It is a twofer, a dead thread of a dead brand. I wonder how the OP felt when Pontiac went away. Hey commonsense, doesn't the Caddy CTS-V have a fair bit more power than the HHR SS? HHR SS like a CTS-V? I don't think I'd want to line up against one.

 

Well... let's do the math:

Cadillac--556 HP
HHR SS--260 HP
-------------------------
296 HP more than the HHR

Yeah, I wouldn't wanna race it either. (especially in my LT)

The CTS-V is kinda in a class of its own. However, pricewise, the HHR SS is probably more bang for your buck as far as horsepower goes. Very affordable considering what it is capable of. The CTS-V has a substantially higher price tag.

 

The Torrent more small SUV where the HHR is more Cobalt wagon.

The Small SUV segment is very diverse and still expanding with different types and takes on a similar shape vehicle.

We have a HHR SS and a GMC Terrain. I love them both but for different reasons. They both can do about the same job but the HHR is more car like where the Terrain feels more like a full size SUV.

As for AWD... That is another story. For the most these small SUV's are not for off road. As for winter driving I live in the snow belt of the great lakes and I can get 2 wd any where I needs.

Our Terrain is loaded and about the only thing we need passed on is awd. It was almost 2K more and about 1-2 MPG less. We do not go off road and in 35 years of driving I have yet to not get there yet. Even the wife has good winter skills.

There are a few people who live in areas that may needs AWD or have a half mile driveway that may need it but for the most 85% of the people who have it really don't need it.

While you may not see a lot of HHR SS they are still not what I would call rare. With the numbers they produced it is less common and unknow due to the lack of marketing but I would refrain from calling it rare.

A 1969 Trans Am is rare an HHR SS is not common.

 

Lets do all the math.

CTS v 4100 pounds

HHR SS 3200 pounds.

The CTS v still has a little edge but the V and the SS are good examples of what the GM Performance Divsion is capable of doing.

 

AWD isn't just about off-road. Launching an AWD performance vehicle works very well. hyperv6: the CTS-V may be almost half a ton heavier, but 0-60 in under 4 seconds is more than a little edge. True that GM performance does rock as I am finding out.

 

Cts v is like 7lbs per horsepower while HHR SS is around 12-13 lbs per hp....
Huge difference there
HHR SS rarity? That's a joke and it's resale value is joke also

 

When speaking on a performance car yes AWD will launch better. Talking about a small SUV that will never leave the road with a V6 or Eco 4 it is just an high cost added burden to the engine. Now if you have a long drive way that is unplowed and drifted it does help but on general roads I can get a FWD SUV any where a AWD can go. Hell I can get my SS anywhere even pushing snow on the front bumper.

AWD main issue is even in a performance car it need a lot of power to overcome the drag. We have a AWD 32 Ford at work that uses a AWD system from a Syclone in front and a ZR1 rear drive. The car will do 0-60 in 3 sec per a Car and Driver test but the extra drive line slows the car in the 1/4 mile. Even with the 650 HP lingenfelter engine it still takes 150 HP ti drive the front drive per dyno results.

AWD needs to be high tech where it kicks in and out similar to what Porsche uses and have enough power to drive it in performance applications.

Now on a Small SUv that does not go off road there are some places and people who need it. The new Haldex system GM uses is pretty good but it is only only a few cars. The fact is GM offers it because people think they need it and if they can make money with it more power to them.

One other factor you leave out on the CTSv $40K more sho it sould be faster.

 

For non-performance SUV, you are correct. I know I've seen some stats for perfomance cars where all other things being the same, the hook up at the line is so good for the AWD that it actually makes it faster than the RWD version over the 1/4. This is not an absolute. More pertinently, an unskilled person like myself would be less likely to be sitting at the line burning the tires on launch with AWD. As for leaving out the price difference on the CTS-V, I kinda thought that goes without saying as my point was that the CTS-V would absolutely carry someone's rich @ss promptly far away from the HHR SS off the line. You get what you pay for. The HHR SS is still worth it, though.

 

I'd say the HHR SS is still fairly rare, because I almost never see others on the highway. They are certainly not rare in the sense of their value increasing, but I bought the SS for a little over $20K and I'm coming up on 4 years and 80K miles pretty quickly, and it has been almost entirely repair free during that time. And on long trips I can get 30 MPG, whereas my Avalanche gets 17 MPG. If it is just my wife and I on trips, we take the SS. If it is the whole family, we take the Av.

 

You're getting 17? You must not be speeding, or playing in the mountains.