gavriil

Hummer on the Move: The General's H2 SUT struts its stuff in Vegas

By KEVIN A. WILSON

The 2005 Hummer H2 had its official unveiling in Las Vegas.
AMONG UNVEILINGS this week at the SEMA show in Las Vegas will be the 2005 Hummer H2 SUT, the sport/utility truck variant of the H2 SUV. Like other SUTs, notably the Cadillac Escalade EXT with which it shares some platform parts, the H2 SUT replaces the closed-in cargo area of the SUV model with a three-foot-long pickup-like bed.

Its most noteworthy feature is the powered midgate. It’s similar to that in the Avalanche except that it lets the driver power the back window down into the midgate before folding both that gate and the rear seat to open a commodious cargo hold six feet in length. Touch a single button to make all the windows go down, and there’s an expansive sunroof as well, for a true open-air driving experience in the deep outback. A higher level of standard equipment means the base price on the SUT will be a bit higher than the regular H2, which starts at $49,190. Production begins April 30.

GM hopes to sell about 12,000 of the SUTs annually.

Now arriving in Hummer dealerships is an upgraded version of the original Hummer, the H1. Never fear, this model hasn’t surrendered its link to the military Humvee—in fact, there’s been some cross-pollination that improves both the military and civilian models. There’s been a 10 percent gain in power and torque from the 6.5-liter turbodiesel and a thorough redesign of the civilian interior—the first since its debut in 1992, and this time with help from marketing partner General Motors. The redesign for 2004 makes the cabin a more luxurious and ergonomic environment for the driving adventurer. The scattershot array of gauges and controls in the original civilian model now follows a more orderly arrangement (all the window controls are together, as are the various controls for the 4wd system, for instance).

Hummer interior designer Jon Albert says the improved seats and upscale trim (leather, aluminum accents and higher-quality plastics) are better suited to a vehicle that costs more than $110,000 base. Albert and company also managed more space for the occupants, and accessories on either side of the huge center tunnel that houses all of the H1’s mechanicals.

Sales volume on the H1 isn’t expected to rise significantly beyond today’s rate, though 800 or 900 units in a year would be growth.

mattg

i am not down w/ the hummer.

i thought it looked kinda cool, but imo it's played out and just silly now.

farberstyle

the interior looks like something out of a luxury c-130 or similar cargo plane.

Red Nj-s

sweet i love it

18anatak

I'm so-so on Hummers...i neither really like em nor hate em, but they're ok.

cusdaddy

Isn't the interior pic a picture of the H1 interior? It looks cool, but from my experience sitting inside one, it's TINY!!