At $7K, This Chevy HHR SS Is a Cheap Sleeper

Sporty, affordable front-drive compacts are typically best left to the Japanese. Or maybe the Germans. Over the past 40-or-so years, though, the Big Three have occasionally dipped their toes into this cheaper end of the pool with sport compacts of their own. Some were forgettable. Some (like the Shelby GLH-S or Dodge Neon SRT-4, for example) were surprisingly cool little firecrackers.

We couldn’t help but think of spicy domestic compacts this week, because several of them popped up for sale. And they didn’t bring much money, either. A Ford Contour SVT sold for less than 9 grand, while a Chevy Cobalt SS and a Mercury Topaz GS each brought barely $4000.

The most bang for the buck this week, though, has to be the 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS that sold for $7140. Is it pretty? Hell no, but the best sleepers never are.

Chevrolet introduced the HHR (“Heritage High Roof”) for 2006, toward the tail end of that weird period during the late ’90s and 2000s when a retro styling wave brought us funky-looking throwbacks like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Plymouth Prowler, Chevy SSR, and Ford Thunderbird. In the HHR’s case, “Heritage” came from postwar GM trucks. One look at a 1947–53 Suburban, and you can certainly see the family resemblance, though the HHR rides on the same GM Delta platform as compacts like the Pontiac G5, Saturn Ion, and Chevy Cobalt. Period reviews praised the HHR for its carrying capacity and for at least being different, even if it wasn’t a beauty queen. It was an affordable, practical little commuter car with some personality. Nothing serious.

The “SS” version, then, was a big surprise when Chevrolet unveiled it at the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2007. And it wasn’t just badges, big wheels, and a body kit. This was a thoroughly reworked version of the retro trucklet, courtesy of the folks in the GM Performance Division. Firmer springs and dampers, a rear swaybar, an available limited-slip differential, and recalibrated electric power steering made the corners more exciting. For the straight bits, the HHR got the turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder (also found in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline) good for 260 hp and 260 lb-ft, which was mated to a standard five-speed manual with a short throw shifter (an automatic model with 235 hp was also available). Gimmicky but fun extras included a boost gauge on the A-pillar, launch control, and a “no-lift shift” feature that allowed the driver to keep the throttle floored during shifts while holding the revs below redline to keep the turbo engine’s boost up.

Chevrolet claimed a 0–60 sprint in 6.3 seconds, the quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds at 99 mph, and a skidpad run of 0.86g, along with an impressive max cargo capacity of 63 cubic feet. Its $23,000 base price was a whopping $8K more than the base HHR, but it also came with 111 more horses. Comparison tests pitted the HHR SS against the likes of the Mazdaspeed3, Dodge Caliber SRT4, and Subaru WRX hatchback.

Reviews were a little mixed. It wasn’t as fast as its competitors, and Motor Trend called its five-speed shifter “pretty notchy.” On the subject of torque steer, though, the magazine noted that “Chevy has done a better job than you might expect,” while Car and Driver called it “wonderfully minimized; we noticed just the tiniest whiff in the lower gears.” Car and Driver also summed up the whole package rather well: “There are a lot of small, hopped-up five-doors these days [I wish there still were], and choosing one is as tough as the competition in this niche. The SS is like a utility player in baseball—it’s not a star, but it is usefully proficient most of the time and on occasion will indeed shine.”

The HHR SS is one of those crazy, can’t-believe-they-actually-made-this-thing kind of cars. It was only available for a brief time, and it was never a big seller. Sources vary on total production, but it was less than 10,000 (including 216 built with the panel van body in 2009). Chevrolet discontinued it after 2010 due to the closure of the GM Performance Division.

The one sold this week appears to be a rather clean car despite its 66K miles and aftermarket stereo. At $7140, though, the buyer can’t really complain about anything. It’s an absurd, fun, usable sleeper for barely a quarter the cost of a new Nissan Altima. That’s an absolute steal. Even if it looks like, well, an HHR.