What is it?
AM General Hummer H2 SUT Concept
What's special about it?
In early 2000, AM General displayed the Hummer H2, a concept vehicle smaller and more practical than the original military-derived Hummer. At this year's New York Auto Show, Hummer followed up with the Hummer H2 Sport Utility Truck (SUT) concept, a vehicle said to be extremely similar to the official H2 production truck that should be hitting the road by mid-2002. This baby Hummer (baby being a relative term) is possible thanks to General Motors' stake in AM General. Underneath those ostentatious body panels are numerous underpinnings similar to the Chevrolet Silverado and Tahoe trucks.
It certainly doesn't look like a Tahoe, however. The H2 SUT features the same upright and boxy styling that has made the original military-derived Hummer such a success. Its overall length is about 4 inches longer than a Hummer, but it's shorter and weighs about 1,000 pounds less. It rides on 35-inch tires and has a 10-inch ground clearance. Power comes from a GM-sourced 325-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 and is routed to all four wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. Off-road ability is said to be exceptional. Inside, the five-passenger H2 SUT (the Hummer can seat only four) features an updated Hummer-style interior with large air vents, textured interior materials and a billet aluminum transmission shift lever. The cargo bed is pretty small, but the front of it has a midgate with a power-operated window. With the midgate lowered, the H2 can carry 4x8-foot sheets of plywood. Special features on the concept vehicle include GPS navigation, an infrared night vision system and a bike rack.
Why should you care?
The original Hummer offers amazing off-road capabilities and is capable of drawing more attention than Italian exotics. It's also really big, really expensive (about $95,000) and really impractical in the real world (which doesn't seem to stop wealthy ranch owners or Hollywood movie stars from buying them). The final production version of the H2 will bring the Hummer experience to those buyers who would otherwise be looking at Lincoln Navigators or BMW X5s. The skeptical part of our brain wonders how GM and AM General will convince buyers to cough up an estimated $45,000 for what is effectively a beefed-up Tahoe, but the styling and Hummer image should be enough to make the H2 a very popular truck. -- Brent Romans
AM General Hummer H2 SUT Concept
What's special about it?
In early 2000, AM General displayed the Hummer H2, a concept vehicle smaller and more practical than the original military-derived Hummer. At this year's New York Auto Show, Hummer followed up with the Hummer H2 Sport Utility Truck (SUT) concept, a vehicle said to be extremely similar to the official H2 production truck that should be hitting the road by mid-2002. This baby Hummer (baby being a relative term) is possible thanks to General Motors' stake in AM General. Underneath those ostentatious body panels are numerous underpinnings similar to the Chevrolet Silverado and Tahoe trucks.
It certainly doesn't look like a Tahoe, however. The H2 SUT features the same upright and boxy styling that has made the original military-derived Hummer such a success. Its overall length is about 4 inches longer than a Hummer, but it's shorter and weighs about 1,000 pounds less. It rides on 35-inch tires and has a 10-inch ground clearance. Power comes from a GM-sourced 325-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 and is routed to all four wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. Off-road ability is said to be exceptional. Inside, the five-passenger H2 SUT (the Hummer can seat only four) features an updated Hummer-style interior with large air vents, textured interior materials and a billet aluminum transmission shift lever. The cargo bed is pretty small, but the front of it has a midgate with a power-operated window. With the midgate lowered, the H2 can carry 4x8-foot sheets of plywood. Special features on the concept vehicle include GPS navigation, an infrared night vision system and a bike rack.
Why should you care?
The original Hummer offers amazing off-road capabilities and is capable of drawing more attention than Italian exotics. It's also really big, really expensive (about $95,000) and really impractical in the real world (which doesn't seem to stop wealthy ranch owners or Hollywood movie stars from buying them). The final production version of the H2 will bring the Hummer experience to those buyers who would otherwise be looking at Lincoln Navigators or BMW X5s. The skeptical part of our brain wonders how GM and AM General will convince buyers to cough up an estimated $45,000 for what is effectively a beefed-up Tahoe, but the styling and Hummer image should be enough to make the H2 a very popular truck. -- Brent Romans
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