Hummer H2: the little big SUV (retrospection)

What Bulgaria wrote 20 years ag piese auto online.

Hummer H2: the little big SUV (retrospection)

The Hummer family has a new addition – a new, rather large baby called the H3. The model is a significantly scaled-down copy of the H2, whose dimensions make it perfectly suitable for Europe.

If you think of the Hummer name only as a military vehicle, you're wrong. Based on the Chevrolet Tahoe platform, the H2 has been available to civilian customers since 2002, and now the compact NZ has joined the lineup. It's 43 cm shorter than the H2 - its overall length of 4.74 m is the same as a mid-size car.

The technical base is again from Chevrolet – this time the Colorado pickup truck has taken the role of “donor”. The chassis with a shortened frame of longitudinal and transverse profiles and a rigid rear axle with leaf springs was taken from it, as well as the drive train with a five-cylinder gasoline engine and a choice of a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the pickup truck, however, the H4 has disc brakes on all wheels and permanent two-wheel drive with an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch – a design solution transferred to the Hummer H2 from the Chevrolet TrailBlazer SUV.

The M-Class and Touareg offer significantly more space in the cabin

The dimensions of the NZ are perfectly suited to European conditions – including the surprisingly small turning circle of less than 11 m. The interior with small windows offers enough space, but does not reach the impressive interior dimensions of the M-class or VW Touareg. Typically American, the horizontal part of the rear seats is too large, the large tailgate provides good access to the trunk, but heavy objects have to be transferred over the high threshold. The equipment is rich – the top version of the Executive version (in Germany its price is 49,990 euros) offers leather seats with electric adjustment and a high-quality Hi-Fi system with navigation system and CD changer as standard.

When driving on hard surfaces, the NZ cannot hide the fact that it comes from a pickup truck. Its suspension does not absorb bumps well, and the steering system is not a model of precision. In fast corners, the huge tires howl sadly, resisting the desire of all four wheels to succumb to centrifugal forces. However, there is no danger of leaving the lane – at least in the model with automatic transmission, which has StabiliTrac as standard [this is what the ESP system is called at the GM concern. In the event of a skid, the system stabilizes the car by selectively activating the brakes on individual wheels].

The five-cylinder engine makes a valiant effort to provide the NZ with appropriate dynamics, but the four-speed automatic transmission with large differences in gear ratios between the individual gears is definitely not an ideal partner - during more energetic driving, it shifts rather clumsily.

The NZ feels in its element when driving on rough terrain. The American is simply unstoppable thanks to its large wheels, 100 percent rear differential lock and extremely “short” reduction gear (4.03:1), while short overhangs and stable protective panels in the lower part of the body ensure that serious obstacles can be overcome without damage.

Car parts AutoPower
Car parts AutoPower

The Hummer family has a new addition – a new, rather large baby called the H3

If you think of the Hummer name only as a military vehicle, you're wrong