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Chevy HHR SS will offer automatic transmission
by Alex Nunez on Jul 25th 2007 at 10:02AM 
Click image for a gallery of leaked HHR SS info
A member of ChevyHHR.net dropped us a line to let us know that his local Chevy dealer had gotten some 2008 Chevy HHRs yesterday. One of his first orders of business was to grab the new owners manual and start flipping through the pages. His perusal bore fruit, as on page 2-47, he found the following passage in the "Cupholder(s)" section (shown at right):"If your vehicle is an SS model, the automatic transmission vehicles have a cupholder in front of the shifter."
This serves as the first official-ish confirmation (Chevy has not yet made any formal announcements related to the HHR SS) that the 2008 HHR SS will be offered with an automatic in addition to the 5-speed manual that's referenced in the brochure that was leaked earlier in the month. The next question, of course, is which automatic will be offered?
Thanks, Ryan!
[Source: ChevyHHR.net (registration req'd)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sam 10:29AM (7/25/2007)
I'd put my money on a 4-speed auto.
Reply
J.Crew 11:14AM (7/25/2007)
Sky Redline and Solstice GXP both have a 5 speed automatic. It is the same powertrain. It will be interesting to see if they add some paddle shifters to the HHR SS, you know the Saturn and Pontiac will get that for 2008 if this gets it first.
Larry 4:43PM (7/30/2007)
Bet on the 5-speed Automatic as seen in the Solstice GXP and Sky Redline
BigDoggyIIIIIIIIIIIIII 10:31AM (7/25/2007)
No! The real "next question" is why would anyone buy an automatic?! I understand some of you are too lazy to shift, or can't because of a medical reason. I get that, the .1% of you out there. No wonder manufacturers think buyers don't want manuals. Certain vehicles, particularly sporty ones, shouldn't be offered with manuals. Sorry. Ever see a manual miata, or a wrangler for that matter? What is the point???
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Tim 10:49AM (7/25/2007)
Since when is this a sporty vehicle. There's too much body roll in a wagon. Automatic will feel right at home
While I certainly applaud high performance versions of vehicles this Example right here cheapens the SS badge. I prefer the Cobalt SS to this one.
Ryan Jensen 11:20AM (7/25/2007)
"Why would anyone buy an automatic?" 1. The Mrs. can't / won't drive stick. 2. Having a manual transmission for the daily commute / city driving gets old REALLY quickly. 3. Warranty issues with clutch problems in many cases are not covered because the car companies attribute many issues to "driving style" 4. An overwhelming majority of car sales are automatics. 5. It's gotten to the point where the automatics (which are easier to drive) are nearly as good as or better with fuel efficiency and performance. Anybody else care to add to the list?
paul34 11:51AM (7/25/2007)
Why not? Because Americans are too darn lazy. Since I live in a college town, plenty of kids drive manual... but overall, the fact I drive manual makes me quite an exception.
People don't care about their cars - to them, its just a disposable appliance to get them from point A to point B. It's only people like us who truly appreciate cars and like to drive, not just ride...
Kwhopper 1:57PM (7/25/2007)
IF the 2008's are the same as when I bought my 2006 HHR, you will need to order the auto trans IF you want factory Auto-Start. Yeah, a manual is a bit quicker, but I sure do like having a cool HHR when I get off of work...
AlexP 2:29PM (7/25/2007)
Who cares if it's some extronic-like transmission? :V
We don't have any details yet, speculating won't lead us anywhere.
Jason 3:52PM (7/25/2007)
Just a quick FYI... but autos are becoming increasing popular in the Wrangler, and in the offroad market in general.
If you ever watch competition rockcrawling or rockracing, nearly all those vehicles are running some type of automatic transmission.
BigDoggyIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 10:34AM (7/25/2007)
Look at me, my editing is worse than autoblog! Certain sporty vehicles shouldn't be offered with autos! There, before you animals jump down my throat.
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John 10:50AM (7/25/2007)
Umm, if it's still offered with a manual then why do you care if it's also offered with an automatic?
Can't blame them for offering an option that will only increase the vehicle's sales.
Will 10:43AM (7/25/2007)
It's odd that the floor console would differ between the SS and non-SS slushboxes. I'd have to say that the tranny in the SS would be bespoke for the SS, and have a differnt gate pattern. The regular slushbox doesn't have any form of tap-shifting, maybe the SS's gate will have lateral gates for up and down shifting?
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Ryan J. 11:24AM (7/25/2007)
The window switches are even going to be different between the SS and the LS / LT models. On the LS / LT's, the window switches are on the console behind the shifter. On the SS, the window switches are going to be on the door. This fixes two widely recognized issues with the HHR; window switch and cupholder access.
motorman 11:02AM (7/25/2007)
there are always mistakes in these manuals because of the long lead time getting them printed.
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J.Crew 11:06AM (7/25/2007)
Sky Redline and Solstice GXP both have a 5 speed automatic. It is the same powertrain. It will be interesting to see if they add some paddle shifters to the HHR SS, you know the Saturn and Pontiac will get that for 2008 if this gets it first.
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psarhjinian 11:50AM (7/25/2007)
Its not quite the same powertrain: the Sky/Solstice are rear-drive. The transmission would be fairly different in a front-driver like the HHR.
I don't think GM has a five-speed front-drive transaxle outside of Saab, though they do have the six-speed in the Lambda CUVs and the Aura. Whether that 6AT will physically fit (or be cost-effective) is another question. I'm betting on the same-old 4AT as the Cobalt, mostly for cost reasons.
J.Crew 12:03PM (7/25/2007)
Good point, now you got me thinking. This would need a transaxle instead of a transmission because of the FWD application. That is a shame as now I agree that it will be a 4 speed auto as GM does not have a small enough 5 or 6 speed transaxle at this time. Hopefully they do share the SAAB unit as anything less will get slammed as being yester-tech even by me. Having any automatic is better than none though. Just go with the manual tranny folks! I also hope they do the Panel in SS trim as well.
rp_guy 1:37PM (7/26/2007)
GM has a FWD auto 5-speed in the Torrent and the Equinox.
J.Crew 10:43PM (7/25/2007)
True, but would that fit this platform? The 5 speed auto is an Aisin unit shipped in from Japan and the engine is a basic pushrod 3.5L assembled and shipped in from China. I guess Chevy could call on Aisin for a similar unit, but I don't think it would be the same one from the Equinox/Torrent. It would be smart for them to do so as this would also work in the next Cobalt SS with the same FWD/Turbo application.