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Writer's Notes
Test Vehicle:
2003 Hummer H2
MSRP: $48,065
As tested: $52,510
Showroom appeal:
Kinder, (sorta) gentler son of H1, at half the money.
Cool Factor:
Huge, at the moment. Not the ride of choice for the self conscious.
Plus:
Enormously capable off road, surprisingly comfortable on road.
Minus:
Serious gas hog, cargo capacity and rear vision impeded by inboard mega-spare.
The Competition:
Range Rover, Lincoln Navigator, Lexus LX470
Everywhere you look, every blessed thing that can be controlled or switched is illuminated so that you can find it at night.
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The Hummer H1 had a well deserved reputation as a vehicle that could go almost anywhere. Its brute strength could roll over or chew through most obstacles in the natural world. The military-spawned ultra ute was a master of the off road domain, but severely challenged in city settings. Confronted with the occluded arteries of an urban streetscape, it's width worked against it and the interior, neatly bisected by the world's most massive transmission tunnel, was less civilized than most expected from a six figure vehicle - even if it was a sport ute.
Somewhere in GM, the idea took shape of developing a Hummer that would be - dare we say it - a little more genteel. This operation could be likened to teaching a grizzly bear to use indoor plumbing, and must've been seemed about that appealing at certain points in the development process. However, the end product proved the effort to be worthwhile, the target largely met. H2 is true to Hummer's off-road heritage, but breaks new ground in the hitherto (for Hummer) uncharted world of rolling refinement.
At a glance, the family resemblance is instantly appreciated: broad beamed, high-waisted, with anvil flat roofline and straight-edge cuts for sides and back. The narrow, right-angle windshield and gleaming chrome grille complete the picture. It looks like a Hummer, all right. And while it is tempting to call H2 son of H1, the analogy can be a bit misleading. Like many children of big Daddys, this kid is actually bigger than the original in some respects. It's longer, for one - 189.8" vs. 184.5", and taller - 77.8" vs. 75". The most telling stats, though, are weight and width. Here, the kid is downsized from dear ol' Dad. H2 tips the scales at 6,400 lb., vs. H1's 6,814. And width-wise, the deuce measures 81.2", vs. numero uno's 86.5". Five inches may not sound like much, but add in some for mirrors and roll around town for a couple of days. H2 feels big, but H1 feels like you're about to clip people upside the head as they stroll along the sidewalk.
The H2's interior is a quantum leap forward for Hummer. Controls are super sized, appropriately enough (a beefy, L-handled gearshift to latch onto and perhaps the largest bore air vents that you've ever had pointed at you). A svelte, four spoke, two-tone wheel with redundant controls frames a full set of nicely arrayed gauges. HVAC and sound system sit stacked in center dash. The latter has a nine Bose speaker system as standard fare and the former is dual zone. Everywhere you look, every blessed thing that can be controlled or switched is illuminated so that you can find it at night. Above is a big sky sunroof. Beneath are eight way adjustable front seats. I tell you, it's positively urbane in here.
"The H2 is an exhilarating, uncompromising off-road vehicle, with the comforts of home included."
Which, of course is the last thing that most people associate with the Hummer name and for those folks, I'm happy to report that H2 has very serious off-road chops. Suspension travel is amazingly long, overhang on either end is minimal. Angles of approach/departure/ breakover are 40.4/39.6/25.8 degrees respectively (slightly different in models with optional air suspension). It'll ford water 20" deep, climb 16" rocks and scale a 60% incline. There's 10" of ground clearance below (10.5 with air) and for those things that the massive, 35" tires can't step over, the ladder frame is strapped with skid plates to shield powertrain, fuel tank and rocker panels. The Borg-Warner four wheel drive system has five separate modes to customize traction options to conditions. GM's 6.0 liter Vortec V-8 provides comfortable grunt at all engine speeds. The 315 hp, 360 lb. ft. of torque cover you nicely from ultra slow crawls to freeway cruising.
To be sure, the H2 has some issues. Shorter folk are going to need either a running start or the optional U-steps to gain access. An optional third row single seat boosts capacity from five to six, but you need to be limber to get there, and your presence is at the expense of rear cargo storage. That quality is already under attack by the resident, overstuffed, inboard spare tire. And while EPA hasn't rated H2's gas mileage at this writing, when they do, it's not expected to be pretty.
Still, for what it does and how it does it, H2 is impressive. Faced with the challenge of keeping the H1 hormones while losing some of the rough edges, the new Hummer comes off as every bit the hard rock scrambler. But, it's also well suited to heading uptown or hitting the highway - and all for about half the price of the H1.
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---Story and photos by Dan Lyons
photos © Dan Lyons 2002
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