Hertz gave me another HHR yesterday. I should have made them take it back.
I can really find almost nothing to like about this thing. It’s butt-ugly, for starters; this one is far uglier than most, with a very unfortunate muted greenish-bluish color that looks like something you’d see on a 60s-vintage drafting board. The thing is a pretty blatant attempt to cash in on some imagined nostalgia craze that has people snapping up Chrysler PT Cruisers by the million (which doesn’t seem to be happening, thankfully). It looks like a copycat, plain and simple.
It’s got blind spots the size of Rhode Island – the most disturbing of which is right in the center of your field of view while driving!! The rear view mirror is smack in front of your eyes when taking a ramp or turning right. The engine is more or less adequate for a commuter car, but buzzes like mad when you push it – like on an entrance ramp. Controls are inconveniently placed, and the narrow slit of a windshield is far enough in front of the driver’s seat to ensure you’ll strain your neck trying to see the traffic signals on your way to work. If you roll down the rear windows at anything much over parking lot speed, you’ll be treated to a pulsating wind buffeting that threatens to pop your eardrums until you roll them back up — ALL the way up.
All in all, this thing is a POS. It’s a bad idea poorly executed, and GM should hang their heads in shame for not only copying Chrysler (bad enough to begin with) but doing it this badly.