Dan Neil Reviews the HHR

[bobo]

Our favorite reviewer Dan Neil of the L.A. Times did his thing to the HHR. A few quotes:

In its search for fresh, edgy attitude that will resonate with Generation iPod, Chevy has turned, inevitably, to the Truman administration. The styling of the HHR — it stands for "Heritage High Roof" — is inspired, so they tell me, by the 1949 Chevy Suburban. One must be particular in these matters, since Plymouth and Dodge built Suburbans in those years too.

The PT Cruiser is the 3,176-pound elephant in the HHR's living room. Both are front-drive, transverse-engine, four-door, five-seat wagons with adjustable load space and fold-flat rear seats. Cargo capacity is nearly identical. Both cars are strikingly comfortable due to their tall, upright captain's chairs. Dimensionally the cars are nearly equal in every direction — the HHR does have more snout, giving it a 7.4-inch advantage in overall length — and they work essentially the same. Both start at under $16,000 and can be loaded to groaning with dealer options until they reach the low $20,000s.

This is purely a case of automotive anhedonia. For a car that's supposed to be a kind of hot-rod starter kit, the HHR handles like a retirement community golf cart. The electric-power steering glides from lock to lock with barely any resistance, or feel, and any communication that comes from the four tires is strictly by telegraph. The braking and acceleration are only tolerable and the body roll isn't. Like the Pontiac Solstice, this car would be transformed with the addition of GM's supercharged Ecotec.

Even with its iPod connections, the HHR couldn't hit hip with a hand grenade. And yet, I suspect it will do all right in the market for a year or two. I can easily imagine people in their 50s and 60s picking up the car because of its practical value and because it is essentially effortless to drive. It also gets very respectable gas mileage. But I also suspect it will have a high fatigue factor because, whether it means to or not, it imitates that which is inimitable. The past is not always prologue.

Full Article Edited January 2, 2006 by bobo

[chevelle454]

What an IDIOT!

[Clownzilla]

I have said this once and I will say it again. The HHR is quite a bit different than the PT Cruiser. Granted, I like the cruiser (especially the vert.), but the HHR is full of classic CHEVY styling. The PT cruiser is just a vehicle that looks like a classic kit car.

[nzr]

Oh really? The Solstice is going to be supercharged? :rolleyes: Please shoot this moron.

[enzl]

He's smug and nasty about the HHR, but, truthfully, is he really that far off base with most of the criticism? (I think he's referring to the SS/Redline engine with the 'supercharger' comment. I could be wrong...)

[tama z71]

This guy gives a supreme display of douche baggery every time his pen hits paper. I hope he gets fired, because I know several people on this site and others that could write more accurately (and entertainingly) than him.

[Flybrian]

He's smug and nasty about the HHR, but, truthfully, is he really that far off base with most of the criticism?
(I think he's referring to the SS/Redline engine with the 'supercharger' comment. I could be wrong...)

[post="66423"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I think if you buy too much into the 'hot compact retrotruck' marketing, you'll be very underwhelmed with either product (not including the Turbo PT). However, if you approach it as an economical compact utility, you'll find the HHR more than adequate.

Seems as if he fell into that marketing trap as well as forgetting its the first model year. The PT went several years without a more performance-tuned version and a convertible. That, or he just feels like being an asshole. I'm placing my bets on door #2.

[FAPTurbo]

Actually, I think he has some good points and says what needs to be said, but I would have taken him more seriously if he didn't add all that shtick, (ex. "the HHR couldn't hit hip with a hand grenade")

[Satty]

How many average people do you think realize the HHR has many Chevy cues? Most people are going to think Chevy is trying to jump on the PT Cruiser bandwagon. The PT's interior looks better (the HHR is really bland) but the PT is lacking in the quality "feel" some people seem to think doesn't exist. I haven't dealt with removing the seats on either, so I dont know which is easier to use. Chevy basically built a Cobalt wagon that doesn't look like a Cobalt wagon. in the process they also built a better PT Cruiser.

[TurboRush]

Another duchebag looking for a jab in the loins. Is he expecting a corvette under every GM vehicle's skin? Come on....

[gmhashope]

Most people I see driving HHRs aren't in their 50s or 60s, more like their 20s or 30s.

[samy1691]

Most people I see driving HHRs aren't in their 50s or 60s, more like their 20s or 30s.

[post="66451"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Poor misguided fools.......HHR's suck big time

[Imaj]

Poor misguided fools.......HHR's suck big time

[post="66455"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

wow.. what a troll <_<

[gmhashope]

wow.. what a troll  <_<

[post="66502"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yea, he's probably just mad because the Honda Element finished behind the HHR in a C&D comparo.

