The ‘baby’ Hummer has an engagement to roll out on Aussie roads soon.From the liberation of Kuwait to our city streets, the Hummer has been a surprising success in the automotive world.
Back in the ’80s Hummer was building Humvees for the US Army. They hit the spotlight in the first Gulf War and pretty soon celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger bought them for the streets.
Hummer replied with the roadworthy H1, then a slightly downscaled H2. These are only built in left-hand drive and the only ones you can buy here have been converted in Gympie.
Soon GM will import the right-hand-drive cute baby of the brawny Hummer family, the H3.
We would have had it now, but for minor ADR production problems at the right-hand-drive Hummer plant in South Africa pushing the national launch back to the start of October.
I recently drove a H3 in California for 10 days. The smaller military-style SUV still stands out from the crowd, even on the big SUV-dominated interstates of southern California.
Perhaps it was the burnt orange colour that attracted attention, but it enjoyed favourable stares everywhere it went. Except San Francisco. Here, the tree-hugging hippy liberals in their small hybrid cars gave it disparaging looks.
One unscrubbed homeless gent even mumbled something rude under his breath and spat in the general direction of the H3 as I fed the hungry parking meter. At least he didn’t bother asking me for change.
Like its bigger brother, the H3 is a boxy-looking car with a high floor and low and wide interior.
It seems like a big machine, but inside it is quite cosy for four adults.
You could fit five, but the middle rear seat has a pull-out drinks container which makes the seat hard and uncomfortable for long stints.
That hot rod slit-window look also has its drawbacks for rear passengers, making them feel a little claustrophobic.
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