RIP Hummer H2?
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 05.24.07
Gas prices are rising, and gas-guzzling cars are appearing less and less attractive. SF Gate are reporting that sales of "perhaps the most idiotic consumer vehicle ever produced in your lifetime", the Hummer H2, have fallen dramatically for the past two years, to the point where the model may be dropped, "It's heavily rumored that GM will soon kill the model entirely, which is already being supplanted by a slew of smaller, less disgusting H2 offspring like the H3."
However, it's not a trend. SUV sales are climbing, despite the huge cost of filling their tank. Perhaps the H2 didn't sell because it was ugly, not because gas became too expensive. Perhaps people wanted an SUV, but didn't want to be seen as harming the environment - Hummers are an icon of irresponsible environmental choice, even amongst other SUVs. Perhaps when gas prices rise another dollar, we'll finally see less of these over the top cars on the road. :: SF Gate
See also :: A Green Hummer? (It Runs On Biofuels) :: GM Kills the Hummer H1
Actually, the Hummer just LOOKED bigger than other SUVs. I looked at them next to Navigators and Excursions and they're just boxier. I don't know about curb weight. They're definitley less comfortable to drive, noiser, less aerodynamic.
The H1 was huge, but there are only a few hundred of those around.
SUV sales may be rising because of the massive incentives. But I just drove by a Dodge dealer and they're parking the overstock on the roof.
What really annoys me is the lack of options for people that actually need a larger vehicle with more capacity and/or towing power.
I drive a 4 cyl chevy S10 pickup for the capacity that it gives me. However, it has no towing power whatsoever, which is something I also need. It gets decent mileage (best in class, actually), but it would probably get 50% better mileage simply by replacing the engine with something like a 6cyl turbo-diesel. This would also give me the towing power I need.
but nooooo, federal law says that "trucks" have to be 3/4 ton and full size or larger in order to have a diesel. so I'm stuck with a gasoline engine unless I want to get an H2 sized vehicle. Something that I DONT want to do.
Judging by the number of Hummers I see on the highways in the SF Bay Area I don't think their owners are particularly swayed by how they'll be perceived by environmentally minded folks. For some it's probably simply a macho status symbol. For others it's a giant extended middle finger to treehuggers. I wonder what percentage of people actually take theirs off road. The little boy in me sees them as giant Tonka trucks so I can see the appeal.
Remember those Hummer ads last year? The guy feels emasculated when buying tofu so he rushes to the dealership and buys a Hummer and feels whole again? They always struck me as the perfect SNL ad parody. I wondered how they got approved by GM. They might as well have shown him strapping it to the front of his waist (Timberlake style).
I want my hybrid minivan already, dammit.
Need something big enough to haul around 4 people and three golden retrievers...
CHS,
Not sure of your needs, but Dodge makes the Dakota with a 6cyl, and the older body style is much smaller than the recent offerings.
If you like Chevys, the Chevy Astro van is truck based and with a V6 not a half bad tow vehicle. It will ride like a truck and not a mini van.
Neither of these is an ultimate tow vehicle, but practicle vehicles and can do the job.
Rob, the Hummer is higher GVW than the Escalade/Suburban, but not by that much.
Hummers don't run on gas, it's fueled by testosterone. Anyone who drives a Hummer should be sent to Iraq to spread our democracy.
Dumbest truck ever? The International CXT. I think Ashton Kutcher has/had one.
If automakers will not make an suv- truck with decent mpg you can.Case in point.I own a 1979 ford bronco that in now totes a 7.3 twin turbo diesel.Running an a pair of one ton axles.I tow/haul trailers that weigh in a ten to 12 thousand pounds.It sure beats 9 mpg on a gas 460.For those who need a heavy duty use with mpg try an old bronco/blazer.Some blazer came with a 6.2 diesel stock.Non turbo though.If you can't buy what you need make it.
I know when i was looking for what i needed.It could not be found.So i did the next best thing.I reused old and fitted new into older chassis.25 mpg on diesel is a whole lot better than 9mpg on gas.
Along these lines, I was amazed to learn Scion has discontinued their xB box car and replaced it with a higher horsepower, larger and less fuel efficent xB2 model. I run my business out of one of these Scions and in my town several others use them as business vehicles as well. It appears the xB2 was developed because of "market response"..what gives with the mind of the consumer?
