2001 AM General Hummer H1
Hummer Rules The Road

By Anne Fracass

Price Range: Around $80,000

Engine: 6.5-liter V8 turbo-diesel

Configuration: 4 wheel drive, Class 3 truck

Safety Features: Runflat Tire System

Fuel Economy: 17-mpg city, 24-mpg highway

Features: Steel roof; steel doors with side impact beams

Now, this was a real surprise.

I expected a lot when I got into the Hummer. But I never expected this.

Luxury appointments. Driver-oriented instrumentation. Comfortable, luxurious ride and handling characteristics. Easy to drive. Easy to park. And, although it wouldn't matter to anyone but me - my kids loved it.

So much so that I went as far as to promise my 9-year-old I would promise to look for a used Hummer for her first vehicle.

That's another thing. I have a ton of friends and relatives in my age group who have children who have become drivers. It takes them aback, because they want the most reliable and safe transportation for their new driving teen and they always turn to me, asking what they should buy for their kid. I always recommend they purchase the largest and strongest vehicle they can afford. Safety is their -- and my -- primary concern, and that's always been my recommendation. And the Hummer is at the top of my list, now.

Everyone knows that the Hummer -- affectionately called the Humvee by folks in the military -- was designed and engineered for work with the U.S. Armed Forces and was used heavily and successfully in Operation Desert Storm. It was engineered to go when no one had gone before and come out in one piece.

It was engineered to plow through 3-foot snowdrifts, scale 22-inch vertical rock ledges, ford 30 inches of water, traverse 40 percent side slopes and climb 60 percent grades.

The only difference between the Humvee and the Hummer sold to consumers is that it's just appointed for the mom's who have to take the kids for their ice-skating practice.

I emphasize "mom" in a special way. I was totally comfortable driving the Hummer. Granted, it is a big vehicle. Granted, it takes up an entire parking space. Took up my whole driveway as well.

But it was comfortable to drive, easy to maneuver and is a perfect vehicle for city driving. The Hummer got more second looks this week that when I first drove the sweet Miata back in 1989, but the looks were more of envy than anything else.