Chevrolet HHR - 2006 Review

My husband had just bought the 2006 HHR in February of that year.  It was his very first brand new car ever!  I had to drive to Kansas City, KS from Oklahoma City in May, and since my Rodeo needed transmission work, I borrowed the HHR for this trip.  At 12:30 in the morning, on my way home on I-35, I drove into the median and flipped the car.  It was totally destroyed, but I walked away (walked being important here) with only a quarter inch scratch on my arm and later on, some wicked bruising from the seatbelts! 

The roof was caved in to about 6 inches above my head and all the windows shattered.  Apparently I flipped onto the front driver's corner, rolled and landed upright.  But the cabin remained intact, the seats didn't move, and I am so grateful to that dead little SUV wanna-be I can't really find the words.  That particular car didn't have side airbags, only the front, but certainly protected me.  I believe the way this vehcle is built saved my life, so we immediately went and bought another one - for him, of course!  I'm no longer allowed to borrow his car, nor drive farther than 100 miles at night.  Darn it.

The HHR gets excellent gas mileage (we get about 27 mpg city), is very comfortable with lots of leg room for a smaller vehicle,  and the air conditioning and heat ROCK! The heat and A/C even reach the cargo area, which is a bonus if you travel with your kids or pets.  The back seats are roomy and comfortable, and the cargo area is fabulous and holds a lot more than you'd think to look at it.  The back seats fold perfectly flat to almost double the cargo area.  If we had children, I'd definitely feel safe driving them in the HHR.  As it is, our dogs fit and enjoy the room and view.  My hisband has added those little window awnings and they really added character to it!  He also has the burled wood trim kit to put on the dashboard and doors.

I loved this car before it saved my life - the trip going to KC was great - and when we can afford to replace my SUV (which I love, but have driven 200K miles into the ground) I'll be getting my very own HHR.  I can't wait!