Mike
Thats where we are, need a vehicle bigger than my wife's car and all the minivans are front wheel drive so we either have to buy a full size fan or an SUV.
--
editor note: Isn't the Sienna available as 4wd?
Everyone just wants the industry to change, rather than doing anything to change their lifestyles.
Four people on bikes can pull trailers with large dogs. Bikes can haul some stuff.
And if the things we do are incompatible with environmentalism, we have to make a choice. Sometimes we can't have our green and eat it, too.
So which do we care about more?
If we won't change our lifestyles at all, can we really call ourselves Treehuggers? Or maybe just normal people who are a little concerned with environmental issues?
I don't mean to get all "greener than thou," but we all have to make changes, not just wait for them to happen.
I always thought these were an automotive joke. Next time you see one look at it closely and note the relationship of the body and frame. Check out the height of the rear hatch. You soon realize that there isn't much more interior space in one of those than a good size sedan. The large wagons that the CAFE loophole killed off and started the mini-van thing that morfed in the SUV thing were more pratical. With todays engine tech the Dodge Magnum (the closest thing to a large wagon) gets 17 city and 25 highway. The H2 10 or 11 MPG. Sure the hummer can tow more but how many use it for that. I
I never understood the point of driving those things around... it is simply huge and pain in the a.. to drive...
My standard SUV article schtick -
The must make great electric vehicle conversions - heavy duty suspensions and lots of space to carry the added weight of batteries.
vsk
HUMMERS are NO MORE dangerous then an older Chevy,Ford or Dodge, or whatever. Its total BS saying they harm the enviroment. MY 1975 Ford Mustang has NO smog pump and jus 2 cats. And its new engine will have NO EMISSIONS (execpt the CATs)
And now you wanna say that that hummer is more dangerous???
Yuppies
The H2 certainly isn't a fuel efficient vehicle, but I was suprised to learn that the newer H3 is more fuel efficioent than the Nissan Armada. It also weighs less and has a tighter turning raduis. I'm pretty sure it beats the Toyota FJ cruiser (HUMMER wanna-be) in these areas as well.
Stick the Duramax diesel and Allsion trans in it and you can get double the mpg with a load more torque.
Detroit i s not in charge of what i drive.I am.My work requires a heavy duty suv.I swapped out the engine/trans/t-case and axles.Replacing with one ton driveline.This bronco would have never been built by enginers.Rural lifestyles need heavy duty trucks/suv and autos.A bio diesel tahoe- surburben-excurision-truck is more logical.If a prius works for you so be it.But when you get past the city limits things change.Roads become nasty add to that rain-snow-mud-other conditions.I know plenty of folks who drive suv-trucks.They care about thier envirment. But thier are limits.Build a heavy duty diesel hybrid 4x4.Until then keep the blanket statement of all suv/truck owners to yourself.It does not go over in rural areas.Be more specifec in your targets.If your nieghbor drives a lifted suv-truck with the big mud tires.Talk to him first.Ask questions.Try that first.Before condeming them.
Personely i drive an old ugly bronco.Which also doubles as office.For a pipeline company.Energy is not free.Even solar is not a cure all.Diffrent areas have light varitions.The tank like nature of my bronco reflects that.I dont complain about the price of diesel.It is the cost of doing buisness/Work related.I have an associate who drives an h1 hummer.He has the same job as me and covers a diffrent sector.When you see suv owners they may have a real good reason for haveing them.My company pays by 25 a mile.Many folks good reason for them.
So, the argument is that an H2 is not "dangerous" because old Mustangs aren't? I don't know which part of that is less true. Or scarier, if you really think your Mustang has "NO EMISSIONS" which is not really even possible on a hotrod like that, no matter what kind of fancy CATs you put on there.
Or is that comment a joke that I don't understand? Is IS funny to see someone call critics of the H2 "Yuppies" when that's who drives the damn things.
Brian,
Are you really suggesting that no one is allowed to make a "blanket" statement about SUVs being bad, but YOU can make such a statement about them being good for "some folks"?
Some people needing them is not a good reason for them being around. Is some people's need to have guns the best argument for keeping them around? And cars kill more people in the US than guns do.
