2001 AM/General Hummer

Bill Keller
Online Editor

Eyeballs click and necks pop, when an AM/General Hummer passes by, the civilian version of the United States HumVee.

This truck is a multi-fueled vehicle, it can run on either 100% testosterone, adrenaline, or a combination of both. If your idea of off-road adventure is navigating the speed bumps in the supermarket parking lot, on a snowy day, get something else. If black bag and special ops is more to your liking, grab a Hummer. No stealth mode, if you are in the area, people will know.

No candy-ass sport ute this. I don't care how much plastic psuedo-armor cladding crap you put on today's SUV's. There is no substitute for metal. Ours was equipped with a brush guard and winch in front. (Might want to rappel your Hummer down a glacier after knocking over a few trees and water buffalo.

The no-frllls look conveys a sense of menace other wantabee war-wagon SUV's only hint at. It's night. You are approaching an intersection, a green light ahead, when street tuffs ignore the don't walk sign and just keep crossing. Heads down, hands stuffed in coat pockets. Well, I personally can guarantee that the growl from the GM 6.5 Turbo-Diesel, will give 'em that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look and get them to step back. Think Mad Max on steroids.....just blowing a warm hole through cool atmosphere.

Driving this behemoth is easy, once you learn to respect its oversize dimensions, it's 82" wide. Bread truck drivers and semi operators should have no trouble wheeling it around town. I found the turning radius (26' plus) simple to compensate for, just go over what ever is in your way. Curbs are no problem when you can step up over a 22" vertical stair.

You don't have to be fording rivers or traversing ravines to get a kick out of this brute. The ride was surprisingly comfortable, and my wife said, "I can travel in this." Getting to highway speeds was no problem and the 4 speed automatic shifts were solid and sure. A short interstate trip was smooth and effortless, looking down I saw I was approaching 80 m.p.h. I set the cruise control for 70, honking the horn inadvertently, and enjoyed the drive. Power windows and locks , and the CD changer with the Monsoon sound system were additional options. No need for A/C this day, the outside temperature displayed 34 degrees on the inside rear view mirror, the heater kept us toasty.

A night time drive was a mix of paved and unpaved county roads. The headlights showed an unpaved section mix of muddy hills and canyons. I had no desire to explain why I dumped a $105,000 rig in a snow-filled ditch so I was overly cautious on the muddy sections but we went through fine, although the truck did slide a little. Daylight and a little instruction might have brought on the "Hit 'em like they aren't there"mindset. Wash boards, that normally would have had my teeth playing Ginger Baker drum solos, were smooth under the Hummer.

I had been warned that the inboard braking would feel different. Leaving town with a car approaching and two sets of headlights following me, a cat darted across the road from the left. I only had time to brake hard. look down and left, get on the throttle, and then look to the rear view mirror to see if I was dragging a tail-gater along.

I turned around and went back to see if Fluff was a grease spot or not. Luckily he wasn't. In an average car, Fluff, would never have made it, but the combination of braking and the huge wheelbase allowed him to get through. My wife remarked that maybe he was stuck in the tire tread ...but no. A side note, when the choice is hitting a small animal or causing an auto accident, the animal always goes. Sorry, safety prevails.

The rating......4 and a half .50 caliber shells out of a possible 5

Horsepower - Enough (195)

Styling - This truck doesn't have the finesse of a Muhammad Ali.
It has all the romance of Mike Tyson in a street fight.

Options - There was no need to deflate or reinflate the tires, although I could have with the central inflation system. .. Nor did I have to attach a snorkel for deep river fording... I could read the dials, plain and simple analog, but the Monsoon sound system had more controls than a 747. (I need on/off and a volume control that goes to 11.) Forget the subtle nuances of soft trebles and heavy bass, although they are available, play it LOUD... you need to cover up the noise..actually less noise than I expected but it is there... My wife said "We bought our car to soon. We should have waited. Look at these cupholders." Finding room to hold our ever present coffee cups and water bottles is always tough in the two cars we have now, but no such problem with the Hummer and between the back seat passengers you have room to lay out a picnic spread.

Cons - Pricey, although the government has a plan where you can drive one for free....See your local recruiter for details.

Observations - Parents may not be affected by the sight of a Hummer, but kids are. On a safari for fast food, the first place we circled was busy, but a young boy followed the Hummer around the building from inside, running, from one glass wall to another to watch us pass. I loved it. Patton never had it so good. I didn't have that kind of attention when I road tested a Corvette.

I must confess, I couldn't put the Hummer through the paces that it would excel at. Like a Corvette, anyone could get drive in straight line for a long time and with no trouble. Also, like a Corvette, if you want it to perform up to it's potential, some advanced driving techniques are called for.

A final word. National advertising... for Hummer...Black Sabbath playing "Ironman" comes to mind, because it too is serious heavy metal....excuse me, Timmy has fallen down a well and because I have the keys to the Hummer, I get to go.

This review utilized information from www.hummer.com and the Hummer driving manual. This review is my own impressions from driving a Hummer and may not reflect the views of it's manufacturer.

Bill Keller
Contents Copyright (c) 2001, Vince Bodiford's The Weekend Drive, All Rights Reserved. Enjoy the drive - remember, always buckle-up, obey all traffic laws and drive safely.

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