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I guess when you hire former PT Cruiser designer Bryan Nesbitt away from Chrysler, this is what you get. The HHR (it stands for Heritage High Roof) carries the same retro styling pastiches, this time from the 1949 Chevrolet Suburban. Its built on The General's compact front-wheel-drive Delta platform that was developed by Opel in Germany and underpins the Opel Astra, Saturn ION, Chevy Cobalt and Canadian-market-only Pontiac Pursuit. With the Cobalt's 2.4-litre, 170-hp four-cylinder engine, the HHR is no hotrod. However, its flat load floor with flat-folding rear seats will provide plenty of space for couriers.
ON SALE: Fall 2005
ESTIMATED PRICE: $25,000-30,000 Cdn.
FUTURE COMPETITORS: Chrysler PT Cruiser, Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix, Honda Element
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If you thought the Ford Five Hundred was a sleeper, the new Impala will have you in a coma. Where's the prominent chrome crossbow that Chevy has been sticking on the prow of its vehicles? Where are the circular rear lamps? Oh well, if you want a Chevrolet that looks like an Accord, here it is. Sharing the same front-wheel-drive platform as the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick LaCrosse/Allure, Officer Friendly should approve of the '06 Impala's available 5.3-litre, 303-horsepower and 323-lb-ft of torque vee-eight (for all you NASCAR wannabes out there the slightly warmed over '06 Monte gets the eight as an option as well). Hiding in the weeds waiting for speeders should be easier with the Impala's particularly bland styling.
ON SALE: Fall 2005
ESTIMATED PRICE: $25,000-35,000 Cdn.
FUTURE COMPETITORS: Ford Five Hundred, Dodge Charger, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, et al
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Coming second to the M-B E55 AMG wagon (that was also unveiled at the L.A. show) as the "the world's fastest station wagon" is nothing for the Magnum SRT-8 to cry over - especially at less than half the price. Similar to the Chrysler 300C SRT-8, the Dodge version uses the 6.1-litre, 425-horsepower version of the vee-eight HEMI. Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) engineers claim 0-100 km/h acceleration in the low 5-second range. Four piston Brembos combined with big mutha' rubber - 245/45/20 in the front, and 255/45/20 in the rear - stop the wagon from the same speed in approximately 33.5-metres. If the already prodigiously powered Magnum R/T model ain't enough juice to haul back your lawn fertilizer from Home Depot, then this is your ride.
ON SALE: Summer 2005
ESTIMATED PRICE: $45,000 Cdn.
FUTURE COMPETITORS: Used Audi S6 Avants and BMW 545I Tourings, and that's about it