Maybe we have no business being where we need big vehicles. Maybe people who say they care about the environment and "nature" should leave it alone instead of hurting it to be near it. Building a home in the woods is not the way to demonstrate or express love for it. Protecting it is.
And there are many more fuel efficient vehicles than a modified Bronco, ones with better power to boot. My friend ditched his for a pickup long ago that has more power and is more environmentally friendly. So if you are going to come onto TH's website and tell them what they can't say, I'll ask you to keep your "you city slickers don't know the value of an old Bronco" to some pro-SVU website on their behalf.
Damn, think of where you're writing.
Ron
I said selective targeting.Much like a sniper.The rapper in a h1 with 22 inch rims.Does he use the 4wd alot?Or is it for his homies/to impress the world.Selective means the putz who buy into the macho garbage.As i use the utilty part i don't care.
As far as the blanket statement.If someone built a heavy duty hybrid 4x4.I would fit it to my current body.AND RECYCLE IT !!!!!!!
As far as the home in the woods.It is a cabin built in 1910.Also recycling.And was built by my grandfather.Where i learned to hunt.And came to after 3 tours of duty in iraq.Plus one in afgan.I prefer being alone for a reason.When somebody who fought for nothing. Dumps on your lifestyle that fought to defend.First you earn respect.Then you can insult.Now for the modifed vechicle.It was passed down from my father who bought it new in 1979.I never would buy new.A major waste of money/resources.
As for your friend what mode of transport did he buy.Horse i got one very eco friendly.Go to town on it in winter.Yank the kids around in a sled.Play santa.Quite relaxing.So is chopping firewood.
Even though ron and brian may not agree on how.They appear to have the same goal.But with diffrent views angles of approach.Useing less is the key.City living and country living have unique needs.Ron read more carefully.Brian i know what you mean by the rappers.It is about status and apperance.
Brian,
I did not mean to be insulting, nor was I aware that you actually live in the country. I do apologize if I came off as attacking you personally. After that many tours overseas, you certainly don't need to apologize to anyone if you want to be alone. I can't imagine what that's like.
I am talking more about people who actually move to the woods from cities and suburbs, not people who already own property there. It's one thing to live in a space you already have cleared and another to invade the wild in the name of being close to nature. Clearly you belong to the first group:) Indeed, I envy your cabin; it sounds beautiful.
My friend bought another Ford when he grounded his Bronco, a Ranger with the "off road" package that gets used pretty often. He needs a pickup for his work, and he complains about it sometimes. I josh him that he should find another line of work. I am only half kidding with him.
I agree with you about people who buy the H2 for style. But I think it extends beyond "hommies" as far as who buys that ugly thing for purposes other than what a heavy-duty truck should be used for. I have never seen anyone other than a 20-something or middle-aged yuppy driving one (LOL). Seriously, though, I have never seen an H2 being used for work of any kind, and I get to travel all over the East Coast pretty often, sometimes the Midwest, too. I think it is the case that very very few people who buy the H2 NEED it in any way, and that is what the original post and the website FUH2.com are all about.
You seemed offended by the original post because it seemed like it was talking about ALL SUVs, but I think we'd all agree that the H2 is an extreme case of complete uselessness, so long as the people who drive them have no use for such a vehicle, which is too often the case.
Still I personally really don't care for large SVUs in general for personal driving because they are too often driven by people who can't handle them, as often as people who don't need them. I got side-swiped by a huge SUV driven by an old man (who needed a cane and help to get into the damned thing), and it spun my car around and bent its frame, nearly smashing all inside. I don't think people should put other people's lives at risk, let alone the planet, just because they like to drive a 7 passenger boat around with a brush bar in the front all alone with no reason at all to have one.
Certainly there are cases like yours where there is a genuine need for one. But it's their widespread ABUSE that has people like me freaked out. Like guns, there are people with a use for them, and a need. Maybe they should be regulated, at least by making the people who drive them be able to pass a test on controlling those things.
I think a Bronco (a definitely a Bronco II) falls under the heading of reasonabl- sized SUVs, too, with the older Explorer and current Escape. And you're right that keeping yours with a modern drive-train saves metal and energy versus buying a new one. And the new Ford SUVs are ugly anyway:-)
I didn't mean to get personal with you.
Ron
When a vandal recently slashed all four tires.I was quite pissed.Rural is what i prefer.I lived in a city once a long tome ago.All you could hear is car alarms blaring-morons car sound systems and other crap.Now all i hear is the deer and crickets.
The guy next door rents 60 acres of my 120 acres.He is a farmer.I get fresh eggs by walking 4 miles.
As far as the ford explorer/escape option.The ifs is crap.Had an escape for two months before sterring knuckle snapped.Can't take the use/abuse.Bronco 2 is worse.Ttb blows apart to quickly.Frags like a grenade.Solid axles are only option.
As for greening my cabin.I run a small solar setup.Good enough for my needs.Heating is done by wood stove and fireplace.Only on when i am there.
Cars are tools like anything else.Stupid people equal stupid actions.Don't blame the auto.It is the operator.
If that tesla electric setup was adapable.I would use it in bronco.
As far as travel.I hate it.Some people like cites where i hate them.I had business in new york about two months ago.Saw nothing but drug dealers/whores and trash.When at the hotel.Nothing but city racket.Much like iraq cites.
As for your car.Look into an internal roll cage.Light wieght but great insurance.Solidly mounted ones can save your life.
Many suv owners are guilty of stupidty.However utility is key for me.
Brian,
You're right that stupid comes from the driver, but I think too-large SUVs put something too dangerous in the hands of morons. Sure, morons are going to cause accidents no matter what. But they are more dangerous with something big and heavy, and they probably cause more accidents in large vehicles that they cannot control. I don't necessarily blame the vehicle that hit me, but something less huge might not have bent the frame and totaled my new car. This guy was a real moron -- probably would have hit me with any car.
A wood burning stove? Again, I envy your cabin:)
I can't speak to the quality of recent Ford 4x4's, but I think most of them are ugly as sin. I have only owned Ford cars, but I cycle everywhere now.
I do think we need to make the distinction between idiots with SUVs who don't need them and can't drive them and people who actually have a use for them, for sure. I do know people with vehicles larger than a Bronco who need them for work, and they are very good at driving them. But I also know a few people who don't need them, and it's scary as hell watching them try to control them.:)
Ron
I tend to walk more than cycle.Vlad and atilla can keep up that way.8 and 9 year old rotties.Dan my horse live mostly with him.Farmer loves them and vice versa.I avoid driving if possible.
As for the other drivers.You can not change them.But you can leave more space between you and them.As to older suv's on road wait till they rust out.Think defensive driving.
My life is a bit of duality.High tech sat phone.Internet access via rv style sat dish on roof of bronco.Only need line of sight.Solar panel system basic power.
Then low no tech.wood fireplace heat misc.Potbelly wood stove out of train.cooking misc.
It is close to green as i can get.My way may not be perfect.But it is close.
I have no idea how to figure out that carbon foot print thing.Yet
cummins882000@yahoo.com
Cheers to walking!
Bruce Chatwin wrote:
“I haven’t got any special religion this morning. My God is the God of Walkers. If you walk hard enough, you probably don’t need any other God.”
Actually I just bought one of these 2 weeks ago. Love it. Gas milage is of course very low, but I knew that when I bought it. Still love it. Especially fun for off road for a stock truck.
"The H2 certainly isn't a fuel efficient vehicle, but I was suprised to learn that the newer H3 is more fuel efficioent than the Nissan Armada. It also weighs less and has a tighter turning raduis. I'm pretty sure it beats the Toyota FJ cruiser (HUMMER wanna-be) in these areas as well."
oh this made me laugh first off the fj isnt a hummer wanna be the h3 is more fuel efficent due to the fact that its a 5 cylinder engine and it has less room and a fj has better turning radius and in my opinion the armada fj and jeeps are all nicer to own than a hummer!
People, get a life! Let's see, Expedition, Yukon, FORD F-150 have WORSE mileage than the Hummer. There were 40,000 Hummers sold last year, there were over 250,000 Ford F-150 sold. Who's using more gas? Why don't you guys go boycott Ford. Better yet, don't use or buy anything that is transported by a Ford. Even better yet, turn off electricity in your house, no heat, no a/c, NO TV...