2003 Hummer review
2000 Hummer review
1997 Hummer Review


How's it drive," shouted the man in an Isuzu Trooper stopped next to me at a traffic light. He had a broad smile and gestured excitedly at this square shouldered, bright yellow '97 Hummer. Shouting back above the clatter of this beast's diesel V-8, I replied: "Not as rough as it looks."

It's not a car. It's not a truck. It's not another sport utility vehicle.

It's a Hummer - a vehicle that defies categorization, a vehicle that can go places and do things no other commercial wheeled vehicle in the world can.

This is a US $70,000 toy that just happens to be able to carry four people in air conditioned comfort to west hell and back. It's the ultimate in presence and quite easy to drive. The AM General Hummer, made famous in the Gulf War, isn't so much a story of off-highway superiority as it is one of on-road power. The power to reroute traffic, the power to stop a taxi from pulling into your path, the power to make other drivers think twice before doing something careless with this behemoth filling his or her rearview mirror. With a modest 195 horsepower, it may seem less well endowed than some of the V-8 ute brutes available, but it has torque and traction to yank a house off its foundation. And along the way it can plow through three feet of snow, step over 18-inch vertical ledges and swim through 2 feet of water all while carrying up to two tons of gear.

Inside, it's more big rig than passenger truck in ambiance, yet all the convenience elements are available for everyday use. Reading off the standard equipment list makes it sound like a luxury car: 4 speed automatic transmission, 4 Wheel power disc brakes, independent suspension, power steering, AM-FM-cassette stereo, halogen headlights, aluminum body, fiberglass hood, flow through ventilation, power door locks, air conditioning, tinted glass. But read on and you get a picture of something far more unpeeled and raw: full-time four-wheel drive with torque doubling geared hubs, 2-speed lockable transfer case, deluxe heat and sound insulation, utility lighting package, full hard doors and 37-inch tall tires for 16 inches of high-steppin' ground clearance.

The test truck had a base price of US$58,451 and a price as tested of US$77,715, which included an US$11,047 option package of central tire inflation system, runflat tires, drive line protection, power mirrors, remote keyless entry, tow package, cruise control and more. An electric winch added US$2,347 and the heated windshield another US$594.

The Hummer has been padding around in civilian form since 1992 and has gone through refining tweaks every year since. It's still pure truck and not a whole lot has changed since I reviewed a gasoline-engine model in 1994, but a number of refinements for '97 have made for a more enjoyable driving experience:

· A stronger, optional turbo diesel, such as was showcased in the test truck, now rated at 195 hp and 430 foot-pounds of torque; Interior noise has been reduced through an insulation package that includes soft headliners

Optional heated windshield. A colder, stronger air conditioner with improved ventilation · Better padded seats;

· And some interior changes such as low-coolant warning light, rearview mirror with compass and temperature display and map lights over the rear seats. All the seats were touched up for more support and durability, too.