Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Chevy HHR SSOur first experience with the Chevy HHR was back in 2006 when we rented one in Los Angeles while covering the 2006 L.A. Auto Show. Being a fleet vehicle, our HHR rental failed to impress with its raspy, underpowered Ecotec four-cylinder and cheap interior materials. The HHR does, however, have a way about itself. Its retro-inspired design is just plain good looking, better than the PT Cruiser to which this vehicle is most often compared (they were both designed by Brian Nesibtt, GM's current Executive Director of its European design center), and its outward attractiveness shows even on bare bones rental units like the one we abused in L.A.
The 2008 Chevy HHR SS would seem to be the HHR we always wanted, with more power, an upgraded interior, aggressive tweaks to the exterior and the same two-box shape and clever cargo solutions that make the base model popular. But with the market for new car sales in the U.S. as soft as it is, should Chevy be spending its time making a high-horsepower, better handling SS version of a vehicle like the HHR? Read on to find out if their effort was worth it.
Other languages:
