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Bossnass · 11-22-2006, 10:18 PM

For five days last summer I drove an H2. A terribly ugly "SUT" with the tiny little truck box. It was indeed terribly ugly. It vibrated at about 110km on the highway, but that was a function of the tires more than anything else.

I loved every minute of it.

I was a foreman for a heavy earthworks company; a dirty, offroading required trade. I had previously killed my chevy 1/2 tonne when I managed to shear the transfer case. There were several days before the new F-150 fleet came in, and I needed to be on-site for all of those days. The owner of the company picked me up at my dead truck and took me to a rental location, and the only trucks/suvs they had were the H2 SUT and a Lincoln.

The H2 performed wonderfully. While I've never driven a suped-up jeep, I've spent many hours on sites with my truck in 4x4. At the bottom end, on rough terrain, the H2 was much better (more capable, smoother, etc) than pickups from ford, gmc/chevy, nissan, and debatably toyota. It was a little weak getting up to highway speed, but I only needed to do that twice a day or so.

Driving around site (offroad) and to work (city/highway) I managed about 12 mpg, from this '04 H2. The '03 1500 managed about 17, the '06 F150 came in about 14. All terrible, but the H2 wasn't that much worse than the pickup.

For 4-6 months out the year, I work one of the few jobs in the world that legitimately needs a 4x4 vehicle. I don't know how well it would perform trying to climb over boulders, but I took it through sandpits, across broken ground, ontop of topsoil and gravel stockpiles, up and down 25+ degree slopes and approaces, across slick wet greasy clay. In all cases, it performed better than pickups I've driven. Lots of people say that 'it is a terrible off road vehicle', but I really don't think it is.

I also needed to attend a bid opening one afternoon, and rather enjoyed cruising up in my H2; although I think I like parking muddy pickups beside cadilacs/bmws that often attend, there is something to be said about pulling up in a semi-luxury vehcile.

The bottom line is that I don't hate Hummers. Perhaps they are overpriced, but they deserve more credit than they are given. I wouldn't pay to drive one. However, most people/businesses could get by with a smart car/insight/prius/other hybrid. Hating the hummer while driving something with less than 30mpg, that is wider/longer than a civic is a "case of the pot hating the kettle".

Incidently, my wife and I share a civic and a jetta tdi.

11-22-2006, 10:18 PM	#54 (permalink)
Bossnass Détente Location: AWOL in Edmonton	For five days last summer I drove an H2. A terribly ugly "SUT" with the tiny little truck box. It was indeed terribly ugly. It vibrated at about 110km on the highway, but that was a function of the tires more than anything else. I loved every minute of it. I was a foreman for a heavy earthworks company; a dirty, offroading required trade. I had previously killed my chevy 1/2 tonne when I managed to shear the transfer case. There were several days before the new F-150 fleet came in, and I needed to be on-site for all of those days. The owner of the company picked me up at my dead truck and took me to a rental location, and the only trucks/suvs they had were the H2 SUT and a Lincoln. The H2 performed wonderfully. While I've never driven a suped-up jeep, I've spent many hours on sites with my truck in 4x4. At the bottom end, on rough terrain, the H2 was much better (more capable, smoother, etc) than pickups from ford, gmc/chevy, nissan, and debatably toyota. It was a little weak getting up to highway speed, but I only needed to do that twice a day or so. Driving around site (offroad) and to work (city/highway) I managed about 12 mpg, from this '04 H2. The '03 1500 managed about 17, the '06 F150 came in about 14. All terrible, but the H2 wasn't that much worse than the pickup. For 4-6 months out the year, I work one of the few jobs in the world that legitimately needs a 4x4 vehicle. I don't know how well it would perform trying to climb over boulders, but I took it through sandpits, across broken ground, ontop of topsoil and gravel stockpiles, up and down 25+ degree slopes and approaces, across slick wet greasy clay. In all cases, it performed better than pickups I've driven. Lots of people say that 'it is a terrible off road vehicle', but I really don't think it is. I also needed to attend a bid opening one afternoon, and rather enjoyed cruising up in my H2; although I think I like parking muddy pickups beside cadilacs/bmws that often attend, there is something to be said about pulling up in a semi-luxury vehcile. The bottom line is that I don't hate Hummers. Perhaps they are overpriced, but they deserve more credit than they are given. I wouldn't pay to drive one. However, most people/businesses could get by with a smart car/insight/prius/other hybrid. Hating the hummer while driving something with less than 30mpg, that is wider/longer than a civic is a "case of the pot hating the kettle". Incidently, my wife and I share a civic and a jetta tdi.