Overview & Reviews

Few vehicles are as instantly recognizable as a Hummer SUV. Unapologetically boxy and impossibly wide, these rugged vehicles were originally built for military use, and it shows. For Hummer aficionados, the fact that these mammoth rock-crawlers are tank-like both in appearance and nature is a selling point, not a flaw. Go to a Hummer dealer and all you'll see are SUVs. There is no such thing as a Hummer car, at least not yet.

The Hummer brand can actually trace its roots back to another military icon -- the Jeep. Designed by the Willys-Overland company in the 1940s, the Jeep became so popular that when Henry J. Kaiser purchased the Willys-Overland company in 1953, the name was changed to Kaiser-Jeep. In 1970, American Motors bought Kaiser-Jeep and renamed it the Jeep Corporation. At that point, Jeep was producing vehicles through two divisions: the Commercial Products division in Toledo, Ohio, and the Government Products division in South Bend, Indiana.

A year later, the Government Products division was spun off as a wholly owned subsidiary known as AM General. In the early 1980s, the company, now owned by the LTV Corporation, designed a vehicle to compete for a contract offered by the U.S. Army. Called the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee, as it came to be known), it was designed to serve as the military's main light tactical vehicle. AM General won a 1983 production contract (the first of many with the U.S. Army) that required the delivery of 55,000 vehicles over a five-year period.

AM General's Humvees distinguished themselves in active duty during the Persian Gulf War in the early '90s. The vehicle's wartime prowess garnered a great deal of positive publicity, and not just within military circles. As a result, AM General (now under the ownership of the Renco Group) decided to introduce a civilian version of the Humvee, dubbed the Hummer, in 1992. In 1999, General Motors bought the rights to the Hummer brand name and became responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of future Hummer SUVs.

The original Hummer, called the H1, was sold for a few years as the brand's flagship vehicle. Production ended after 2006, but Hummer has been expanding its vehicle lineup to include vehicles that still possess the Hummer bravado but with more civilized road manners.

User Reviews:

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  buy American? - 2007 Hummer H3
  By timberridge101 - September 27 - 3:34 pm

  After having several German car.I thought Id try American. The trim, paint, body molding & overall fit are not what I expected for the top of the line limited H3X. Ill keep it if the weather requires emergency transportation. GM was going to offer after market kits to dress it up. I cant find any performance products that will fit. By the time I get this SUV set up the way I want. Ill just go back to Porsches SUV-S and drive.

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  Spend your hard earned money elsewhere - 2003 Hummer H2
  By Danshee - August 26 - 10:00 am

  Generic. Looks great, but then you sit in it and everything is generic. Hyundaiesque plastics and no room to be had. Ride isnt impressive either. Only buy this if you are so into vanity that your ego needs looks from everyone when you drive around. Youre better off buying a Suburban. Its tha same low quality product.

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  Poor Front End - 2006 Hummer H3
  By bary - August 22 - 2:22 pm

  I got an H3 2 weeks ago and it had a bad vibration...The selling dealer exchanged it for another H3...This one has an alignment problem that the dealer says it cannot fully remedy because of a problem in the rear. So now Im 2 for 2 with disappointment...I hope GM takes this lemon back

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  H2 Not for me - 2006 Hummer H2
  By qtlapi - June 1 - 5:00 pm

  I had my H2 for 7 monthsafter having owned a Mercedes E350. The H2 was nowhere near comparable. The acceleration was just not there. Parking in garages was imposible and try getting in with high heel shoes. The gas mileage and the interior were very poor. The H2 was an attention getter some was positive and some was poor especially after Hurricane Wilma when there was a shortage of gas in town. I now have a BMW 650 and Im much happier. This is just an overpowering kind of an suv.

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  Wasted Money - 2004 Hummer H2
  By Greg Ocoa - February 6 - 6:09 pm

  I own a 2004 H2 that has had numerous quality issues - the starter, both mirrors, significant rust on the bumpers, speedometer issues, rear latch issues, water leak issues and the list goes on. I drive the majority of highway miles. Hummer has showed little care or concern for my ongoing issues. I will not buy another GM product, EVER!!

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  Orange Peel Baby! - 2006 Hummer H3
  By wooddorker - December 15 - 1:20 pm

  Two points stick in my mind, a total lack of power and poor QC. The Black H3 I drove couldnt get out of its own way and had heavy orange peel all over the body. Think of what anti-chip coating, which is normally applied to lower body panels looks like, now think of a whole vehicle that looks like it was painted with a roller. All of the in stock units had the same problem. Naturally, the dealer didnt seem to see a problem. The versions I looked at also had misaligned body and interior panels reminding me of a Cavalier. The H1s & 2s nearby did not look anywhere near as bad. A neat vehicle on paper, its too bad it got executed the way it did. Look closely before you b

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  Not an off-road vehicle - 2005 Hummer H2
  By Gustav - November 7 - 10:04 pm

  off-road, who are they trying to kid? Me, obviously! Its great for towing the boat, and turning heads, but its off road capability is not there, too heavy, weak chassis for the weight. Broken BOTH lower A arms, Both tie rod ends (dif times). Broke front shaft, and CV. Oh, yes, all on trails my bone stock restored 1967 CJ-5 has done many times. Completely embarassing to get stuck, and watch a samurai go by you! tow bills=$650. warranty has covered the breakage. want a way to "look cool" this is it! want to go off-road, keep looking, you arent there yet (numerous mpegs of same parts failing online, guess I wasnt the only one.)

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  sad - 2005 Hummer H2
  By montana guy - October 6 - 2:00 am

  fuel pump failed, winshield installed wrong, tailgate struts failed, aircleaner failed, computer failed...sold it and HAPPY, bought a Toyota Sequoia does everything a Hummer does and more.

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  the hummer - 2004 Hummer H2
  By hotmom222 - April 24 - 2:00 am

  we have had this car for almost a year no, and we are already considering selling it. One of the main reasons is, its just too big and hard to park in places. We also dont like the performance very much. It is so slow,and braking is bad. The interior isnt exactly up to luxury vehicle standars, and the leather doesnt feel premium like the navigator or lexus lx470. I dont recommend buyers to purchase this car unless they do offroading. I new we shouldve just waited a couple months for the redesigned navigator to come out.

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  the tank - 2004 Hummer H2
  By sugardad212 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  this is by far one of the worst cars ive owned. The exterior isnt that bad, but the interior is what gets to me the most. It is not as luxury as some of the other cars i can get for 50k. The handling is not very agile, and it needs to have a fully independent suspension like the h1. Acceleration is flat out horrible. It has a big engine, but all the weight slows it down. This vehicle is not very good onroad, but let me tell you it is a beast offroad, but whos actually going to go offroading on this thing anyways?If somebody wanted to offroad with a vehicle they should stick with the jeep.