Car and Driver On HHR SS

[Z-06]

Chevy HHR

A turbocharger roosts under the HHR’s retro-styled hood.

BY ERIK JOHNSON, August 2007

As Chrysler uses Detroit’s annual Woodward Dream Cruise to roll out another snoozer special edition of the extremely long-in-the-tooth PT Cruiser—this time the Sunset Boulevard Cruiser, inspired by a street 2300 miles and several tax brackets away from Motown’s famed Avenue—Chevrolet has decided to inject a little bit of muscle into the event. Make that a very little bit of muscle, because the bow-tie brand has seen fit to unleash upon the world the Chevrolet HHR SS, which is, of course, based upon the diminutive HHR trucklet.

Where’d A Little Truck Like You Get All Them Horsepower?

Of the many things that distinguish the new HHR SS from its more pedestrian sibling, the most important are the turbocharger and intercooler that reside under its hood. That’s because they boost power and torque from the 2.0-liter direct-injection Ecotec four to a stratospheric 260 horses and 260 lb-ft—as seen in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline—all running through the front wheels. This is a huge boost over the regular HHR’s 143-hp or 171-hp naturally aspirated four cylinders and should keep the HHR SS very competitive with the upcoming 280-hp Dodge Caliber SRT4 in terms of straight-line performance, once either vehicle manages to find traction through the fog of wheelspin and torque steer.

Once it gets a grip, though, GM says the HHR SS should be able to achieve the 0-to-60-mph sprint in 6.3 seconds or so, and the company is claiming a 150-plus-mph top speed when equipped with the five-speed manual transmission. There’s also a four-speed auto, but overall power drops to just 235 hp if it’s fitted. So not only do you get the boring transmission, you get a horsepower penalty—do you really need us to tell you to skip it?

We find the 150-plus-mph top speed amusing for a couple of reasons. First, can you imagine a freaking HHR running with a 155-mph-limited, $190,000 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG? That can now happen. Second, the HHR SS has only been equipped with a 140-mph speedometer; seriously, what was the last new car that could outrun its speedo?

Super Sport Interior and Exterior

New front and rear fascias, a revised grille, new side sills, a rear spoiler, and 18-inch polished wheels all give the HHR SS a performance-oriented appearance. Inside, the fastest HHR becomes more driver-focused versus the base car, with new ergonomics for the short-throw shifter—it’s higher up and more forward—sport seats with suede inserts, a boost gauge on the A-pillar, and a smaller diameter steering wheel all combining to help HHR SS pilots reign in nearly 20 psi of boost.

Tuned For Speed At the Nürburgring

Listening to constant harping that a number of its SS models weren’t living up to the storied moniker—may we present the Monte Carlo SS? Or perhaps the Impala SS?—GM made absolutely certain that the HHR Super Sport would do its best to honor the badge. The process started by turning development of the tiny rocket over to GM Performance, the gearheads and mad scientists responsible for other high-po production vehicles such as the now-defunct Cadillac CTS-V and Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged. (Speaking of the blown Cobalt, we expect the new turbo powertrain from the HHR SS to make its way into the Cobalt—which shares its Delta platform with the HHR—very, very soon.)

The next step was to develop the hell out of the HHR SS at the famed Nürburgring in Germany, which is quickly becoming a required rite of passage for GM Performance¬–tuned vehicles. The HHR SS turned a best lap of 8:43.52, which is, for the record, only about five seconds slower than a lap recorded by an Acura NSX in 1997.

As for the chassis, the SS gets a sportier suspension, including unique struts, unique shock settings, and stiffer control arm bushings, as well as a 23mm front- and a 24mm rear anti-roll bar. Braking is handled by 11.7-inch vented discs gripped by single-piston calipers in the front and 9.8-inch solid discs with single-piston grabbers out back. Stability control is standard.

We expect the 2008 HHR SS to go for somewhere in the mid-$20,000s—the Cobalt SS Supercharged was a deal at around 22 grand—when it hits Chevy dealerships late this year.

[Drew Dowdell]

Money Quote

We find the 150-plus-mph top speed amusing for a couple of reasons. First, can you imagine a freaking HHR running with a 155-mph-limited, $190,000 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG? That can now happen. Second, the HHR SS has only been equipped with a 140-mph speedometer; seriously, what was the last new car that could outrun its speedo