Her Hot Rod

Hi Everyone,
I was hoping to get some help with some ?'s that we have.
We just started looking @ the HHR... we really like it, but have some concerns...
1) Does anyone here have small children that they have to put in a car seat? & if so, how is it?
We have a 00 Chevy Venture now, but it is starting to have problems & getting up there in mileage... I love how easy it is to get our son in & out of his seat & I love the power sliding door.... We also have a 92 Cadillac STS... it is tough to get him in & out of his seat in the Caddy.... Just wondered if anyone had an opinion or experience with the HHR.

2) Also, I have read that the Automatic gets better gas mileage than the Manual... Is anyone finding that true?? Seems like it should be the other way around to us.

3) One more thing, What about roar trips? anyone taken a family vacation with their HHR yet & did you find there was enough room for everything? We did go yesterday day & peeked in some HHR's & was surprised @ the cargo area.. which is why we are now interested in getting one of these.

Any input on these concerns would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

cperez1217

Well I have the automatic HHR and it has excellent system to tie down the seats with the anchor system. I have taken it on trips to orlando from Miami very comfortably. As far as gas mileage I just broke 3,000 miles and wasnt getting the best , but ias I have read it gets better with time and i do alot of city driving. I did the cgs intake and muffler though and saw a huge improvement in gas mileage after 2 weeks. I have a sunburst orabge 2.2l automatic with the engine start option. That only comes on automatics and its great to have with kids the car is cool when you get to it or warm as the cae maybe.

HillsdaleHHR

to the site! I do not have kids so I cannot answer your question. No long road trips as of yet so can't answer that either. Don't worry though, someone here can answer your questions!!

GDZHHR

We have a two-year old and he loves the back. Its easy getting him in and out. The car is great on road trips. we've put 1000's on ours visiting family.

And yeah, you can fit a LOT of stuff in the back!!

Snoopy

Hi Looking 4......

welcome to the forum.

You raise some interesting questions in your pursuit of an HHR and I am glad you are researching for a "fit" to your requirements. But, I think all your questions are a bit subjective. For example, you are accustom to using the sliding door of the Venture for loading your child, car seat, and other gear. While myself, and many others, will say, "yeah, the back seat is big enough" it might not be for YOU.

I have a completely stock 2.4 liter HHR. On trips, with 2 people and some gear and luggage, I experience 30-32 MPG, IF I DO NOT EXCEED 70 mph. Most members here will tell you the mileage reduces appreciably over that. I think you will find very little difference (maybe 1-2 MPG) in fuel mileage between the 2 transmissions...depending on how the vehicle is driven.

I really would suggest renting and HHR for the period of time YOU believe is necessary to make a valid judgement.

Just trying to help you make a valid decision. After all, you probably don't want to spend $20K for a vehicle and find out someones needs do not fit yours.

Hey, best of luck with your decision....and continue to join on this forum.

xzombiex66

i bought my 07 HHR 1LT because i have a baby due april 4th and i wanted a nice car that was kid friendly well this car nailed it, its a perfect car for kids my girlfriend has a one year old and its so easy gettin kids in and out. i have always owned old muscle cars like chevelles, novas, camaros, i have never really like 4 doors but i love the sleek design of the HHR. Plus the price is great. its not to big but not small you know what i mean? so its really good on gas.dynomite comes in a small package. Buy one and i promise You will love it!!

fast98ws6

excellently said, snoopy! i have had my 07 ls for about 4 weeks now, and i love it. gas milage is outstanding compared to the dodge durango we got out of. less cargo room that your minivan to be sure! my 13 month old son is happiest in my lifted 87 pickup, but is easy to get in and out of and enjoys the hhr alright. where we are, the auto start is great, as it can be 85 degrees out as early as 8 am. leave the a/c on from the day before, and hit the ole start button. please look around on the site, as we recently had a poster bring up some negatives (in his mind) that may send off a few flags for you. either way, good luck!

Her Hot Rod

Hey Guys!
Thanks for the great info...
Just to give you an idea... we are pretty small ...I am about 5'3 & My husband is 5'6... we had a 95 Saturn Wagon when our son was born & it really was great... My husband got rear ended about a year & a half ago, & it was totaled, so that's when we upped to the Venture....So, we kinda thought something in the middle would work for us.... & we want something that gets better gas mileage than the van.... most of the time it is just my son & I , so lugging the van around town, doesn't seem to practical, as we usually don't go to far in town.. other than that... the the trip to TX 1-2 times a year... which BTW, we did many times in our Saturn Wagon, You would be surprised @ all the stuff that thing would fit in! =)
We also think the roof rails (& bag) would be good, for taking light stuff on a long trip...anyone have that on their HHR??

Thanks Again Guys for the warm welcome & Great info.... Keep it coming! =)

xzombiex66

the fist hhr i had that i drove off the lot had the roof rails i ended up gettin a diff hhr with ebony interior but i really didnt like the roof rails made the car look to tall but thats my opinion, if you take alot of trips i suggest you getting it, also i suggest getting running boards

SandyBeach

I put two 19-year-olds, a load of Christmas presents, and three large suitcases in the back for a 1200-mile round trip last December. There were few complaints.

If you only have one rear passenger, you can fold the other half of the seat down and use it also. We put our small cooler there for drinks on the trip. My backseat riders is 6' and 230 lbs. He was so impressed with the HHR, he wants to buy one when he graduates from college!