I am with you. One of the reasons why I bought a Vue over the HHR was its overall space.
On the other hand I like the fact that Chevy has a small 4 cylinder retro truck as opposed to another thirsty midsize SUV.
If I were going to replace my commuter (Cobalt), I would want something small like the HHR just because it can handle 90% of what the Vue can do with better fuel economy and I would be the only person in the car most of the time anyway.