Chevy HHR Failure

The last 2 taxi cab rides from the airport home, have been Chevy HHRs turned into cabs.  I'd never been in a HHR before.  Though Dr Desert Flower and I were given a Chrysler PT Cruiser for a rental car on our ill fated 2007 House Hunting trip to Arizona, I'd never driven GM's "competitor" to the PT Cruiser.  (ill fated, in that we foolishly decided to purchase a home at the peak of the housing bubble after being in the Phoenix Valley only 5 days, instead of renting for a year or two and waiting for the bubble to burst so we could have our pick of whatever home we wanted).  I had "high hopes" for the HHR, anticipating it would do better than the PT.  Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations.

The HHR taxis, though only a few years old, were showing a great deal of wear.  Though not unusual for a taxi to degrade, the Caribbean drivers assured me they were disposing of their HHRs within the next year.  The HHRs felt like a small truck, with hard suspensions, transmitting the bumps and lane indicators to the base of my spine.  There's no "Oh sh*t!" handles in the back seat or front seat for that matter, hear the edge of the roof where ti meets to top of the door.  Essential for holding onto during cab driver maneuvers and helpful when getting in and out of the vehicle.  The acceleration was anemic.  The interior, Spartan.  The seats, less than comfortable.  Really, not an impressive car.  I have to disagree with the Chicago Tribune on this one (link here).  It's not a fine "under the radar" car, it's lack luster at best, and to be avoided, in my perspective. The PT Cruiser gave up it's last gasps in 2010 (link here). I think it's just a matter of time before the HHR follows the SS version to the grave (link here)  as well.