"There's no reason you should want this vehicle. It's noisy, cramped and sucks gas. But I love it." Franco Skilan was hanging out of the driver-side window of a 2002 Hummer H1 Wagon. He had just spent the day plowing through mud holes, conquering impossible-looking inclines, crawling over Paul Bunyanesque logs and fording the entire width of a five-acre swamp.
Skilan and seven other new Hummer owners were students for a week in October at the Hummer Driving Academy, an off-road wonderland and training center in South Bend, Indiana. The little city, about 90 miles east of Chicago, is also home to the University of Notre Dame and Hummer's sole assembly plant. To Skilan and his classmates, the place was Mecca, and each had paid $5,000 for the pleasure of learning the extremes and limitations of their vehicle. A team of six instructors taught them how to crawl over, across and through nearly every geographical obstacle they encountered. They were also instructed in first aid, navigation, field repair techniques and vehicle recovery. For much of the five days, the 2002 Hummer H1 Wagon was their classroom.
The behemoth SUV is changed for 2002. Some of its alterations are cosmetic, such as new badging and the addition of Firehouse Red as a color option. Other changes address comfort and convenience, such as the enlarged foot area for the front passenger and an express-down driver-side window. Yet more revisions are mechanical, like the improved differential gear ratios. There are also new tires available for 2002 -- 17-inch puncture-resistant Goodyear Wrangler MT/R -- that offer a more aggressive tread pattern and better grip than the rubber on previous models.
Adventure is the first word that comes to mind when considering the Hummer. The military heritage of the vehicle; its size; its noisy operation; the cramped, industrial-grade interior; and the utilitarian exterior create a kind of war-games mystique that can make every outing in the vehicle, no matter how mundane, like a secret mission. For Hummer fans, that's a large part of the appeal -- to be living in a Tom Clancy novel.
To its critics, the Hummer is a noisy, ugly brute. Once more, while most other vehicles strive for beauty and comfort, the Hummer's unconventionality is a large part of the attraction for its devotees. "My friends think it's ugly," Skilan said. "I love that. It feels good. I like to be different. It's not like 50 other Chevrolet Tahoes running down the road. I also like where it can take you."
This last point is also a big part of the Hummer's glamour, said Hummer Public Relations Manager Lee Woodward. "For some, the Hummer is an icon to freedom -- it can do anything and go anywhere."
During our week at the Hummer Driving Academy, we put the 2002 H1 to the test on-road and off-road. Certainly, the Hummer's off-road ability is astounding. Its 16 inches of ground clearance mean it can merely skim over obstacles that would be major navigation points for other SUVs. And its 30-inch fording ability makes seemingly impassable swamps, ponds and rivers mere points of interest along the way. It's a giddy feeling to drive a vehicle through waist-deep water while listening to the exhaust gurgle like a motor boat behind you.
The most impressive aspect of the Hummer's off-road performance, though, is its crawling ability. The H1's 6.5-liter turbodiesel V8 may only generate 195 horsepower, but it's the 430 pound-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm that gives the vehicle its incredible grunt. The H1 boasts full-time four-wheel drive along with an electronic and mechanical system, called TorqTrac 4, or TT4, that employs the antilock brakes, the two-speed transfer case and a limited-slip differential to ensure power is directed to the wheels with grip. Time after time, the system demonstrated its effectiveness in the slippery conditions we found on the Academy's extensive network of off-road trails.
In many places, the Indiana mud was so deep and viscous, it was necessary to shift the transfer case to 4-Lo. In these instances, we were made aware of the changes made to the H1's differential gear ratios. Compared to 2001 models we had driven earlier, the 2002 had more low-end power and was better able to crawl over and through the muddy hills and ditches of the off-road course. Combined with the superior grip afforded by the new Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires, the H1 did not encounter an off-road obstacle it could not overcome.
On road, the H1 is surprisingly easy to drive, nimble and comfortable. Many are intimidated by its elephantine proportions, but the Hummer is quite easy to pilot in the city. The Hummer's tall height and large greenhouse afford a commanding view over traffic, the heavy-duty power steering makes light work of a big load, and its turning circle is a tight 53 feet, which means you can easily turn it around on most streets, without having to perform three- or five-point turns.
Despite its maneuverability, the Hummer can be a beast to park. At 86.5 inches wide, it's too fat to fit in many spots, let alone the drive-thru. And when parallel parked, it tends to intrude into the roadway.
The Hummer will cruise at 65 to 75 mph on the highway, but at these speeds, it is noisy. The bulk of the noise comes from the big diesel engine and the aggressively treaded tires. Wind noise, surprisingly, is not bad. Regardless, the standard premium Monsoon audio system with six-disc CD changer can be cranked loud enough to obscure any ambient noise.
The question still remains: Why bother? The H1 only seats four people, most owners will rarely take it off-road, and it costs a small fortune. There's got to be a better way to spend $110,000. The same question could be asked of anyone who shells out the same kind of green for a Porsche 911 Turbo but will never drive it at its top speed. "If you have to ask, you don't understand," Skilan told us.
"It's a Hummer thing," explained his girlfriend Karen Haverland. It sounds esoteric and cryptic, but the answer is quite simple: It's about owning the best vehicle in its class. About driving a vehicle with the certainty that you can take on all comers and emerge victorious. For those who can afford it, there's great pleasure in the knowledge that you own the finest four-wheeling engineering the world can offer, regardless of whether you use it or not.
