GM Keeps Hummin' Along

A group of journalists and General Motors Corp. employees scramble from the bottom of a steep rock slope nicknamed “The Guard Rail” as the ‘03 Hummer H2 creeps down a jagged hillside.

“What? You don't trust me,” the reporter driving the H2 laughingly shouts out the open window as the SUV's brakes groan, damp from a recent run through a knee-deep pond and under the stress of gravity pulling on the sheetmetal.

Trust is what H2 is all about. Faith that H2 can get down a rock-strewn slope some people wouldn't traverse on foot.

Trust that investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a freakish SUV — the first GM-developed Hummer since acquisition of the brand from AM General in 2000 — will pay off by attracting thousands of new customers and change GM's image. “Truth is tough,” said former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

After a day of test driving, it's pretty clear H2 is tough, too. It might be equally as tough to convince critics that GM's goal of selling 40,000 H2s annually isn't too ambitious.

With the all-new H2 — 6,400-lb. (2,909-kg) “baby” brother to the massive H1, the civilian-spec version of AM General's military HUMVEE — GM does an outstanding job maintaining Hummer's remarkable off-road capability while dramatically refining the interior and driving experience to more closely resemble a traditional fullsize SUV.

To illustrate H2's ability to meld lifestyles, we started our drive in downtown Chicago and finished at a serious off-road course in South Bend, IN.

With seating for five — not including the optional third-row — and all the interior amenities popular in today's upscale trucks (leather seats, power accessories, CD player, etc.) H2 could be used by city folk as an everyday commuting vehicle and driven to the trailhead, not towed there like H1.

But some sacrifices must be made. H2 narrowly fit within street lanes in Chicago. And this is no truck to drive while yacking on a cell phone. Due to H2's bulkiness, the vehicle perimeter is hard to see, and there are numerous blind spots. About one-third of the rear window visibility is blocked by the spare tire that lounges in the cargo hold, hogging room that could find better purpose for baggage or more passengers. Where are the run-flats?

H2's small windows, low ceiling and cramped seating create a claustrophobic feeling — especially in the front-passenger footwell, where an HVAC casing annoyingly compromises space.

The instrument panel is from the parts bin. Numerous items are borrowed from other GM vehicles, including the steering wheel (TrailBlazer), vents (Aztek) and glovebox (Silverado). Some of the plastic molding encircling controls on the dashboard of our H2 is alarmingly loose, so we're not expecting H2 to top anybody's initial-quality rankings.

However, we like the airplane-inspired gear lever; it adds to the exotic-performance theme.

Exterior styling is on target. No typical GM mistakes. Hummer DNA is kept intact, with a classy overhaul for H2.

At 80 mph (129 km/h), wind and road noise are quite tolerable, considering H2's stiff, fat tires and height of 77.8 ins. (198 cm). The on-road ride and handling resembles Tahoe/Yukon. And the auto maker's solid GMT800 platform, used as the base architecture for H2, turns in a top-notch performance again.

That's not a surprise. GMT800's flexibility and performance off-road is the revelation. Wheels bend outward awkwardly and the frame contorts as H2 crab-walks through muddy moguls and climbs over rocks and logs. The rear axle's electronic locking differential gets H2 through the worst landscape, and the beast performs so well in serious off-road tests that we wonder who will continue to buy the rude, crude and more expensive H1.

GM's iron-block Vortec 6L OHV V-8 (316 hp), mated to a 4-speed electronic automatic transmission, has no problem moving the heavy H2 over city streets or the forest floor. But considering H2's hefty price — it starts at $48,065 — it would've been nice to get Cadillac Escalade's 345-hp Vortec. GM offers no fuel economy figures because it doesn't have to: H2's weight ensures it sits well outside regulated fleet requirements.

The 2-speed, full-time 4-wheel drive and traction-control systems move H2 forward even when climbing a man-made slope with rollers under three wheels.

Now, if H2 can help GM stop spinning its wheels in the market-share race, that will be a real macho accomplishment.

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