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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  Amazing retro wagon - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By BLKHHR - October 18 - 10:40 am

  I came from a Saturn ION to the Chevy HHR and over-all this vehicle feels much more stable and solid than the Saturn did. The seating position is higher than the ION, much like a mini-ute, but the windshield is smaller and somewhat harder to see out of. I thought I would miss the center- mounted gauges in the ION but the HHR has a small gauge cluster that makes up for that.

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  From full size truck to HHR - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By pgrillone - October 15 - 9:26 am

  I just drove the HHR home last night, nearly 150 miles, in the dark. The displays were easy to read and use, I was driving through a lot of hills with a lot of curves and it handled great. I kept feeling like I was in my truck but lower. Fuel mileage came out to 28mpg. Thats twice what my truck got.

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  Love my HHR - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Wayne - October 8 - 4:03 pm

  We put 2000 miles on our HHR the frist week we had it. It is a great road car to travel in. Comfortable seating up front and a lot of luggage room in back. Solid little car. Lots of miles between gas stations. Cruised the mountains at 75-80 mile per hour without a problem. All in all, a best buy for me. I generally but a new vehicle every two years but think that this one will get out of that rotation. It is a keeper.

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  Review of Chevrolet HHR LT - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By William Houk - October 2 - 5:03 pm

  I drive the HHR to and from work every day for a round trip of 48 miles. The HHR is very comfortable and fun to drive. It is very peppy when I step on the gas. The ONLY thing I do not like is that the rear view mirror is in my line of sight. I have to make an effort to look around or under the mirror to see if there is anything I cannot see.

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  HHR for her - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Joann - September 26 - 5:16 am

  My husband bought the HHR for me. I really love the way it drives both in the city and on the highway. We took it on a 500 mile trip and got great gas mileage and rode in comfort. Also enjoyed the people looking as we pass by. It has a very open feel with the rear seat folded down, and is great for hauling things.

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  Excellent Car for the Money - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Doug R - August 29 - 9:00 pm

  I love the unique styling of the HHR. I am always getting comments about how it looks. The drive and economy is better than I expected, but am grateful because I spend a lot of time behind the wheel. Very spacious for the size.

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  A great car for the bucks! - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By cpt63 - August 14 - 8:00 am

  My wife and I just love this car. We are in sales and move a lot of product and it does the job. We love the quality of the car and the looks as well. Ironically, we both never liked the PT Crusier. The gas mileage is on target. It steers great, it turns great, and brakes great as well.

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  Love the Chevy HHR - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By Frank - August 13 - 3:33 pm

  Shopped the PT Cruiser, Jeep Compass, etc. but this HHR was the obvious choice. Very fun car to drive. Gets double-takes out on the highway. Stick shift is fun to drive and has neat old style chrome shifter. Getting 30 to 34 mpg on the highway. Will carry 5 people comfortably or a bunch of cargo with seats folded down, up to 8 long. Very quiet and comfortable while driving. Lots of storage areas, although map pockets in door are not big enough. Base stereo is OK. Has features you would not expect for such an inexpensive car - cruise control, power windows, power programmable door locks (they lock and unlock automatically) , A/C, electromagnetic power steering, keyless entry and alarm, etc.

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  New Item for us. - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By k gainey - July 17 - 11:13 am

  We are very satisfied with our HHR. We have three small children, and they have plenty of room as well as the front two passengers. It is very hard to use the cupholders up front while driving. Other than that the only other odd thing is the battery placement. What is up with that? I havent even seen the battery yet. I hope all of the rear storage doesnt have to be removed to get to it. I am disabled and this would pose a problem for myself. Other than those small things, the SUV is great in every way.

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  The New HHR rocks! - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By navysf11 - July 11 - 3:40 am

  At first I wasnt a big fan of the looks of the car but after getting to know the car in and out I really love it. The HHR is fun to drive has a ton of great features and I now love how it looks. For the price I dont think theres a better vehicle out there.