When you get down to it, the requirements for a proper 4X4 are relatively simple. You need good ground clearance, large wheels, very short overhangs to prevent the front and rear ends digging in at the bottom of steep slopes, suspension that can follow the contours of the ground without leaving the vehicle stranded, and decent underbody protection to look after the fragile bits over rough terrain. The engine should deliver loads of torque at low revs, to enable the vehicle to crawl slowly over or through rocks, mud and soft sand, and the transmission should be equipped with a low-range transfer case to assist with the same. Finally, there should be power delivery to all four wheels, with a differential lock or three in the drivetrain to maintain torque delivery to the wheels with traction when any of the others start spinning. If you intend using the vehicle much on the road, airbags, ABS, a sound-system and electric windows are good to have. Aircon I consider essential whether on or off-road.
Most so-called off-roaders on the market today are not focussed enough to take on really rough terrain. People want them, but the vehicles spend most of their time being used as family wagons on tar roads, and the design compromises made to render them suitable for this all diminish the vehicles’ off-road abilities. Independent suspension gives better on-road handling and comfort than beam axles, at the cost of wheel articulation and grip in the bush, and complicated electronic driver aids are used to make up for the lack of a low range and diff locks.
Enter the Hummer 3. The more compact version of the American military Humvee is still intensely focussed on serious offroad use, but makes a pretty good city runabout as well, being about 10% physically smaller than the Humvee, and weighing almost a ton less. Its 180 kW 3,7 litre five-cylinder engine uses, according to the factory, just 11,8 litres of unleaded per 100 km travelled, and the wagon is much less intimidating than the Humvee and its civilian version, the H2, in urban conditions.
The Hummer H3 is still indisputably a Hummer, despite its reduced dimensions and softer lines. The small glass areas give it a mean and purposeful look unmatched by anything else out there, and its off-road capability is as good as money can buy. I drove the auto version on the tar at the launch in George, and found that the four-speed transmission tended to hunt between third and fourth gears at speed, which was about the only criticism I can aim at the car. I don’t suppose a two-ton 4X4 focussed so intently on off-road use is meant to be a high-speed cruiser, but given the choice, I’d still opt for the five-speed manual version so I could choose a gear for the occasion and stick with it. Comfort levels are good, and the car comes with aircon, ABS, airbags and most of the other paraphernalia offered by its less macho competitors.
Having given the Hummer a thorough once-over before taking to the dirt we weren’t too surprised to find that the H3 really performs extraordinarily well under the toughest conditions you’re ever likely to throw at it. Ground clearance is a substantial 231mm, and there’s plenty of underbody protection, while the short overhangs at either end provide approach and departure angles of 40 and 33 degrees respectively. We climbed daunting rock-strewn slopes with ease, and a steep ascent with a mud bath halfway up provided a fair amount of entertainment with no serious drama. The Hummer delivers permanent four-wheel-drive, aided by a low-range transfer box, a differential lock, and electronic assistance via the traction control system, and flatters even mediocre off-road drivers by turning mountains into molehills.
General Motors South Africa is obviously reluctant to set prices now for a vehicle that will only be available in this country in the middle of next year, when nobody knows just how far the rand’s going to slide in the interim. From the hints that were dropped I’d guess the Hummer H3 range will kick-off at about R350 000. If I had the money and wanted a 4X4 wagon, would I buy one? In a flash! I reckon this is a vehicle that you could own for twenty years, drive like it should be driven, and still have an icon at the end of it all.