I have one on my ridin mower also

 

The steering wheels on most newer cars are designed to be farther from the driver. Its a safety issue from what I have read. It keeps the airbag farther from you so it has time to deploy fully or at least mostly before your face contacts it. You do not want to hit the air bag too soon.

As for the seats there are at least 3 differant stock seats for the HHR. I am not talking about power or manual but the seats themselves. You have the cloth seats, the leather seats which seem to have stiffer padding in the seat, they also have more side bolstering (you have to compair them side by side to really see the differance), and the SS sport seats. I know the sport seats have even more bolstering. I also believe they have a pronounced side bolsters and maybe a raised area at the front of the seat. The bolstering is to keep you in the seat during cornering
Having to hold yourself in the seat during turns can tire you a surprising amount without you even knowing your doing it.
I am not sure but I believe the standard SS seats use the same padding/bolsters that the leather seats do.....So even the "regular" SS seats should be better than the standard cloth seats.

 

You could always buy aftermarket seats, but you'll have to fabricate new brackets. Corbeau told me I was the first to inquire about the HHR. The brackets for a cobalt don't work on the HHR, even though it's the same platform.

 

IMO, the SS seats are very good on the back and thighs for long trips. They are not outwardly soft, but the support is better than expected. I had a Cadillac CTS that I used to drive between NY and FL, and always would develop muscle spasms in my legs and have lower back aches after driving 23 hours or so. I've done the same trip with the HHR SS and have had no such physical issues afterward.


Long Run Cadillac Driver

 

I bought my HHR to replace my "road horse", which was a 2001 Lincoln Continental. I spend a lot of time driving, mostly highway. Our other car is a 2005 Cadillac STS.
My wife and I both find the HHR seats in our 2010 LT1 VERY comfortable. We've had the car for a month and have put 6,000 miles on it. We just came back from a little vaca in South Carolina, put 2400 miles on the car. We were amazed that we could drive for 5 or 6hrs, stop, get out, and not feel like we had to stretch our backs, our legs, our necks, etc., which we ALWAYS do when traveling with the Lincoln or the CaddyYak.

Lob

 

when We bought ours the seats were a big factor.My wife has fibro mialgia and rheumatoid arthritus ,She said the seats made it easy to get in and out without climbing down or raising up to get out.She can turn and just step out.Its a cool car too.