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Friday, December 06, 2002

By Donald I. Hammonds, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The 2003 Hummer H2 is one big honking vehicle. It's many other things too -- terrifically comfortable, fast and very practical. And it's a guaranteed attention-getter. "I"ll pay you $200 to drive me and my date to the prom in it," a grocery store clerk quipped.

With a price tag of $52,870 and fuel mileage ratings of 10 mpg city and 12 mpg highway, the 2003 Hummer H2's biggest fans are males with an average income of $215,000.

General Motors bought the Hummer brand name from AM General several years ago, and the two companies work as partners on the H2.

"We designed the Hummer and the Hummer brand to fill a niche in the GM portfolio -- to have a large, luxurious SUV, but to also focus on having a product that was very off-road capable," said Wendy Orthman, Hummer spokeswoman. It's also designed to play up its military heritage, she added.

Not surprisingly, 73 percent of Hummer purchasers are male. The average age is 41; the average income is $215,000; 77 percent of buyers are married; and 57 percent have college degrees, Orthman said.

Our Hummer H2, painted in what has to be one of the flashiest shades of yellow I've ever seen, had a base price of $48,065. Adding what's called the "lux series chrome appearance package," power sunroof and third-row seat brought the price to $52,870 -- which helps explain why the average income of the buyers is so high.

When the Hummer showed up in the Post-Gazette parking lot, the first thing I noticed was how easily the driver was able to park it. The reality is the H2's width is only about two inches more than Chevy's Tahoe -- and it's significantly shorter, too, 189.8 inches vs. Tahoe at 198.9 inches. It's mainly the styling, height and sheer presence of the H2 that make you think it's far bigger than it actually is.

It's no lightweight, but the square-shouldered styling -- something like a cross between a Jeep, a military vehicle and a child's "transformer' toy -- is what creates unnecessary apprehension. The huge tires also make one shy away from trying to drive this thing in city traffic.

Critics of the Hummer aside, and there are more than a few, the Hummer H2 is eminently practical in most driving situations.

For example, when I took it to the new Whole Foods supermarket in East Liberty -- which is usually jam-packed -- I had this mental image of accidentally leveling every car in sight as I tried to park. Instead, I was able to back into a parking spot on the first try, with plenty of room to get out.

That same night happened to be Pittsburgh's first taste of significant snow, and the Hummer came through admirably. No slips, untoward behavior or difficulties with maneuverability.

On the other hand, despite its sterling drivability and maneuvering qualities, the interior of the Hummer falls a bit short. It should be totally rethought, given that such a big vehicle has so little usable space beyond the roomy front and second-row seats.

Because of the need to house a huge spare tire inside the car behind the driver, the Hummer has just a single seat for one person behind the second row. There also is precious little room to haul anything with that spare and the single seat in normal position.

By the way, that rear interior mounting for the spare really complicates rearward driving vision, and the sheer heft of the tire itself will likely require quite a lot of muscle to use it.

Otherwise, the interior is just about what you'd find on a Cadillac or other luxury car: Swaths of leather and every control and device you could imagine, including what must be the world's biggest gearshift. The handle looks like it's a good 6 inches long.

Sitting behind the wheel, you notice the similarity to the controls on the Chevy Suburban -- that's a good thing. Even the fuel door button is located on the steering wheel rim, a handy feature. You see huge circular vents for air and heat that resemble the gunsights on military tanks. The rearview mirror is a far stretch, but the general feeling is luxury and lots of it.

The responsiveness of the 6.0-liter, 315-horsepower engine was another pleasant surprise. Hit the gas and you get instant reaction -- no waiting. But the brakes are only adequate.

One more thing about the engine -- it loves gasoline. The mileage on the H2 is 10 miles per gallon in the city and 12 on the highway.

If you're buying or leasing a Hummer, you're going to need a warm relationship with your gasoline attendant and some deep pockets.

Still, driving the Hummer was a surprisingly pleasant experience.

Donald I. Hammonds can be reached at dhammonds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1538.