New Chevy HHR hits home run
The 2006 Chevrolet HHR is what the future used to look like, an artist's rendering that blends memory and imagination.
From its optional chrome roof rack to the sculpted metal housings for its round afterburner taillights, the HHR reminds me of 1940s and '50s drawings of spaceships and cars of the future.
Some skeptics have already dismissed the throwback look of the HHR as Chevy's belated answer to Chrysler's retro-styled PT Cruiser, but the compact wagon is more than that.
Both cars use their brands' heritage effectively, but while the HHR -- which stands for Heritage High Roof -- borrows key styling cues from models such as the 1949 Chevy Suburban, it's not just a slavish exercise in playing the oldies.
The HHR has been on the auto-show circuit as a concept for a while, and it just went on sale with remarkably little fanfare for a car that signals a seismic shift in how America's best-selling brand thinks of small cars.
For full article, click link below
http://www.freep.com/money/autoreviews/phelan25e_20050825.htm
The 2006 Chevrolet HHR is what the future used to look like, an artist's rendering that blends memory and imagination.
From its optional chrome roof rack to the sculpted metal housings for its round afterburner taillights, the HHR reminds me of 1940s and '50s drawings of spaceships and cars of the future.
Some skeptics have already dismissed the throwback look of the HHR as Chevy's belated answer to Chrysler's retro-styled PT Cruiser, but the compact wagon is more than that.
Both cars use their brands' heritage effectively, but while the HHR -- which stands for Heritage High Roof -- borrows key styling cues from models such as the 1949 Chevy Suburban, it's not just a slavish exercise in playing the oldies.
The HHR has been on the auto-show circuit as a concept for a while, and it just went on sale with remarkably little fanfare for a car that signals a seismic shift in how America's best-selling brand thinks of small cars.
For full article, click link below
http://www.freep.com/money/autoreviews/phelan25e_20050825.htm
