Hummer H2

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Hummer H2

Manufacturer	AM General
Parent company	General Motors
Production	2003–present
Assembly	Mishawaka, Indiana
Class	Full-size SUV
Body style(s)	4-door SUV
Layout	Front engine, rear-wheel drive / Four-wheel drive
Platform	GMT800
Engine(s)	6.0L 325 hp/6.2L 393 hp for 2008 V8
Transmission(s)	4-speed/6-speed for 2008 automatic
Wheelbase	SUT: 133.7 in (3124 mm) SUV: 122.8 in (3118 mm)
Length	SUT: 203.6 in (5171 mm) SUV: 189.8 in (4820 mm)
Width	81.2 in (2062 mm)
Height	79.2 in (2012 mm) 2003-05: 77.8 in (1976 mm)
Curb weight	6400 lb (2903 kg)
Fuel capacity	32 US gal.
Related	Cadillac Escalade Chevrolet Tahoe GMC Yukon Chevrolet Suburban Chevrolet Avalanche

The H2 SUV/SUT/Hydrogen is the second vehicle sold under the Hummer marque of General Motors Corporation. It is a large truck (lighter and slightly slimmer than the Hummer H1, while slightly longer and slightly taller) with room for six passengers (including driver). The rearmost part of the H2 SUV was modified to a pickup truck bed for the 2005 H2 SUT ("Sport Utility Truck").

1 Overview
2 Application
3 Fuel economy
4 Tax benefits
5 Criticism
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Overview

Hummer H2 SUT

A Hummer H2 limousine.

The H2 is built under contract by AM General at a specially constructed plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. Although it shares GM's GMT820 truck platform with the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, those vehicles differ in many ways and are constructed in three other GM plants. The H2's final frame assembly is made up of 3 sections: The front uses a modified GM 2500-Series (or did until November 8, 2009) utility frame, the mid-section is all new and is completely boxed, and the rear section uses a modified GM 1500-Series frame which is upgraded for the 8,600 pound (3629 kg) gross vehicle weight. The 2008 Hummer H2 does 0-60 in 8.0 seconds.

H2 sales were initially strong, but fell to 28,898 for 2004 and 23,213 for 2005. ^[1] GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced on June 3, 2008, the closing of several truck and SUV plants saying high fuel prices have produced a rapid and permanent change in consumer preferences. Wagoner also said GM is looking at possibly selling its Hummer unit after reviewing the SUV brand that is based on military vehicles. The Hummer H3 mid-size SUV gets about 13 to 14 miles per gallon in city driving in the most recent EPA ratings. The H1 and H2 are even larger vehicles with lower MPG, but these are not required by the EPA to post the MPG. The brand has become the symbol to many members of the public of a gas-guzzling large U.S. vehicle. From: [1]

The H2 was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2003.

Engine:

2003–2007 6000 6.0 L (366 in³) V8

2008- GM VORTEC ENGINE#6200 6.2 L

[edit] Application

The H2 has a massive truck frame and has a wider-than-average track firm that may offer stability against overturning compared to some of the more common light truck SUVs, although objective tests have not been performed by the government or other outside parties due to its specialized vehicle class. It is marketed as both a general purpose vehicle and as an off-road vehicle. Because of mass marketing by GM, it is primarily used as a passenger vehicle on typical roads. Along with the Ford Excursion, the H2 is also a very common vehicle for a limousine conversion.

The Hummer H2 is also prominently featured on CBS' CSI:Miami, driven mainly by the chief of the Miami-Dade Police Department crime lab (Lt. Horatio Caine, played by David Caruso), as well as three of his colleagues: Detective Calleigh Duquesne (played by Emily Procter), Eric Delko (played by Adam Rodriguez) and Ryan Wolfe (played by Jonathan Togo).

In the 2007 film Transformers, the Autobot field medic Ratchet transforms into a Search and Rescue-themed Hummer H2 for his vehicle/disguise mode. Production designer Jeff Mann had a car built from scratch: "We looked at some military Hummer ambulances and some Red Cross vehicles from the '80s that had an H1 foundation which eventually evolved into a search and rescue vehicle with a crazy color, kind of chartreuse green.^[2]

[edit] Fuel economy

Autobot Ratchet, on display at the IAA 2007 in Frankfurt, Germany

General Motors does not provide official H2 fuel economy ratings on the gasoline engine it comes with ^[3].

"Actual owners have reported 17 mpg highway and 13 mpg in the city with a 15 mpg average. Comparable if not better than other large vehicles. Motortrend observed 12 mpg. ^[4] Car and Driver observed 10 mpg. ^[5] A reviewer at about.com got 8.6 mpg. ^[6] Edmunds got 9.2 mpg.^[7] Four Wheeler magazine observed 10.8 mpg in their final long term report of an H2 SUT (pickup). Their worst tank was 7.2 mpg and best tank was 15.3 mpg. ^[8] Consumer Guide observed 10.7 mpg, even with mostly highway driving. ^[9] Automobile Magazine averaged less than 10 mpg. ^[10] US News observed 9.5 mpg according to its trip computer. ^[11] Cars.com observed 11.4 mpg according to its trip computer in mostly highway driving. Most vehicles (between 90% and 98%) get higher MPG when driving on the highway, due to reduced acceleration and braking (which burns more gasoline); hybrid cars are an exception to this rule. Car and Driver notes that the 2008 H2 is more efficient than previous models. mpg.^[12]

[edit] Tax benefits

Under the United States income tax code, the cost of vehicles over 6,000 pounds (2722 kg) can be deducted from specific forms of income. This deduction was enacted decades ago to assist self-employed people in purchasing a vehicle for business use. The weight minimum was intended to limit the deduction to commercial-type trucks. For many years, the deduction remained below the average cost of a new vehicle, since large trucks were relatively inexpensive. Since it is a reduction in taxable income, the actual value of this deduction averages 30% of the price of the vehicle in question.

The increasing popularity of these commercial vehicles in the last decade, however, pushed their average price to nearly double the average passenger car cost. In response, the 2002 Tax Act increased this "Section 179 depreciation deduction" to US$75,000, and it rose again to US$102,000 for the 2004 tax year. This is more than three times the current average cost of a passenger car in the United States and covers a large number of luxury models, including the Hummer H2. In late 2006, the deduction was again reduced to US$25,000 for vehicles with GVWR ratings between 6000 and 14,000 lbs.

This deduction has received criticism as favoring large vehicles over the more energy efficient zero polluting electric vehicles, which received a maximum deduction of $4,000, $1,000 in 2007, and $0 in 2008.^{[citation needed]}

Base price MSRP in 2008 for the H2 is $53,286. Resale value after two years is about 60 percent according to Edmunds.com Because of its popularity, the H2 maintains more value than the typical large SUV.

[edit] Criticism

See also: Criticism of sport utility vehicles

Critics have expressed concern at the fuel economy which they cite as being among the most inefficient of vehicles. The H2 is exempt from federal fuel economy standards because it has a GVWR of over 8500 lbs.^[13]^[14] As a result, it doesn't currently count against GM's CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) numbers. ^[15] Since the H2 is classified as a truck, it is exempt from the gas guzzler tax. ^[16]^[17]