Information on Hummers
Perhaps no other vehicle in automotive history, except maybe the Ford Edsel, has stirred the passions of Americans more than General Motors' Hummer SUV. The Edsel was just ugly. The Hummer is no beauty queen, but the controversy surrounding it is political, pitting environmentalists against advocates of the free enterprise system and people who believe bigger is better. The brouhaha, however, is relegated to history--GM scheduled the Hummer's demise in 2010.
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Background
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In the mid-1970s, the U.S. military sought an alternative to its Jeep transport vehicle. American Motors, which had acquired Jeep in 1970, had its subsidiary, AM General, develop the (Humvee) High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. It was delivered to the U.S. Army in 1985. In 1998 GM acquired the brand name "Hummer" from AM General, which continued manufacturing the vehicle for GM. In 2010, GM could not find a buyer for the vehicle and production was scheduled to cease, according to Edmunds.com and U.S. News & World Report.
Types
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The original Hummer, the H1 and the diesel-powered H1 Alpha, was manufactured from 1992 to 2006 and came as a wagon, a two- and four-door pickup and a convertible. The second-generation H2 SUV featured the base model and two option packages, the H2 Adventure and the H2 Luxury. The H3 is the standard SUV, and the H3T is a crew-cab pickup truck available in base model, the midrange Adventure and Alpha, the high-end Luxury and the Alpha with leather.
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Features
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The early H1s were rough-hewn and featured a grim interior with enough sheet metal to build a 747. The H2s were a considerable improvement. By 2009, the H2's standard equipment included 17-inch alloy wheels, leather seats, power front seats, remote engine starting, OnStar navigation system and an eight-speaker Bose stereo system. The standard H3 sat on 16-inch alloy wheels and featured full skid plates and fog lamps, while the Alpha model received leather-trimmed seating and steering wheel, and power-adjustable heated front seats. The H3 could be equipped with two different suspension packages, 32-inch all-terrain tires and the optional Off-Road Adventure package with tuned shock absorbers.
Size
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The 2010 H3T features a 134.2-inch wheelbase that made parking a tactical challenge. Its overall length is 212.7 inches. It measures 72.1 inches wide and 72.1 inches tall. By contrast, the H1 featured a 130-inch wheelbase and was 184.5 inches long.
Power
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The Hummers since their inception enjoyed a wide range of engines, including the 6.2-liter Detroit Diesel V-8, the turbocharged 6.5-liter diesel version and the 5.7-liter gasoline-powered V-8. Later powerplants on the H2 and H3 models included the 5.3-liter and the 3.7-liter, in-line five-cylinder.
Performance
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Even die-hard Hummer enthusiasts acknowledge the vehicle is not practical for city driving, but the critics can't argue with its superb off-road handling with an impressive 16-inch ground clearance. Still, towing capacity was criticized. The 2009 H2 powered by a 6.2-liter V-8 has an 8,200-pound towing capacity. In contrast, the 2010 Ford F-150 SuperCrew pickup, powered by a 5.4-liter V-8, has 11,300 pounds of hauling power.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hummer H1 Offroad_03 image by crossgolfing from Fotolia.com