[The O.C.]

Another duchebag looking for a jab in the loins. Is he expecting a corvette under every GM vehicle's skin? Come on....

[post="66447"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Many would argue that's what GM needs.....a "Corvette" under every GM vehicle's skin....

....in other words....if they executed their mainstream products with the excellence they have shown on the C6....GM wouldn't be in the retail sales problem they are today...

[The O.C.]

Most people I see driving HHRs aren't in their 50s or 60s, more like their 20s or 30s.

[post="66451"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Most people I see driving HHRs have a rental-car-barcode in the rear driver-side window....

(not that I have a problem with the HHR....just seems like they are all fleet out here...)

[I hope GMRULES again]

I wonder what this dirtbag would say if he was reviewing an Element or a scion .

[network engineer]

2 things. 1. The HHR is a nice vehicle. It is competent and will do very well in the market place. No one is suprised that it is being called Chevy's PT cruiser though. 2. Bad reviews will continue to be forthcoming, if GM continues to market it as a young persons hot rod wagon. If they drop the GXP engine in and slap an SS badge on it, they can get away with it. Until then it should be marketed as a great grocery getter.

[bobo]

I think GM's marketing for the HHR is appropriate. They are not overpromising anything, and there's lots of emphasis on low price, so nobody should be expecting a top quality interior. Mr. Neil has some legitimate concerns about the car. The steering does not have the best feel, as GM's electric power steering still needs some work. The tight cabin is a result of compromises made for the styling. I wouldn't doubt that GM has some significant upgrades, including more power, in a couple years for a mid-cycle update. Still, for what you pay for, it's a very good value.

[sciguy_0504]

Hands down, the HHR is a great car.

[Allen K]

I've had the HHR for a day, and can't disagree with him on a lot of points, although mainly I was turned off by 'recycled milk jug' dash material and door panels with drilled holes for door-lock pins, but of which are unfortunately true. Edited January 3, 2006 by Allen K

[Cadillacfan]

Although this guy is a total dick, the HHR could've been a lot better considering GM had 5 years to respond to the PT cruiser. No, i haven't driven it and it doesn't resemble the PT as much as he says but it's clearly not a strong effort from GM.

[erunion]

You know something is wrong with a journalist when you can guess every major "point" in his article before even reading it. Its like hes a bad stand up comic that never gets new material.

[ponchoman49]

I wonder what this dirtbag would say if he was reviewing an Element or a scion .

[post="66560"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

He probably would have said how awesome and hip hoppy the Scion was and how trendy it's interior was and how it has so successfully appealed to not only kids but people in there 40's-50's and even 60's. He would have said about the same for the Honda too mainly because it has the word Honda on it. Aside from the Aztek, these 2 vehicles have got to be some of the worst I have ever seen from the Hondas tacky, unfinished looking exterior with all it's chunky black plastic and oddball lines that don't coordinate if there lives depended on it to the Scion xBox with it's hidious styling, to it's bug collector front end, to it's underpowered lawn mower engine, to it's piss poor interior to it's inadequate A/C, to it's absurd center mounted guages that are barely legible etc!

[I hope GMRULES again]

I couldn't agree with you more Ponchoman49. Edited January 4, 2006 by I hope GMRULES again

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

[quote]BMW Mini, all based on universally recognized automotive icons that ring more bells than the Salvation Army's kettle tenders.
[/quote]

Bullshit....

Nobody knew what a Mini was until the new one enlightened them.

[quote]If you reverse engineer the styling of the HHR, to discern what sort of sensibility signed off on it, you would have to conclude that person is older, a lifetime car enthusiast, even an expert, for whom the '49 Sub is not at all esoteric but as familiar as Smoot-Hawley is to Milton Friedman. And, given the popularity of this model in the hermetic culture of hot rodding, you'd be right to conclude that person is a bit of a performance geek.[/quote]

So basically what this pompous jackass is trying to say, without it sounding positive, is that the styling sure beats the f*ck out of the bland sushi mobile look of everything else these days...

[quote]Just call me Poirot. The man behind the HHR is none other than the very tall and snowcapped 73-year-old classic-car enthusiast Robert Lutz, vice chairman of General Motors and the whip hand over the styling department.[/quote]

Bullshit again.... (Wow, this is getting redundant)

Anyone who has been REMOTELY privy to the industry for the past 3 years knows that, while this vehicle was championed by Lutz, the man behind the wheel was Bryan Nesbitt... The very YOUNG and small designer.

