Chevy’s answer to the PT Cruiser

It seems natural to draw comparisons between Chevy’s new retro-styled hatchback wagon and Chrysler’s highly successful PT Cruiser. In fact, when parked side-by-side the similarities are striking. Perhaps its because both vehicles were designed by the same person, Bryan Nesbitt, who left Chrysler in 2001 for GM.

HHR stands for Heritage High Roof. Its styling draws inspiration from the 1949 Suburban and borrows touches from Chevy’s hot-rod SSR pickup.

But popularity of the retro look is starting to wane with the buying public. While the newly designed Mustang is going gangbusters, models like the Thunderbird are being discontinued. I noticed nary a head turn during my weeklong test drive. This was certainly not the case with the Scion xB, Scion tC or hip new Pontiac Solstice.

The HHR is built on the same platform as the front-wheel drive Chevy Cobalt, using the same engine, transmission and suspension. Up front is a big chrome grille that looks almost exactly like the ’49 Suburban grille, sans the large gold Chevy bow-tie badge.

Similar, too, are the nicely rounded molded plastic fenders that extend off the steel body and hang out over the tires. Dual taillamps are visually similar to those on the Trailblazer. Wedge-shaped headlamps extend from the front fenders and seem to rest on the monochromatic front bumper fascia.

Three same-size windows run around the side and lend a distinctive 1949 Suburban delivery-truck appearance. One drawback is the overly large A-, B- and C-pillars that interfere with front and reward visibility. The overall roof itself is high, as the vehicle name implies. There’s a one-piece tailgate and my tester came with $150, optional luggage rails that are useless since they don’t include crossbars.

Overall, I liked the appearance of the HHR, especially nice touches like the chrome mirrors and door handles, the 17-inch polished alloy wheels and chrome trim bar on the rear tailgate.

Inside the cabin, HHR attempts to draw on a retro-theme with a single pod instrument cluster featuring overlapping gauges with satin-chrome trim. I liked the simple, straightforward placement and operation of heat, vent, climate control and audio knobs. I didn’t like the placement of the power window switches on the front of the console just beyond the shifter. It’s an awkward placement that requires you to continually lean forward and reach down for operation. They should be moved to the driver’s door.

My LT model came with leather seats with folding armrests for each front seat. I couldn’t find a comfortable seating position, perhaps because my head was always touching the headliner. Granted, I’m really tall, but there isn’t a lot of headroom in spite of what the vehicle’s name implies.

While the two-tone dash looks cool, the interior is just too plasticky and looks cheap when compared to the PT Cruiser. What Chevy did get right on the HHR is the amount of flexible interior-cargo space. The front passenger seat folds flat as do the rear split 60/40 seats, allowing for up to 8-foot objects (a surf board?) to be transported. Up front, there’s even a covered storage bin on top of the dash.

The one-piece rear tailgate lifts up and out of the way to reveal a moveable cargo shelf with five grocery-bag hooks that can be adjusted up to a foot or angled to 45 degrees so packages won’t slide around. Below the floor is a five-inch deep plastic cargo bin perfect for hiding packages or storing wet bathing suits. Total cargo space is 55.6 cubic feet, 8.4 less than in the PT Cruiser.

The HHR is available in the base LS model, a 1LT and 2LT model. The LS and 1LT models come standard with a 143-horsepower, 2.2-liter four-cylinder. A more powerful 2.4-liter version of that same engine comes with 172-horsepower, and is standard on the 2LT, optional on the 1LT. All three models come with a five-speed manual shifter. A four-speed automatic is optional and is packaged with remote engine starting.

I tested a well-equipped top-of-the-line 2LT with the Getrag 5-speed manual shifter. Standard equipment includes remote locking, air conditioning, power window/locks/mirrors/driver’s seat, AM/FM stereo with CD, MP3 playback and auxiliary input jacks, tilt steering wheel, rear window defogger, cruise control and floor mats. Options include the preferred equipment group: sport-tuned suspension, chrome package anti-lock brakes, fog lamps, Pioneer stereo system, leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, and auto-dim inside mirror.

Other options include leather seating, power sunroof, side curtain airbags, XM Satellite radio, 6-disc CD, and roof luggage rails. To buy this test car, you need to fork over $22,375, including options and destination charges.

Ride and acceleration are compliant and good in most respects for normal drivers who don’t demand more exacting performance. In a daily commute, most drivers will be reasonably comfortable, satisfied and appreciate decent fuel economy and a generally quiet ride. However, the steering needs some work; I felt that the vehicle tended to wander on straight roads, requiring the driver to pay particular attention to staying in a designated lane. I also didn’t like the severe under steer in sharp curves and cornering, and the suspension that seemed to roll quite a bit.

Safety equipment includes dual-stage front air bags and LATCH for child car seats. Optional safety features include head curtain side-impact airbags ($395) and antilock brakes ($400). The HHR does not have stability control either standard or optional and has not been crash tested by the vehicle testing organizations.

The HHR seems to be to Chevy what the PT Cruiser is to Chrysler — a decent sized hatchback in retro-styled clothing. And that isn’t all bad. I haven’t seen too many on the Arizona roads yet other than a few with rental car license plates. Time will tell if HHR will be a hit or a little late to the party.