First Drive Review
With our fighting forces called back to active duty, CNN is once again broadcasting free promotional footage of AM General's mil-spec HMMWV (a.k.a. Humvee) in action and perhaps stirring up some interest for a "civilian" Hummer among patriotic full-size-SUV devotees. But if the flagship Hummer H1 wagon's $109,834 base price doesn't cause their flags to go limp, then a test drive probably will-that beast is about as civilized as a Molotov cocktail. But General Motors is poised to capitalize on America's new enthusiasm for anything vaguely military with this new, much more refined H2 model that will hit the streets this spring priced at less than half the cost of an H1. The H2 is the first fruit of a December 1999 agreement in which GM bought the rights to the Hummer name. It will be built in a new AM General plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, to a design cribbed from the H1 but engineered primarily by GM on a Tahoe/Suburban platform to keep costs down. The team started with a Suburban frame, chopped 7.2 inches out of its midsection to fit a 122.8-inch wheelbase, and bobbed its overhangs to suit the H2's 189.8-inch overall length (nine inches shorter than a Tahoe). The front control-arm and torsion-bar suspension is from a 2500-series Suburban.
The 2000 H2 show car's independent rear suspension was ditched for the Suburban's live-axle, coil-spring, five-link setup. It's all retuned for off-road flexibility, using new monotube shocks at all corners. Hummer's H2 gets a brand-new four-wheel-drive system.
The electronically controlled full-time BorgWarner 44-84 transfer case features a center diff that normally sends 60 percent of the torque to the rear but can be locked at any speed into a 50-50 split. A six-pinion planetary gearset provides a 2.64:1 low range. The 4.10 rear axle is equipped with an Eaton ELocker diff that can be locked when running in low range at speeds below 20 mph. At the press of a button (at speeds below 3 mph), an electromagnet engages a ball ramp that forces six beefy pins into six holes to solidly lock the axle. Other off-road electrickery includes throttle programming that is far less aggressive in low-range operation, new Bosch four-wheel ABS with rough-terrain recognition, and a unique traction-control system that equalizes wheel speeds across an axle and can be programmed to allow more wheelspin at a touch of the TC2 button when running in low range. It's all protected by a series of skid plates, including the chin plate, which has "H2" embossed on it. Not enough rock-climbing capability for you? An optional off-road package replaces the 17-inch LT285/70R tires with special LT315/70R-17 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/As featuring three-ply sidewalls with rim-protecting shoulders. A load-leveling rear air suspension is included, adding the capability to raise the rear in tough going to increase the off-road package's already impressive 39.7-degree departure angle to nearly equal the approach angle (43.6 degrees).
That suspension's air compressor is powerful enough to add 20 psi to all four tires in 20 minutes after a day on the sand dunes, but you'll have to walk around with a hose-the H1's central tire inflation is incompatible with the GM axles. The only engine is a 6.0-liter gasoline V-8 that puts out a boulder-smiting 325 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque; the only transmission is a four-speed automatic. Weighing in at nearly the same 6400 pounds as our last K2500 Suburban, we'd expect it to arrive at 60 mph in just over 10 seconds-some five seconds ahead of a 6.5-liter diesel-powered H1. The H2 is rated to carry 2400 pounds or tow 7000 pounds. Can it climb a three-foot wall, traverse a 40-percent slope, or straddle a 16-inch bolder as the H1 can?
No. But it is clearly equipped to be the most capable GM-designed off-roader, and that's likely good enough for a flag-waving SUV enthusiast. What he or she will appreciate most is the redecorated Tahoe interior, with its comfortable seating for five (plus one more in the optional third-row seat, where the full-size spare eats up the rest of the space), triple-sealing doors, proper ventilation, and civilian-spec sound insulation.
The interior dimensions have not yet been released, but we expect them to be similar to the Tahoe's, despite the H2's two-plus inches of extra width. The hiproom that should have been gained can't be exploited using an existing Tahoe seat design. We actually found headroom in front to be rather limited with the optional sunroof. The steel body structure differs from the Tahoe's and Suburban's in that the H2's radiator support and engine box are welded to the body, not bolted to the frame. This is to keep the large forward-opening plastic hood and grille from shimmying out of phase with the rest of the car. By the time the H2 is launched this spring, GM expects to have signed up 150 dealers. The Mishawaka plant can build 40,000 vehicles, but nobody expects to sell that many H2 wagons. Add in the expected Chevy Avalanche-inspired pickup variant shown at last year's New York auto show, however, and the numbers might add up. And if anything could be more 'merican than a Hummer wagon, it'd be a Hummer pick-'em-up.