Skilan and seven other new Hummer owners were students for a week in October at the Hummer Driving Academy, an off-road wonderland and training center in South Bend, Indiana. The little city, about 90 miles east of Chicago, is also home to the University of Notre Dame and Hummer's sole assembly plant. To Skilan and his classmates, the place was Mecca, and each had paid $5,000 for the pleasure of learning the extremes and limitations of their vehicle. A team of six instructors taught them how to crawl over, across and through nearly every geographical obstacle they encountered. They were also instructed in first aid, navigation, field repair techniques and vehicle recovery. For much of the five days, the 2002 Hummer H1 Wagon was their classroom.
The behemoth SUV is changed for 2002. Some of its alterations are cosmetic, such as new badging and the addition of Firehouse Red as a color option. Other changes address comfort and convenience, such as the enlarged foot area for the front passenger and an express-down driver-side window. Yet more revisions are mechanical, like the improved differential gear ratios. There are also new tires available for 2002 -- 17-inch puncture-resistant Goodyear Wrangler MT/R -- that offer a more aggressive tread pattern and better grip than the rubber on previous models.
Adventure is the first word that comes to mind when considering the Hummer. The military heritage of the vehicle; its size; its noisy operation; the cramped, industrial-grade interior; and the utilitarian exterior create a kind of war-games mystique that can make every outing in the vehicle, no matter how mundane, like a secret mission. For Hummer fans, that's a large part of the appeal -- to be living in a Tom Clancy novel.
To its critics, the Hummer is a noisy, ugly brute. Once more, while most other vehicles strive for beauty and comfort, the Hummer's unconventionality is a large part of the attraction for its devotees. "My friends think it's ugly," Skilan said. "I love that. It feels good. I like to be different. It's not like 50 other Chevrolet Tahoes running down the road. I also like where it can take you."
This last point is also a big part of the Hummer's glamour, said Hummer Public Relations Manager Lee Woodward. "For some, the Hummer is an icon to freedom -- it can do anything and go anywhere."
During our week at the Hummer Driving Academy, we put the 2002 H1 to the test on-road and off-road. Certainly, the Hummer's off-road ability is astounding. Its 16 inches of ground clearance mean it can merely skim over obstacles that would be major navigation points for other SUVs. And its 30-inch fording ability makes seemingly impassable swamps, ponds and rivers mere points of interest along the way. It's a giddy feeling to drive a vehicle through waist-deep water while listening to the exhaust gurgle like a motor boat behind you.
The most impressive aspect of the Hummer's off-road performance, though, is its crawling ability. The H1's 6.5-liter turbodiesel V8 may only generate 195 horsepower, but it's the 430 pound-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm that gives the vehicle its incredible grunt. The H1 boasts full-time four-wheel drive along with an electronic and mechanical system, called TorqTrac 4, or TT4, that employs the antilock brakes, the two-speed transfer case and a limited-slip differential to ensure power is directed to the wheels with grip. Time after time, the system demonstrated its effectiveness in the slippery conditions we found on the Academy's extensive network of off-road trails.
In many places, the Indiana mud was so deep and viscous, it was necessary to shift the transfer case to 4-Lo. In these instances, we were made aware of the changes made to the H1's differential gear ratios. Compared to 2001 models we had driven earlier, the 2002 had more low-end power and was better able to crawl over and through the muddy hills and ditches of the off-road course. Combined with the superior grip afforded by the new Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires, the H1 did not encounter an off-road obstacle it could not overcome.
On road, the H1 is surprisingly easy to drive, nimble and comfortable. Many are intimidated by its elephantine proportions, but the Hummer is quite easy to pilot in the city. The Hummer's tall height and large greenhouse afford a commanding view over traffic, the heavy-duty power steering makes light work of a big load, and its turning circle is a tight 53 feet, which means you can easily turn it around on most streets, without having to perform three- or five-point turns.
Despite its maneuverability, the Hummer can be a beast to park. At 86.5 inches wide, it's too fat to fit in many spots, let alone the drive-thru. And when parallel parked, it tends to intrude into the roadway.
The Hummer will cruise at 65 to 75 mph on the highway, but at these speeds, it is noisy. The bulk of the noise comes from the big diesel engine and the aggressively treaded tires. Wind noise, surprisingly, is not bad. Regardless, the standard premium Monsoon audio system with six-disc CD changer can be cranked loud enough to obscure any ambient noise.
The question still remains: Why bother? The H1 only seats four people, most owners will rarely take it off-road, and it costs a small fortune. There's got to be a better way to spend $110,000. The same question could be asked of anyone who shells out the same kind of green for a Porsche 911 Turbo but will never drive it at its top speed. "If you have to ask, you don't understand," Skilan told us.
"It's a Hummer thing," explained his girlfriend Karen Haverland. It sounds esoteric and cryptic, but the answer is quite simple: It's about owning the best vehicle in its class. About driving a vehicle with the certainty that you can take on all comers and emerge victorious. For those who can afford it, there's great pleasure in the knowledge that you own the finest four-wheeling engineering the world can offer, regardless of whether you use it or not.
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