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2003 Hummer H2 Full-Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle
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On the body, exposed appliances such as lift handles mounted up front on the hood and various latches and fasteners replicate similar devices attached to the H1, denoting practical functions for work. The flat roof floating over a round of narrow windows conveys the image of a military bunker, while thick and massive components like front bumpers and side rearview mirrors make H2 appear nearly indestructible.
And there are armaments aboard.
For brute muscle, the H2 totes GM's heavy-duty truck engine. The 6.0-liter V8 produces 316-hp at 5,200 rpm, plus as much as 360 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm.
It's strong enough to push the gross combined weight rating (GCWR) to 8,600 pounds and peg the trailer tow limit at 7,000 pounds.
H2 also employs GM's heavy-duty 4L65-E automatic transmission to handle all of the torque produced by that big V8. A push-button switch is designed to expand the time between gear shifts and quicken the sequence to assist in pulling a loaded trailer.
Every H2 stocks a Borg-Warner two-speed electronically controlled full-time 4WD system. The system divides torque from the engine either 40/60 percent front-to-rear for running at speed with differentials unlocked or 50/50 percent with differentials locked.
And H2 also packs a Bosch anti-lock braking and traction control system that works on pavement as well as off-road surfaces such as gravel. This sophisticated mechanism is capable of metering traction to a single wheel and it has a driver-operated switch to permit more slip of the wheels when moving over desert sands.
There are three different transfer case settings, two for the rear axle differential and two modes for the traction controller for a total of seven choices so a driver may custom-tune H2 performance to match virtually any type of surface either on pavement or dirt.
We challenge all of the systems on H2 while bumping and grinding across severe obstacles at the off-road proving grounds of AM General in South Bend, Ind.
The course, weaving through 300 wooded and hilly acres, contains a series of narrow two-track trails with steep assents and descents, a field of boulders to creep across, sticky pits of foot-deep mud and ponds to ford with water rising to the top of H2's 17-inch tires.
Hummer responds to each obstacle by plunging ahead, always moving forward with seemingly little effort: It's so strong and set up ideally for off-road work that all tasks seem easy.
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