[quote]and you can think of the HHR as the Cobalt wagon hijacked to Toontown.[/quote]

Funny... it's selling awfully well to be so toon-ish. Of course, we all knew that anti-Detroiters like you would try to throw water on the flames by the gallon... God forbid GM succeed, for then the sheep might begin to awaken and see the light that has been hidden from them for 10 years by opinion swayers like you. All in the interest of personal grudgery and gain.

[quote]a longing for the rockin' good times on Woodward Avenue? — that just doesn't exist in large measure in the mass market. In terms of car culture, the HHR's bid for nostalgia has no antecedent, no referent, no master narrative. It is all echo and no sound. [/quote]

LOL... yep, doesn't exist in large measure to the tune of 120,000 per year... PLUS PT sales.... PLUS retro Mustang sales.... PLUS 300 and Charger sales... PLUS SSR sales..... (I'll stop here)

FOG THOUGHT: Is this bastard ever going to actually review the car or just take cheap shots at it's styling for the rest of the article? I guess the car's worth is just too strong; so instead of writing about facts, he's decided to just take it on himself to perpetuate a self righteous propaganda campaign against the STYLING of the HHR.

[quote]Maybe the HHR will find favor with import-tuning kids and car customizers, but I doubt it[/quote]

Too late jackass... Ask anyone under 25 with a pulse and you'll get very positive reactions to the HHR. It is one of the FEW GM offerings that IS appealing to the youth.

[quote]Maybe I've made too much of the styling. But what's left, under the retro-themed skin of the HHR, isn't much to talk about. [/quote]

Just as I thought.... Too chicken shit to talk about the virtues and value of the vehicle.

[quote]couple of odd dimensions, however.[/quote]

WTF?!?!?! How's about some facts???????

[quote]anhedonia.[/quote]

LOL... yeah, that's it.... Seems like plenty of happy owners are enjoying them just fine.

[quote]and many of the surfaces feel like recycled milk jugs. [/quote]

***Ladies and Gentlemen; the new standard for why my import is better than your domestic!!!!***

For those of you that want to rub your ass along the dash without catching a bur or something.

[quote]Even with its iPod connections, the HHR couldn't hit hip with a hand grenade. [/quote]

Gotta be sure and tell the kiddies!!!!!

[quote]And yet, I suspect it will do all right in the market for a year or two. [/quote]

Oh... How cute.... Just like the rest of the media, he built in a disclaimer so that his failed assumptions wouldn't be proved wrong before forgotten.

[quote]I can easily imagine people in their 50s and 60s picking up the car because of its practical value and because it is essentially effortless to drive. [/quote]

**GASP!** You mean, the HHR will actually conquest Honda Element drivers?!?!?!?! What more could we wish for???? Seriously????? You know, 'cause that was such a cool and hip ride!!! The kiddies ate that bad boy right up!!!

The ending is at least optimistic but Dan Neil proves to be a little b*tch once again.

Some one should abate his arrogant misery with a big fat retro pillow.... Or, better yet a nice, retro, plastic bag.

FOG NOTE: This is just another anti-Detroit zealot trying his BEST to throw water on one of GM's hot products... We all knew it would happen and I suspect that almost all of his readers know that he is as anti-GM and anti-Ford as they come.

Almost ANY new GM or Ford product that is good this loser rags on.

Anyone think I should e-mailed this to Dan Neil?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Most people I see driving HHRs aren't in their 50s or 60s, more like their 20s or 30s.

[post="66451"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Agree 100%!!!

HHR has proven to be one of the FEW GM vehicles popular with the under 30 set here.

And this is a very anti-GM and anti-Detroit area.

I think GM's marketing for the HHR is appropriate. They are not overpromising anything,

Agree 100%!!!

The 'journalists' are just angry because a GM vehicle is capturing the youth. The youth that is supposed to be "smarter" and thus automatically turned off of Detroit cars whilst being enthralled by Asian offerings with no soul, no power and a MYTH of quality.

[balthazar]

Is this Dan Neil the same guy who's NY Times piece dubbed the '04 GP's grilles "Hitler's moustache"??

[Guest Josh]

Just call me Poirot. The man behind the HHR is none other than the very tall and snowcapped 73-year-old classic-car enthusiast Robert Lutz, vice chairman of General Motors and the whip hand over the styling department.

Does this douche bag not realize that it was Lutz who championed this vehicle into production, and the same Lutz wrote about it in his blog proclaiming it to be a success even before it hit the market?

Damn I wish I had a college edgamucation so I could "write" for magazines & get paid big bucks to do so. Journalists are so f&*$king stupid these days!

