steering wheel cruise controls and information center. Recent trip got 29 mpg on hwy, avg 25 in city.

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  Great Economical Family Car - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By richmcm - March 1 - 8:31 pm

  We looked at 7 cars in this class and liked the HHR best of all. What sold us. Well the styling was very appealing but the quiet ride, adequate power, nice interior layout with awesome cargo space and plenty of room in the back seats were the final selling pieces. We have over 4000 miles on this everyday work HHR and find it to be more that we expected. We live in the Northeast so one of the best features is the remote starting. Very nice to get into a warm car in these cold mornings. Getting 30 MPG is also very good. We are both over 50 so we will take the soft, quite ride over the stiff harder ride like the Masda 3 5 door had. The HHR fit and finish is also very impressive.

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  Big Mistake - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By bhults - February 5 - 8:31 am

  The vehicle is very attractive and urban design. Great alternative to the PT Cruiser design. Fun to drive when is not in the garage. Great fuel mileage on long hauls drive 1300 mile trips often and only use 3 tanks of gas for the whole trip. When it comes to reliability and performance it becomes a different story. I purchase new vehicles often about every 2-3 years and this will probably be my last Chevrolet purchase. Chevrolet customer service is great but if they cant build a reliable car then its not for me to purchase would recommend Toyota, Honda or Saturn.

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  Nice Ride - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By HHR Fan - January 30 - 5:36 am

  From the first time I saw the HHR I wanted one. Now that we own one I love it. Its cute and it runs very well for what driving I do, shuttling kids and grocery shopping.

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  Great Car! - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Jeff - January 20 - 5:46 pm

  Fun Car! Never owned a Chevy before. I am surprised by the quality and design. Great sound system.

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  HHR Problems - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By KElly - January 16 - 6:29 am

  I have now had my car for almost a year and I really enjoy it. I have had to have it in the shop three times for the same thing, something in the front end makes a rattleing noise, they replaced the steering column and some other bar but the problem comes right back. I drive on asphault all of the time, my driveway is gravel and that is when you can really tell that something isnt right in the front end of the car. Also the brakes have overheated and had my rotors turned three times, didnt fix the problem. These are really the only problems that I have been experiencing with my HHR.

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  Lovin it - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By BayouMan - January 14 - 12:33 pm

  This has been a fun car to own. The interior and exterior design are great. There are some blind spots but these are nothing compared to many vehicles. I have a bad back and have found the car to be quite comfortable and it also accomodates my 61 frame well. Storage and rear seat leg room have been good. Gas mileage has been 29 mpg in town and the car possesses adequate power withe 170hp engine, better than the Matrix, Corolla, and Civic. I have found this car to be great value for the price. The only complaint is a periodic light (very light) rattle in the door frame but I have not attempted to fix this yet. This is my favorite car yet in my 27 years of owning vehicles.

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  HHR - Won over my heart and my wallet - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By SuzanneIN - January 14 - 11:33 am

  I have had my Black HHR 2.4L 4CYL DOHC high output for a week and love it. I thought I would never own something that was not a 4WD until now. I went from 10MPG city to around 20MPG. I cant belive it. I purchased mine fully loaded, the chrome pkg makes heads turn. I have been very happy with the ride and the comfort. I took it shopping last night (for my family of 4) and because of the storage in the back had no problems. I would suggest going the extra mile and getting the entire "Perma-Plate" protection on the inside and out. I can not wait to take it to visit the family next month.....I should be a VERY nice ride!

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  Was a Great Car! - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By Jan L. - January 12 - 11:20 am

  My 2007 HHR was super reliable, and a fun car to drive. Acceleration whenever you want it, nice cruising along the highway. It never broke down. When one dark night a large buck deer jumped into the road and collided with my car, the crumple zone took all the impact, and I walked away without any injury. I would purchase another in a minute. Great car.

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  A New Dawn for the General - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By Partsman999 - January 9 - 11:38 pm

  I have driven or owned almost every manufacture/ models made from Ladas to Lincolns. I can say that this HHR is value for money and fun to drive. We looked at hybrids and the Prius was to small for our needs and the highlander was way over priced, with equal milage we chose the HHR LT1, we have so far got 26mpg around town, and 35 on highway. We have the Auto option transmission.