- but I can read in the newspaper about what he is up to...
Seriously, I'm holding down the fort while he is out west on this road trip. This Jeff Luke that is mentioned is my boss's boss.
K
New H3, H2 are humdingers
June 20, 2007
BY JILL CIMINILLO Sun-Times News Group Auto Reporter
That can’t be possible.
This was the phrase that kept buzzing through my head last week as I watched the vehicle in front of me. In one instance it approached a wall of rock and then proceeded to climb the 60 percent grade with nimble grace. In another instance, it got to a precipice and then cleanly dipped over the edge so that all I could see was a shiny silver skid plate and a pair of very large wheels. When I saw the wheels contorted at odd angles while straddling a rocky V, I thought the rear axels would snap.
That really can’t be possible.
And they actually wanted me to follow.
We drove a slew of 2008 Hummer H2 and H3 Alpha vehicles out to “The Rock Garden Trail” in San Juan County, N.M., and with the help of some excellent spotters, we put the vehicles through their paces, testing both the driver and the truck.
Oddly enough, behind the wheel, the obstacles weren’t that intimidating. Don’t get me wrong; there were plenty of deep breaths and white knuckle grips on the steering wheel as I maneuvered through the 2.9-mile craggy course. But, as my H3 co-pilot Martin Walsch, Hummer general manager, said: “You have to trust the spotters, and you have to trust the vehicle.”
So I did. And, really, when you’re climbing a rock wall and see nothing but blue sky and two hands pointing to the left, telling you to turn your wheels, you don’t have much of a choice.
Remarkably, aside from bent license plates on the H3s, some minor bush scrapes on the sides of the H2 and the inevitable skid plate scratches, both vehicles and drivers emerged completely unscathed.
H2 vs. H3
With the H1 gone from the consumer side of the Hummer lineup, the H2 becomes the big daddy. And even in the wide expanse of open country, it still feels big.
We took the H3 and H2 over the same obstacles, and with a line of about five trucks hitting the trail, it took us more than 2 hours to traverse the tricky course in each vehicle.
I took the H3 through its paces in the morning, and I was more than impressed with its off-road capability. Over and over, I’d see a hill up or a step down that would seem impossible, yet over and over, the H3 managed without too much of a struggle. The one thing I noticed, however, is that the license plate on the H3 hangs down a couple inches from the bottom of the bumper. And for the obstacles we took, that wasn’t a good thing – the plates ended up bent and creased from hitting the ground as we took various inclines.
The H3 cabin is compact and much more akin to what you’d expect from a typical SUV. Everything was easy to reach, and the driving position for petite drivers is perfect. I could see very well over the front end of the vehicle, which made it easier to maneuver around the various obstacles on the trail.
The ability to go from rugged off-road driving to civilized highway cruising is what impresses me the most about the H3. One minute you’re scaling a mountain and then next, you’re handily passing a slow vehicle at 70 mph. The new 5.3-liter V-8 engine in the H3 Alpha delivers 295 horsepower, which is an additional 53 horsepower over the current 3.7-liter I-5 engine. It accelerates nicely, and the H3 Alpha overall has perfect road manners.
The H2, on the other hand, is still large. And there’s no getting around it. Literally. While cruising speeds are no problem on the highway, passing acceleration is understandably sluggish. I mean, we are talking about a 6,614-pound vehicle. Without anyone in the car. And, for 2008, the H2 adds a third-row and the possibility of carrying around two additional passengers and potentially more than 1,000 pounds in passenger weight. The 6.2-liter V-8 engine does what it can, but even with 393 horsepower under the hood, you’re going to feel the weight of the vehicle as you’re tooling around town.
While you may be wider than the lane on the highway, the sheer size and weight of the H2 is only an advantage off the beaten path. Obstacles that the smaller H3 had to struggle over were child’s play for the H2. Time and again, I would see it go up, over and around rocks and road blocks. The wheels would twist and contort. The vehicle would cling to a 40 percent side slope without even a slip. More than once I was utterly amazed that the H2 didn’t roll, topple or careen. As a driver, you have an incredible amount of control and flexibility.
