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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  The best car Ive drivin - 2004 Hummer H2
  By Jose Fernandez - November 15 - 2:00 am

  The H2 has to be one of the best SUVs Ive have ever drivin and own.Its a monster,powerful,safe,and fun to drive and I like the body shape alot better than the old one.I all I got to say is that its taller,bigger,and safe.

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  H3 Makes this Big Guy Smile! - 2008 Hummer H3
  By garywmd - November 11 - 4:48 pm

  I am a 66" man who has struggled for years trying to find a vehicle that will keep me comfortable during my 1- 1.5 hour commute (each way). A month ago I bought my H3 and I ride in comfort. I was concerned about gas mileage, but it turns out that my old "small" suv only gets 1 mile per gallon more than my H3 (I drive in Los Angeles and it is all stop and go, gas mileage suffers greatly for all vehicles). I find I dont stop as often now because everyone gets out of my way! This is a great vehicle and I ride in comfort!

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  DADZ H3 - 2006 Hummer H3
  By william smyth - November 9 - 9:06 pm

  I have always wanted a Hummer but the others were dinasorish and terrible fuel economy. The new H3 is a wonderful design it handles extremly well on the pavement as well as Off road not like most SUVs that have no ground clearence to go off roading yet they claim to be able to handle anything till they bottom out. The H3 also has a very good interior stylish & comfortable for 5 but rugged too. The H3 also has DA BLING exterior offering a great chrome package with a Metallic Blue exterior that simply looks better than the Escalade or the Navigator makes the 4 Runner look like its from 20 yrs.ago boring yet the H3 is less$.The stares from the girls is proof enough. Hummer Like Nothing Else!

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  First Hummer - 2008 Hummer H2
  By K McGuire - November 5 - 8:22 pm

  My first Hummer. I choose it over the Escalade. The new interior is quality in design and comfort. Touch screen navigation, XM radio is easy to use. Back-up camera was an important addition. The six speed 6.2L is great for our trips to Vermont.

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  The Hummer is the bomb! - 2007 Hummer H3
  By jona matthews - October 27 - 2:18 pm

  I bought my Hummer 2 weeks ago, and I absolutely love it! It drives well. It is comfortable.

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  Hummer, Nothing Else - 2007 Hummer H3
  By Webb, I. - October 24 - 6:37 pm

  I have had my H3 for a few months now and I love it. The performance to me is good enough for the gas mileage that I get. I drive hundreds of mile a week on the highway and it is great. I love it when everyone else just moves over out of my way. I get numerous compliment on my H3 and it is still stock. I am proud of my Hummer H3 and that is just the way it is.

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  Good Vehicle - 2006 Hummer H3
  By ricky - October 23 - 4:40 pm

  I purchased this vehicle in May of 2006 and am enjoying it. I have taken it to DC to a ball game and to Nags Head for a vacation (got to pull a Ford out of the sand). It is surprisingly powerful, agile and fun. I had no problems in the sand and I saw several 4x4 pickups stuck. Fuel economy runs with the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, etc. Size is not bulky, but manueverable. Only holdback - I got GM supplier pricing and GM will not allow any points built up on GM card to be used. Because of this I will never purchase another GM vehicle, but the H3 is a smart buy for the person who wants 4 wheel drive, a good looking vehicle, avg fuel mileage and one of a kind fun!

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  not so good hummer - 2006 Hummer H3
  By cb123 - October 20 - 10:34 pm

  got it for my 25th anniversary....1 year ago...battery burned up horrible smell, fuel injection problems, 14 miles to a gallon,without air conditioning, ever sat in middle seat in back...horrible.....sun roof so loud and constantly stuck...4500 towing...im towing 4000 and dieing...now its not shifting out of 2nd gear....never buy a car because its cute....should have kept my excursion......never a problem, im looking at other larger faster options!

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  Average Truck - 2006 Hummer H3
  By Chaser7 - October 16 - 7:06 pm

  Car is just average, many improvements needed although I am die hard GM, this truck could have been much better, also needs better leg room, had a white color and small rust spots all over i noticed after first time washing, the back wheel wells spray water into the back seat through the small crack in between the door and body

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  H3X ALPHA - 2008 Hummer H3
  By EGK - October 11 - 10:38 am

  This is a loaded 2008 H3X Alpha. My wife shopped all the current updated SUVs - Mazda CX9, Acadia/Enclave, Mountaineer (weve leased five of these in a row). She also decided to look at HUMMER. The dealer let us use a 2007 H3 for a weekend - and she was sold. We also waited to test the H3 Alpha - and that did the trick. The V8 is much smoother, better acceleration and the ride and comfort are excellent. Its still a truck - so dont think it will ride like the other SUVs. But thats part of the reason to buy a HUMMER to begin with. This is one sweet ride. Its too new to assess gas mileage, but again, we know its not a 23MPG vehicle. Put an H3 on your short list!