Spied: 2009 Chevrolet HHR SS

When the HHR was first introduced, Chevrolet swore up and down and all the hell around that its retro-styled HHR was not a copy of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser. Never mind that they were designed by the same guy, hearken to the same bygone era, and have interior dimensions within a fraction of an inch of each other, even though the HHR is eight inches longer and two inches wider and taller. We doubt anyone bought the argument that the HHR is an ode to the 1949 Suburban, not the PT Cruiser, but people have bought the utility vehicle in surprising quantities, nevertheless.

No one should be surprised, then, that Chevrolet is following Chrysler’s lead in offering a turbocharged version of its throwback wagon, now that a couple of years have passed since its introduction. What’s next? Let us guess—a convertible?

The hopped-up HHR will don Chevrolet’s ubiquitous SS moniker, but unlike certain cars bearing those once-hallowed letters—namely, the nonsupercharged Cobalt SS and the outgoing Malibu SS—the HHR SS will mean it, powered as it will be by the 260-hp, 260-lb-ft, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder found in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

Source : www.caranddriver.com/carnews