I had this as a rental car while driving down the PCH in California.  What a mistake.

First the performance.  There was none.  While negotiating the turns of Big Sur, it was apparent that this car has the bare minimum to make it a car.  The steering had a large dead band and was generally unresponsive.  There was a good bit of body roll and the ride was noisy.  While on the freeway, it was difficult to get to freeway speed as this car is seriously under equipped in the horsepower department.  The braking was inconsistent and not very confident.  This is by far the worst car I have ridden in or been a passenger in for a long time.

While this car was fairly new and still in good shape, the overall design of the car was very poor.  The interior was monochromatic and boring.  One of the worst aspects was the severe curve on the bottom side of the doors.  The back corner of the front doors sticks out like a large sickle and it caught my leg several times when exiting the vehicle.  The only good parts about the car were the captain seats in the front.  The stereo system left much to be desired.

While some of the modified HHRs do not look too bad, the exterior appearance of the base model is very unappealing and bland.

No wonder the Detroit auto manufacturers are having a hard time when they are putting out drivel such as this car.  The sooner they go into bankruptcy, the sooner American car manufacturing can be saved.