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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  Original Owner Since New - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By cc732 - February 11 - 8:18 pm

  I originally leased this car new and bought it in 09. I drove the car 350 miles a week for the first 2 years (35,000 mi.) until I retired from General Motors Canada. It now has about 60,000 miles with no problems. Tires and brakes were replaced at about 35,000 mi. Four Uniroyal TigerPaw II snow tires solved the winter driving issues and four Michelin HydroEdges are used in the summer. Oil changes were being done when the oil life monitor indicated. Gas mileage is good at about 40 mpg. (combined) with the automatic transmission. The key sticking issue and the water leakage were fixed at my local dealer to my satisfaction. he still does all the maitenance on the vehicle.

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  LOVE MY HHR!!!! - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By lyrics4mama - September 7 - 3:52 am

  Bought my used HHR in 2012, with 14k miles on it. Love the head room, and cargo space. Great on gas. Love the look. My husband is 6ft 3 in and has plenty of room. This is a wonderful car for travel, both in comfort and riding. It is awesome, and fun to drive. Its not a "powerhouse", but will get up and go. Love the fold down seats in the back. Took a while to get use to the window controls on the console, but like it now. My one and only complaint is the cup holders are located in an awkward place. Love the functionality of all the gadgets (radio, climate control, cruise control, etc...), very accessable, and easy to operate. Great for a family with children, from infant to older teens.

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  Original owner 130,000 miles later - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By waz3 - August 15 - 9:13 am

  I love my HHR I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I bought mine brand new and now have 130,000 miles on. It is driven almost 100 miles a day. my only compliant is the sway link bar. Other than regular maintenance this car is a charm and I will drive it until the doors fall off.

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  Water Problems - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By shutto01 - July 30 - 5:41 am

  I too was having problems with standing water in the floorboards. Easy fix.....the sunroof has 2 drain tubes that run down thru the door post, we blew these hoses out (full of nasty black debris). Once they were cleared out I have not had 1 problem with water again. I am so happy with my car. This car gets great gas mileage and performs great. So happy we figured out the problem.

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  After 5yrs/135K miles and going strong - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By jmeeep - April 24 - 3:16 pm

  I purchased this car for its unique look, decent mileage and ability to carry lots of things. It has been a very reliable car. No problems what so ever. The car does get regular maintance but believe me.. Im not perfect at it. I recommend this car to anyone just dont mind the car being called PT Cruiser or the white bus. My Fiance hated this car in the beginning and hes a car enthusiast. If you asked him now, he would be hard pressed not to recommend it either. It has been more reliable than his car and he takes care of his own car like a baby!

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  2006, HHR LT - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By jake1995 - April 2 - 11:32 am

  I just bought my HHR in March of 2012, and I love it! I get great gas mileage! A full tank will last me a month! Im 17, and will be going off to college, soon- and this will be GREAT. It had 90,000 miles on it when I bought it- and expect it to last long! They are great cars, and very reliable!

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  Plenty of bang fer the buck - 2011 Chevrolet HHR
  By montanamark - January 15 - 2:36 pm

  Ive owned my 2011 hhr lt for 2 months now and have absolutly NO complaints,being 602" 235 lbs I fit very comfortably in the cockpit,the high output 4 cylinder eco-tech engine is amazing gets up to 75 MPH with no hesitation or problem at all.however I dont plan on towing a yacht to Flordia or racing a Ferrari for pink slips,but for a general purpose light hauler its funtastic.The retro looks are second to none,its been called rad,cool, cute(by my dear 75 year old mom),sleek, retro etc etc.Its really sad that GM discontinued the HHR,I think its a present day classic.would like to see it make a comeback possibly in 13 or 14 LOVE MY HHR.Mine is an automatic trans form wouldnt let me enter

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  Great Chevy Car/SUV & Gas Saver! - 2011 Chevrolet HHR
  By chevyhhr2011 - June 23 - 5:31 pm

  This car has truly exceeded our expectations. We have owned it for almost 3,000 miles now in just under 2 months and this car has been great on gas and has a very smooth ride with good handling. We use the HHR as our business car for hauling items and shipments. Our website business, Wonder Buy Shop, has had other work cars available but we mainly use the HHR because it has the smoothness of a car with the functions of an SUV. Personally Ive had BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Honda and other cars but the HHR has been great on gas and the features are perfect for what we need with Bluetooth, OnStar, Automatic and more. Thanks to Chevy for making a real economic and fun car/SUV to drive!

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  2011 Chevy HHR Exceeded Our Expectations! - 2011 Chevrolet HHR
  By chevyhhr2011 - May 27 - 10:51 am

  We bought a new 2011 Chevy HHR LS with the My Link package because it had everything we needed for our business. From the interior room of an SUV to the gas savings of a small car the HHR has been fun to drive and it is easy to load packages for shipment. Our website business, [HTML deleted], uses the HHR for shipments, carrying and picking up new inventory and advertising. In the future we plan to add advertising decals on the exterior to make it stick out from the others. The HHR has exceeded our expectations with its comfort and convenience. We have over 1,500 miles in just about a month of owning it with no problems.

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  Stealth Value~! - 2011 Chevrolet HHR
  By smulvey - April 7 - 3:22 pm

  If you price out a car that does what this car does you will notice it is $ 4,000 cheaper than the typical offering in other lines , even including GM lines! It is a 4 cylinder motor. It is great for highway and city driving. It is not a torque monster. You do not want to buy this car to TOW a boat to Floirda from the hills of PA. I drive 25,000 miles a year. I have 80K on my HHR. I had it into the dealer once ( last month ) for a door lock / key FOB / RFID issue. The dealer could not figure it out. Everything else for this car was done in my Driveway or at Sears at the mall.