There's always someone who notes that the Emperor has no clothes on and when it concerns test drives, that someone is often Los Angeles Times auto reviewer Dan Neil. In this instance he has turned his acerbic wit to the Chevrolet HHR, a supposed retro wagon with only the vaguest relationship to the 1949 Chevrolet which it claims as a great-uncle.

As Neil points out: "This is a most curious source of nostalgia, if indeed it is, since most kids in the 18-to-30 age bracket --- the happy hunting grounds for a $20,000 crossover van --- wouldn't know a '49 Chevy Suburban if they had carnal knowledge of one."

On the HHR's performance he writes "for a car that's supposed to be a kind of hot-rod starter kit, the HHR handles like a retirement community golf cart." Neil does have a few good things to say, however. "...the HHR is not a bad place to tend to grocery getting. The car is reasonably quiet unless you grind your heel into the accelerator. The interior is airy, comfortable and easy to get in and out of." On interior quality he claims "many of the surfaces feel like recycled milk jugs. On the other hand, the central console with the audio and climate controls is nicely arranged and constructed."

When my test drive colleague Colin Hefferon recently showed up at the local coffee shop with a bright orange HHR --- all smiles because he liked it --- my first comment was that the ultra-wide B and C pillars reminded me of the columns holding up Grand Central Station. Colin stopped smiling. The thrust of Dan Neil's critique revolves around Chevrolet's 18-30 plans: "...the HHR couldn't hit hip with a hand grenade. And yet, I suspect it will do all right in the market for a year or two. I can easily imagine people in their 50s and 60s picking up the car because of its practical value and because it is essentially effortless to drive."