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Damn I wish I had a college edgamucation so I could "write" for magazines & get paid big bucks to do so. Journalists are so f&*$king stupid these days!

Judging by this article, it doesn't take a college education. But rather just a pop culture opinion that you think matters, a thesaurus and a grudge.

There actually is NO fact in the article.

[haypops]

Bullshit....

Nobody knew what a Mini was until the new one enlightened them.
So basically what this pompous jackass is trying to say, without it sounding positive, is that the styling sure beats the f*ck out of the bland sushi mobile look of everything else these days...
Bullshit again.... (Wow, this is getting redundant)

Anyone think I should e-mailed this to Dan Neil?

[post="67282"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

The mini was super well known. At The thanksgiving dinner before its release 15 or so people at our meal could talk about nothing else. Likewise, Magazines ran contests for the most significant car in the last one hundred years and the Mini beat out the VW bug.

As far as emailing O'Neal, go for it. And tell him that this LA times subscriber sees plenty of HHR's driving around in his back yard. They look great because they look and ARE substantial moderately priced vehicles. Journalist in gneral, him included, put too much emphasis on textures and colors of the interior. What is he ...an interior decorator.

[Croc]

I sat in an HHR and was underwhelmed. Textures are important, especially when the competition has them and GM is lacking. The HHR is not a bad vehicle by any means, but the exterior panels fit poorly and the hood looks perpetually open. Panel gaps are huge. The interior is pretty plssticky. Now, I am sure it would be easy to live with, and I am sure it is practical as all hell. That said, it is not aspirational and I would NOT want to own it because of its low-rent interior.

[rkmdogs]

Re: HHR I almost bought one, under the red tag sales promo.......... untilit came to the bottom line! Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things to find fault with on it, but you have to consider the whole overall package. The electric P/S --- seems to vary alot from one car to another. I have driven 3 so far, and 2 out of the 3 were O.K., but that 3rd one--- ugh! It was so vague, if you were not looking, you would not know what direction the car was going! I still resent that GM has abandoned the minivan market, putting their "eggs" into the SUV crossover basket! But the HHR is still the only general purpose vehicle on the market where you can fold the seats and have a flat floor on the same plane! The PT Cruiser fails this test, because it has a raised rail across the tailgate opening, so you cannot slide "things" straight in.!!!! Back to bottom line, thru selection you can get an HHR with all the whistles and bells without taking the "jukebox junk", if you pick & choose the option list, especially on a 2LT model. But in my case, when it came time to sign on the bottom line, there was about $1200. that was not shown on the red tag price, after adding on the sales tax. Oh, that's "documentation charges" I was told by the sales manager, and Chevy allows us to add them on, even though the ads all say that the red tag price is all you should pay!(In fine,very fine print--- except for taxes title and dealer fees!) What a joke, and talk about scam jobs----- GM is allowing the biggest one here. No wonder people don't trust car dealers,and that rubs down to GM as well!!! :angry:

[haypops]

Documentation fees ar a way of life. Here in California each dealer fixes the amount and it doesn't change from model to model. Is it not that way in Florida?

[MyerShift]

Handling of a retirement home golf cart?? LOL! What a load of crap... Though I prefer the PT (Chrysler fan here, sorry) there is nothing wrong with the way the HHR looks, and I believe that is why cars like these sell. It's called S-T-Y-L-E, yes, smile and nod with me on this one. Sure, it's late to the party, but baby, when you look this good, everyone notices ya'. Edited January 5, 2006 by S.Myers

[rkmdogs]

Documentation fees ar a way of life.  Here in California each dealer fixes the amount and it doesn't change from model to model.  Is it not that way in Florida?

[post="67605"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I can understand reasonable documentation fees, say $100-200. at most, but
$1200?
Even if the clerk wrote with 24K gold ink, it should not cost that much. It is just
another way to gouge the "dumb" customer!

I don't know if all the dealers around here charge that much, 'cause I haven't been
able to find another car I would want to buy.

Down here, if you don't want a blue, silver or black HHR, you're out of luck.
White? I don't think they have made one yet! Amethyst? Yeah, if you can find one that is not a loaded "juke box", or one that was "just sold that one"!
The one I was going to buy was the dark red, that actually looks more like the
maroon that was on my '62 Buick Special! Talk about paint problems!!!!!!!! :o

Sandstone? Hear about them, but have yet to see one at a dealer that was for sale!

If they anticipate 120,000 units being sold, they had better start filling the pipeline.
Down here they are harder to find than chicken spit!!!
Tons(literally) of unsold SUV's tho!! B)