Well I fixed my need for extra horsepower. We went out and got a ford edge sel. Sucks that it being an 08 with 62k miles is still a 23.9k car but very worth. With the 20" wheels bumps arn't so annoying now either :)

 

Good luck with the edge how is the gas mileage?

 

With "granny" driving I am getting on average 18mpg city/highway. Mostly city. With the HHR I was getting 21mpg. I think the 6spd tranny in the edge helps a lot.

 

I didn't realize the Edge was up over 4000lbs. With the performance engine in it it probably hustles pretty good though. How is the cargo capacity compared to the HHR?

 

I can fit groceries next to and in front of the stroller now. We have one of those big strollers that has the cup holders, and can attach the car seat to it.

It is pretty sporty for it's size. Doesn't take much to get it up to 40mph either. With three mufflers (I think it has 3) it is pretty quite.

 

I guess I should mention that we got a nearly fully loaded ford edge sel. Only option we didn't get is in dash nav/back up camera that I know of and sun roof.

We got the heated seats, heater mirrors, 2 position electric seats, 20", prem sound, dual climate digital controls, all controls on steering wheel (can even control cruise by 1mph on wheel),

 

I love the edge, but i still dont know why you had trouble getting on the freeway with the hhr my Lt flies up to 70mph on the freeway no problem on the on ramp but it is a 2.0 Lt.
and 24mpg city 40 hwy 49 to vegas.
jeff

 

a 2.0 lt?

 

If he means 2.4L LT, then I agree. I've had one. To me it was borderline as far as the power I was looking for, but I found it to be very peppy. That being said, I can understand the 2.2L falling under the bar for some in terms of power. I think an HHR SS would have been fine, but I can't argue with the choice of the Edge.

 

The extra cargo space in the edge is a big plus for us. The baby seems to like the ride of the edge a lot more than the HHR. The console between the two front seats is deep and having heat/ac vents for the back seats is another plus for the baby. Our edge will actually keep the climate at where you set it. I remember in the HHR we would constantly be messing with the heat.