Let’s be honest: the Chevrolet HHR is not for the sporting driver. This is not shocking news. However, owners like the high-roof wagon because of its style, functionality, and overall value. Aimed at both delivery businesses and the style-conscious, the new Panel edition of the HHR is designed to bring utility into the small-car realm. Overseas, the Fiat Doblò and Citroën Berlingo are class leaders in carry-all autos, but the U.S. market lacks this type of small utility vehicle, at least until Ford’s Transit Connect arrives next year.

The HHR looks the part of the utilitarian hauler, with neither side windows nor exterior door handles abaft the B-pillars. Admittedly, this makes for some real limitations in terms of access and visibility (the rear doors open only from inside the vehicle, via dash-mounted buttons). Behind the driver and passenger seats, a flat load floor provides more than fifty-seven cubic feet of storage space, with an additional six cubic feet beneath the floor.

Our test car was equipped with heated leather seats, an exterior chrome package, seventeen-inch wheels, and all sorts of other options. We were shocked to learn the as-tested price of our HHR Panel LT was $24,144. For those who don’t need all the glitz and glamour, the LS edition of the HHR will provide functionality starting at $16,595.

On the road, the HHR is not quick, but GM’s 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder provides ample power to keep the Panel moving to its next delivery. What’s more, the 26-mile-per-gallon average fuel economy rating impresses.

We’re glad GM is bringing the style and versatility of the small panel wagon to our side of the pond, and we think that small businesses will look at the HHR as a fresh alternative to the seemingly massive Dodge Sprinters and Ford E-series of the market.