Take, for instance, the obstacle in the photo at the top of the page. Most drivers took a higher stance on the Vee’d rocks. Yet my spotter had me tread lower. There were a couple of serious white knuckle moments where I thought I would roll, topple and careen all at once, but the H2 made it through with inches to spare and nary a knick on the passenger side of the vehicle.
The big disadvantage for me in the H2 was the driving position. Everything was so far away from my short reach, and even though I could sit close enough to the steering wheel and pedals, I didn’t feel like I got nearly high enough to see properly over the front end of the vehicle. My afternoon H2 co-pilot happened to be H2 Chief Engineer Jeffrey Luke, who was a great help with navigating around obstacles as well as teaching the art of two-foot driving for off-road situations. Alone, I’m not sure I could have managed as well.
While both the H3 and H2 performed beautifully on the trail, there is definitely a difference between the two. The H3 had to work a bit harder getting up the inclines, and there was definitely more tire squealage. The H2, however, would take the inclines steadily and handily with little squealing, but there were some narrow passes that took a steady hand and straight wheel to get through.
Hungry, hungry Hummer
The Hummer is one of the more controversial vehicles out on the market, and much of it centers around the extreme size of the H2 and the gas guzzling reputation of the brand. In an age where the cheapest gas in Chicagoland is around $3.10 and is routinely more than $3.50 at city locations, this is a viable concern.
The folks at Hummer are very aware of this. And that’s why they’re delivering vehicles that have more horsepower and more low-end torque for towing and off-roading, yet their vehicles are continually more fuel efficient. Take, for example, the new V-8 in the H3. It has an estimated fuel economy of 13 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway. The old I-5 has city/highway numbers of 14/18 mpg. Big increase in power … small decrease in fuel economy. Phenomenal.
The H2 is in a similar situation. While nothing is ever officially published on H2 fuel economy because of the vehicle’s classification, Hummer execs estimate that the new 6.2-liter V-8 will get city/highway economy of 13/14 mpg. In comparison, they estimate the old 6.0-liter V-8 got 12/13 mpg.
None of these numbers are great, but they are heading in the right direction.
What’s more, in 2009 the Hummer gets E85 capability for the H2, and shortly after that the brand is looking at a diesel application perhaps as early as the 2010 calendar year.
But, and this is the million dollar question: Is there a hybrid Hummer on the way?
Well, no. At least not in the near future.
According to Luke, Hummer did explore hybrid technology for its lineup, but with the current technological constraints, the brand couldn’t utilize an efficient hybrid system and maintain the current off-road and towing capabilities.
What’s the point?
Living and working in the city of Chicago, I have a hard time seeing the point of any SUV let alone the behemoth Hummers. They seem to lumber and trudge everywhere they go, blocking traffic and taking up two parking spaces instead of one. I never would have considered such a vehicle to be either nimble or graceful.
Yet both the H2 and the H3 were perfectly at home in the extreme off-road conditions in New Mexico. They made sheer rock walls look like flat paved surfaces, and the difficult rock steps and bumpy declines looked simple with the slow, practiced maneuvers.
I was amazed that both vehicles had comfortable seats and almost elegant interiors. For 2008, the H2 becomes more than a status symbol with the addition of the third-row seat; it becomes a carpool option that seats seven. The new Alpha badging on the H3 does speak of status, and it adds performance and capability in a more compact Hummer package.
While pricing isn’t currently available for the 2008 models, the 2007 H2 has a base price of $55,010, and the 2007 H3 starts at $29,995.
I was so impressed with the performance and capability of the 2008 H2 and H3 Alpha that the memory of my experience with them will linger long after the photos fade.
While I still don’t think the H2 belongs in the city, I get the point.
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