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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  Awesome - 2006 Hummer H3
  By Ranger* - May 14 - 5:36 pm

  The H3 is the best SUV thirty grand can buy. Rock solid, awesome handling, and of course; its got the HUMMER look :)

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  LOVE MY NEW H3 - 2006 Hummer H3
  By RKA - May 7 - 10:23 am

  Just bought my first Hummer. Coming from a Mustang and the power it brings...My H3 is perfect!!!! I have read many reviews...some were very helpful others I will have to disagree. I cannot wait to take her on a long rode trip to test her legs long distance. I couldnt have purchased a sexier SUV. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.

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  Nothing can match this Big Rig - 2003 Hummer H1
  By Dana Terry - May 7 - 2:00 am

  After purchasing my H1 I decided to join to local So. CA Hummer Group and we have gone up 60% slopes where all you can see is sky out of your window. This rig can go over anything in its way with ease. Fuel economy? 13 miles to gallon (diesel) which is not bad for a 7300 lb dirtbike. The market is not saturated with these vehicles so you get all the looks and admiartion. est vehicle I have ever owned. If you want absolute comfort and fuel economy by a cadillac, but if you want a real machine... get the H1!

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  luv it - 2006 Hummer H3
  By hummerguy - May 5 - 12:10 pm

  Traded in my Avalanche for new H3. Much better mileage and the style really turns heads. Much easier to park and more agile. Maybe a little underpowered but rides great on the highway and off-road is supreme. Worth a look if you want a smaller SUV. Plan on trips with 4 people or less, 5 is crowded.

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  wow - 2003 Hummer H1
  By michael wolf - May 3 - 2:00 am

  awesome! this is the best car in the world. It is so big and fancy.It drives perfectly, too.

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  HUMMER FUN - 2003 Hummer H2
  By Andria Gonda - April 24 - 2:00 am

  This is a wonderful ride. It gets looks at every turn and is very capable on and off road. I highly recommend one.

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  Get A Clue - 2003 Hummer H2
  By Get A Clue - April 23 - 2:00 am

  All of these reviews are complaining about the H2 because it doesnt perform well enough for them ON ROAD. Well, this isnt a truck for the ambitious city prick, it is a hard working and very capable off-road machine. When people say a class of its own they have figured it out. So my advice to the people that buy these trucks is dont expect to have the hottest off-road pickup furnish your luxury and ride needs when this truck is fully capable of terrain that you cannot imagine. NOT FOR THE CITY!! I would like to see your precious "luxury SUVs" get through the mud let alone the 20 in of H2O.

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  10s - 2004 Hummer H2
  By rick riemers - April 1 - 10:00 am

  love the truck a must have!

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  get a hummer - 2004 Hummer H2
  By whatever23 - April 1 - 10:00 am

  Just get one they are awsome I got one and I am so happy with it.

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  its da bomb - 2003 Hummer H2
  By Holla - March 30 - 2:00 am

  i like it. the hummer is a beauty and i enjoy driving it.