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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  Power failure. - 2003 Hummer H2
  By Wari - February 24 - 2:00 am

  Tried to start my truck after 4 days of domancy and it will not start. A truck was sent by the able On-star staff to jump start it. Searched everywhere for possible energy leak. The VCR player which was off has a small residual lighting that will take an owl to fish out. Doubt this was the reason, who knows. Has been working well since, VCR unplugged ( still love my truck regardless ).

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  Awesome! - 2002 Hummer H1
  By TUFENUFTIMM - January 31 - 2:00 am

  No concrete cowboy this one! Much more civilized on the street than you would expect,and even gnarlier off road than you could imagine. Acceptable power on the street and more than you really need off road. You dont need to "take a run" at everything,you point it and drive it smoothly,it WILL do the job. This is my 4th 4wd, and unmodified it will do more than any of the other modified ones. Ive noticed that other 4wdrs are envious to the point of hate, everyone else loves it!

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  This is the best ! - 2003 Hummer H2
  By JJ1172 - January 16 - 2:00 am

  The H2 is the answer to all questions. It works, it hauls, it commutes, its manueverability is unsurpassed. It will easily pull into that stall at the market or shopping mall. And the comfort is the best. It is easy to drive and handle.

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  warning: this vehicle not for everyone - 2003 Hummer H2
  By MelissaH2 - December 29 - 2:00 am

  Weve had a lux w/ air susp & sunroof for a month now (2400 miles), and have very few complaints. Suprisingly practical as an everyday City driver, but its not for those wanting an "easy" family hauler. Get a Volvo for that. Creams our old 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee off-road (havent even had to crack 4-Lo yet), and is amazingly well-mannered on-road. Now, TC2. It overrides the normal traction control that would bring any normal SUV with a "modern" TC system to a halt in snow because they apply brakes when they detect slippage and you need a certain amount of slippage. The TC2 button allows for that slippage (just hit the button!). Huge difference!

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  My H3 had some bugs - 2006 Hummer H3
  By H3 Owner - December 25 - 4:53 pm

  As with any new car or truck, you might run into problems, but my H3 has been in the dealers shop 5 times now for different things from the rear window panels were warped from the heat of the sun from the H3 sitting in storage. The passengers seat belt had problems, The Bigger was the belts sqweek for an hour after I started it and made a loud chirping sound. The dealer rep said that this is a common problem and theyre using special belts down for it. My H3 was fixed and so was seat bel problem. Just got recall notice in mail about rear window washer needs replacement. Back into the shop it goes =( I still love the truck very much, but I hope this is the last dealer visit.

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  $$$Pricey$$$ - 2003 Hummer H1
  By John McCance - December 24 - 2:00 am

  Hummer hasnt really done much with the H1 for the past few years. I love the exterior design and there is no competiton when it comes to off- roading. I think that the people at GM havent really thought more on the lines of the H2 interior because the H1s is PLAIN!

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  queen of the road - 2003 Hummer H2
  By queen of the road - December 12 - 2:00 am

  Ex-rangerover driver. Noise level in the interior is higher than that of the Range Rover. Had to make a couple of extra moves to park in a crowded mall parking lot. Limited visibility was also something to get used to - like watching a letterbox version movie - after being used to the Range Rovers awesome openness. (still need to get used to the annoying tire in the truck!) Even I couldve done a better job designing the interior. One would expect a fancier and more tailored look in a "luxury" SUV. A GPS navigation system should be standard. Definitely enjoying the COOL factor! Great on the highways.

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  Love MyHummer - 2003 Hummer H2
  By LoveMyH2 - December 11 - 2:00 am

  This is my first SUV and I was a little worried about driving because of the size. After you get over feeling like your going to hit parked cars, its a breeze to drive.

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  perfect but gas - 2003 Hummer H1
  By kvn - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I have no complaints about this vechile except for the gas uage.

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  this car make ppl turns head every time! - 2003 Hummer H2
  By H2 Fan - November 15 - 2:00 am

  the exterior design is great, and it is a good value compare to the H1. And it still has more off road ability then most other full size SUV.