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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  My New HHR Chevy - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Jack - February 16 - 4:26 pm

  This is a great new car model from GM. It has almost every option as standard equipment. It appears to be a very high quality vehicle and should give me many years of pleasure. I am 62 years old!

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  Wonderful car, great ride, best cargo room, 32 mpg - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By DDOlson - February 14 - 11:23 am

  For cheap and good this is the real deal. First of all this is my second HHR. I bought the 2006 first off the assembly line. I never had a single problem with it until 200,000 and even then the problem was easy to solve. I must preface this by saying my husband is a great mechanic. We maintain every car we own as a 10 out of 10. Many of the bad reviews I see here I think are caused by people beating their cars into the ground and reselling them as junk. Seriously people, dont buy a used car until youve done your research, test drove it and had a mechanic check it out. And buying from a back lot small time dealer is a real roll of the dice and youll pay much more for a car from a factory type dealer. My 2006 I finally sold at 220,000 just because I didnt want to have anything happen out on the rural roads in Minnesotas winter weather. That said the problem I did have was BATTERY GENERATED. You must replace newer cars batteries every 3 years. If you do not, cars today are so electronically generated from the computerization to lights, sensors etc. you start getting warning lights, sensor lights, power downs etc. as the batteries age because the old battery cannot support the juice needed to run the car. The cargo room in this car is better than any other its size and MPG. My son can get two bass bins and music gear galore in it no problem..I use to get ladders and dressers and beds in mine!!!!Its the best for this. Also I have three family members over 6 feet tall and they fit comfortably in the vehicle..so much we got one for my 6 ft+ son. Also the inside car handles are cheap plastic and wear out. My drivers side simply broke in two but one, You Tube video later and a replacement part at NAPA, and it was fixed at home. Now my son graduated from college. We bought him a 2008 HHR used 91,000 miles on it. Believe me it took weeks and a 7 hour road trip to buy the right one. There were tons out there but over priced, poorly maintained, a real crap shoot if you dont know what you are doing. I was very surprised how people just out and out try to deceive you about vehicles. I am so glad I have a reliable person to check things over before purchase. Our 2008 has the 2.2 engine and does get 32 MPH with the cruise on..my husband claims without the cruise it would be more if you drive it a certain way. The guy we bought it from even did the 100,000 maintenance on it all ready with the high end platinum plugs. New front tires-smooth ride and we really kicked the tires on this HHR before we bought it and drove it 7 hours straight to get it home. And the person who said they could have gotten a VW-good luck with that and buying used. I had VWs for years. If you do not do the routine maintain on them at a rep. certified VW place at thousands of dollars a pop, the vehicle is crap and a money hole. A used one maintained is hard to find. it is now 2017 and we are still very happy to own an HHR. The 2008 had a small flaw in design where they took the fuel line and routed it close to the exhaust and wrapped the fuel line close to the exhaust with heat shielding that absorbed water...so it rusted out. Again another You Tube video later, replaced that length of fuel line with a piece that included a rust preventative( make sure you get compression fittings due to fuel injected vehicle- for some reason O"REILLY employees didnt know this- dont rely on store employees). We did put the heat shielding back on but open so the moisture can escape. Also again, as with the 2006, there seem to be glitchy things with the mother boards and electrically system just randomly deciding to do finicky things. Being a seasoned HHR owner, we pulled the battery which reset the electronics and when we put it back in, trouble free. Got to make sure you have a good newer battery. I can tell you I do not like the computer technology in ANY vehicle I have owned. They stink...you can have nothing wrong with the vehicle itself-just the computer. It also can be an expensive fix. AND mechanics charge you a fortune and rarely get to the real problem-its a crap shoot...Glad it hasnt been on this HHR yet!

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  I Love My HHR - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Sue - February 5 - 12:53 pm

  Since the day I bought this car, I have had fun with it. The upgraded stereo is awesome. The leather seats are very comfortable, The sunroof is a great bonus. I bought mine with the sport suspension package in it. It may have cost a little more but it was well worth it. There is nothing about this car that I dont adore.

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  Fun to Drive - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Pat - January 2 - 8:26 am

  In the quest to find a vehicle that suites both my husband and I we stumbled upon the HHR. Our original intention was to buy an Equinox or the like. The salesman suggested that we try the HHR. It was love at first drive. My husband is 62" and I am 53", we need a vehicle that can accomodate both of us. The HHR is perfect. It is one of the most comfortable cars Ive ever driven. The ride is smooth and the electric steering is a breeze. We traded in our 2001 Montana and are happy campers with the HHR. Now if I can only get the hang of the shifter on the floor. I keep turning on the windsheild wipers! Small price to pay for such a fun ride. Thanks Chevrolet.

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  Chevy hits a home run - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By parky - December 24 - 6:56 pm

  This is the best new car I have ever owned, it is basically flawless The only flaw being the cupholder location. Other than that it is a sensible family car with room for five and their luggage also. This is as if they brought back the station wagon in a new and compact package. Has plenty of power and have been gitting 28 MPG around town with automatic transmission.

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  Could Not Be Happier - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By stevcaro - December 15 - 9:10 pm

  Was looking a PT but when these came out I was sold. Reminded me of my 1951 pickup I regret selling. HRR is not a sports car but who cares. She handles good enough for me and I have owned 3 Vettes! Bought it with 6000 miles on her and she was loaded and got a deal so there is no negative here. I see more and more of these on the road and could not be happier with my purchase.

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  Good New Car, Fun To Drive - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Jason H. - December 12 - 7:06 pm

  I love everything about my car, from the design to the looks it gets while cruising down the road. It has a smooth ride like none other, taking all surfaces as if they were glass. From the lack of wind noise, you would barely notice that you are moving, except for the fact that if you lose sight of your speedometer for more than 5 seconds, you will be travelling towards meeting your new local officer. Overall, the HHR seems to be a very well designed car.

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  My little avalanche - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By crabby blue - November 26 - 8:16 pm

  I love my Avalanche, but gas prices made me turn to the HHR. I love the style and simple features, no XM radio or OnStar needed. I love it without $500 opional running boards. Drives like a dream and the sport suspension just screams to run the windy roads. Reminds me of an Escort GT I owned. Wanted the orange, but could not find one so went with a black just off the truck. Will be taking it on three 2000 mile round trips to FL this year and can not wait to get on the highway. So far it runs like a dream. Put flames on it first day and people always stop to look at it. Get out of the way PT

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  My Wonderful HHR - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Ruth Petersen - November 18 - 8:30 pm

  I love the design of this car. Ive gone from a Venture Mini-Van to this and find it was an easy transition. The high seat enables me to easily enter and exit the car with trying to haul myself off the floor of the car. It zips around, and gets into little spaces with ease. There is plenty of room for many items and large items with the fold down seat. I havent lost much compared to the mini-van. The back end has a shelf that you can put up and place your shopping items under and they will not be seen by the passer-by. I used this feature during my Christmas shopping and just loved it. I just love my new little HHR!

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  New Owner - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Harold Profitt - November 12 - 11:46 pm

  I have been extremely pleased with this vehicle. The gas mileage has been a wonderful surprise. Im getting almost 25 mpg in the city and almost 37 mpg on the highway.