Slalom4me

Anyone have seat time with an HHR Panel Van?

I've only just seen one in person for the first time. With some
dressup items and creative use of the billboard space, this rig
looks like it has potential.









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Scooter70

My father-in-law is looking at picking up an HHR as a "work truck". As long as it will haul some tools, a generator, and a small shop vac it would be a decent alternative to a fullsize pickup. Depending on how much of a deal you can get on one, the fuel savings alone could pay for it verses his F150.

AUTO_X_AL

I work about 45 mins out of detroit. If you know somebody that wants one I think I could help out. We have sold one so far and they seem like they have quite a bit of room. From a utility standpoint I like it alot. Fuel is a big deal now so look for these to gain popularity in the near future.

Scooter70

Thanks Al but my father-in-law is in upstate NY.

Slalom4me

How long have they been available?

I don't follow model offerings like I used to but I thought I would have
noticed press on this in the popular car mags. I was completely surprised
when I saw one in the showroom and thought it must be an early '08
but was told it was an '07. Afterwards, a bit of time with Google found
reports about them published last autumn.

Did it just take this long for them to make it to showrooms or is it a
case of Canadian deliveries lagging behind US ones?

I don't think it will take high fuel prices to make these gain a following.
My vote is they'll be popular on the strength of the panel styling.

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AUTO_X_AL

They have just became available to us over the last few months. They are not very common to find just yet. US availability has only been 3-4 months.

jpasterjak

We had one from Chevy's press fleet a couple of weeks ago. Honestly, I was underwhelmed. It's decent, but the panel aspect is more of a novelty than anything. The rear floor is quite high, so storage space is really no better than in the regular model. The bins where the back seats should be are really shallow, and there just isn't much storage space considering that's what the whole point is. Also, the door lock posts kept hitting my funnybone. Always a strike against a car.

If I were looking for something in this class, I's be looking closer at the Honda Element. It's not exactly pretty, but it will swallow nearly as much stuff as a minivan. I was surprised at how nice the last Element we had was, dynamically and practically.

J.G. Pasterjak
Grassroots Motorsports
Classic Motorsports

Slalom4me

I thought about mentioning the Element and the Scion xB. I haven't
driven either but my perception is that they are both pretty cavernous.

They also both look like the boxes they came in.

To me, the main point of the HHR is its certain kind of style - its
practicality falls somewhere further down the list. Plus, for someone
with a promotional statement to make, the expanse along the sides
offers a lot of real estate for a corporate message.

Which engine/trim level did your press fleet HHR unit have?

I had an HHR LT for a week and while it didn't share the power or dynamics
of a Forester XT, it was great for a utility vehicle at Bonneville and
it more than kept up on a tour out to Reno, Tahoe and back to Salt Lake.

The interior switch layout didn't suit me and the upper portion of the
windshield took some getting used to (tall person alert). But the
panel concept has me ready to make some allowances.

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jpasterjak

Those sides would definitely make for a nice billboard. One of the main things I don't like about the HHR, though, is you get no back seat. Not even an option of one. With the Element you have easily removeable seats that transform the car pretty simply. The xB is awesome, but it's more of a people hauler and less of a stuff hauler.

I forget what actual trim level ours was, but it had the duratec L4, and most of the major options (a/c, cruise, pwr locks and windows, XM) but no nav system. I didn't care for the rear drum brakes--there's not much of an excuse for that anymore--but dynamically it wasn't horrible, just not remarkable. I think the thing got around 23mpg in the 5 days or so I drove it. It did attract a lot of attention, too.

J.G. Pasterjak
Grassroots Motorsports
Classic Motorsports

Tintin

Actually, I just ordered 50 of these things for my install guys as an alternative to pickup trucks. I think that they will be perfect for us because of the fuel economy and being able to be locked up. I never buy anything from the Japanese because of the frailty of their products and the pathetic airconditioners they have. My partner bought some Titans and they are boiling hot inside and do not have the durability of our Fords and GMCs in a construction environment. If you live somewhere that has cooler weather, like Florida for example, perhaps the Japanese a/c is good enough. Useless here, however.

I have a new Suburban and it actually blows so cold that my hands hurt on the steering wheel - in 116 degree weather. A/C is my number one criteria when outfitting my guys....

Slalom4me

I wonder whether GM completely excludes the rear seat mount
hardware or if one could be retrofitted? It might be a bit claustrophobic
with no door glass or rear side windows, but I understand that if a
P-Van is ordered with ABS, the optional side head curtain air bags
will protect front AND rear 'seating', even though the P-Van doesn't
include rear seats. GM uses the same curtain air-bag for both bodies.

After my initial post, I found a review that suggests a couple of details
GM or the aftermarket can consider. Apparently since the rear doors
have no exterior handles, there is a mechanism to pop them outward
a couple of inches when the interior handle or the electric switch
is activated. The problem with this is that if it is windy, a gust can
pull the door banging adjacent vehicles or over-extending the hinges.
The suggestion was to incorporate a secondary catch, like the hood
has. Another suggested area for attention is to increase the size of
the side mirrors.

Some other reading revealed that the LS gets the 2.2 Ecotec (150 HP),
the LT gets the 2.4 w/ variable valve timing (175 HP). The unit I had
last year was an LT - if it had VVT, I don't remember this being very
intrusive.

In case anyone wonders why the opening post asks if anyone has
seat time - this is because although I've driven the conventional HHR,
I wondered what the panel van is like as far as blind spots are concerned
during lane changes, backing and so on. A consideration when turning
the keys over to other drivers. I'll take one for a drive to decide.

The A/C on the HHR I had worked well in Wendover. With less glass,
I expect the A/C will have an even easier job cooling the cabin on the
hottest days.

Thanks for your comments, Auto_X_Al, J.P. and Tintin.
Ken R.

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