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Hummer H2 SUT converts a sport-utility vehicle into a truck
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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MOAB, Utah -- To trek by motorized means across Hell's Revenge, the insanely steep off-road trail charted over sandstone domes in red-rock Utah canyons near Moab, requires a high-hiking vehicle of awesome strength with all of the muscle applied to all of the wheels.
The big-wheel vehicle working for our trip over Hell's Revenge fits those requirements, and then some.
It's huge, stretching fifteen feet in length and seven wide, with the roof rising more than six feet high.
Massive all-terrain tires lift the chassis high off the ground as the vehicle's nose and tail pare projecting body parts to set up dramatic angles that work so well when approaching or departing the walls of stone.
It produces tremendous power from a six-liter V8 pushing 325 hp at 5200 rpm and massive torque of 365 lb-ft at 4000 rpm.
And it carries a full-time four-wheel-drive (4WD) system with locking differentials for slow-speed crawling over large rocks or up daunting grades of 60 percent.
But this particular machine goes way beyond the rules for typical off-road wagons because it also contains the abbreviated bed of a pickup truck plus the big cabin of a sport-utility wagon with four passenger doors and two rows of seats for five riders.
It's the clever concept for a multi-purpose vehicle that functions as both wagon and truck, which explains the tag of Sport-Utility Truck, or SUT.
And it's a Hummer, derived from the full-size H2 SUV.
With the bold face and toothy chrome grille, a flat roof and squared-off cabin plus smaller boxes fore and aft for the forward engine compartment and rearward truck bed, the four-door SUT looks strong and powerful -- but unlike any other vehicle in the world, save the original H1 Hummer, a civilized version of the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), nicknamed Hum-Vee.
We should explain that several years ago General Motors acquired the name and marketing rights for the Hummer label from Hummer's parent company, AM General, then set about to forge a Hummer Division and link it to a national network of Hummer retail stores.
The first offspring of The General's Hummer Division emerged in 2003 as a smaller and more friendly version of the H1 Hum-Vee under the badge of H2.
Conformed as a four-door SUV with seats for six, H2 scored the chassis of GM's Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon wagons for a foundation, with multiple mechanical components including that humongous 6.0-liter V8 engine borrowed from full-size Chevrolet-GMC trucks.
Compared against Chevy's Tahoe, the wheelbase for H2 at 122.8 inches runs seven inches longer, although the chassis is cropped to craft brief overhangs.
This sets up some acute angles between front and rear body metal and the tires so H2 can scale boulders and bump up stair-step obstacles encountered in the wilds away from pavement.
A broad track and the extended wheelbase with those curt overhangs and super-sized tires planted at corners of the platform work to make H2 exceptionally stable, and a good ground clearance with underbody skid-plate shielding ensures it can navigate the rough off-road terrain.
On the body, exposed appliances such as lift handles mounted up front on the hood and various latches and fasteners replicate similar devices attached to the H1, denoting practical functions for work.
The flat roof floating over a round of narrow windows conveys the image of a military bunker, while thick and massive components like front bumpers and side rearview mirrors make H2 appear nearly indestructible.
Where the H2 SUV shows an extended roofline and the boxed rear bay of a wagon, however, the H2 SUT differs by lopping off the roof to make way for that abbreviated truck bed, which is roughly four by three feet in size.
But there's more: The back wall of the SUT's cabin also works as a door. It folds down and forms a generous extension of the truck box.
This mid-ship gate -- dubbed by GM as a Midgate -- has a window in the upper section and a composite lower panel.
The window glass can be raised or lowered with push-button power and the entire panel folds flat after the back seat folds and tumbles forward.
With the Midgate down, there's a flat cargo bay extending for six feet to the tailgate for an expanded cargo volume of 57.7 cubic feet.
With Midgate raised and window up, the cabin is sealed off from the rear truck bed. You get a conventional cabin with two bucket seats up front and a three-person bench in back, followed by the Midgate sealer and the back unsheltered truck box.
Then H2 the SUT puts armaments aboard.
The heavy-duty truck engine is strong enough to push the gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr) to 8600 pounds and peg the trailer tow limit at 6700 pounds.
And GM's heavy-duty 4L65-E automatic transmission is on hand to handle all of the torque produced by the big V8.
Every H2 also stocks a Borg-Warner two-speed electronically controlled full-time 4WD system. The system divides torque from the engine either 40/60 percent front-to-rear for running at speed with differentials unlocked or 50/50 percent with differentials locked.
Further, H2 packs a Bosch anti-lock braking and traction control system that works on pavement as well as off-road surfaces such as gravel. This sophisticated mechanism is capable of metering traction to a single wheel and it has a driver-operated switch to permit more slip of the wheels when moving over slick sand.
There are three different transfer case settings, two for the rear axle differential and two modes for the traction controller for a total of seven choices so a driver may custom-tune the performance to match virtually any type of surface either on pavement or dirt.
Meanwhile, H2 passengers ride on firm bolstered seats in luxurious quarters.
Extra equipment on the SUT ranges from a rooftop light bar and dashboard DVD navigation system to special packages. The Adventure Series installs a prow brush guard, premium audio kit and self-leveling rear air suspension. The Lux Series applies tubular side steps and plush stuff like twin-zone climate controls, deluxe leather hides on seats and OnStar telecommunications.
Tab for the H2 SUT starts at $55,735.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2005 HUMMER H2 SUT Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size 5-passenger SUT |
| Model Options: |
Full-size 5-passenger SUT |
| Wheelbase: |
122.8 inches |
| Overall Length: |
203.5 inches |
| Engine Size: |
OHV 6.0-L V8 |
| Transmission: |
Auto/4 4L65-E |
| Drive: |
4WD Borg-Warner |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc ABS/DBP/TCS |
| Airbags: |
2 (front) |
| Gross Weight: |
8600 pounds |
| Towing Capacity: |
6700 pounds |
| Gas Mileage: |
11/12 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 55,735 |
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