2007 Hummer H3 from North America - Off Topic Comments

Our GM SUV actually handles BETTER than our small compact, and has far better brakes. We've avoided accidents in it that we couldn't have in our compact.

I think the debate over Hummers is pretty much a moot point now. This weeks Newsweek carries an article on how the tide has turned and no one wants to be seen in a Hummer. The resale value has plummeted to nothing, people are scratching the few remaining Hummers they see with keys and flipping off the owners. The "Look at me, I'm RICH" appeal has turned to "Look at me I'm arrogant, wasteful and don't care about the environment." It's funny how $4 a gallon gas can actually change things for the better.

This SUV craze is about to come to an abrupt end in America. I agree that most of these folks driving them rarely (if ever) use them for anything more than a larger parcel tote for their gear. Too bad for Hummer being dropped by GM - HAHAHAHA! Just the thought of some broad sipping her DaSani and yakking on her cell phone weaving in and out of traffic going 75MPH annoys me. They sure as hell can't park them either. Everytime I park at the supermarket or mall, I look for the farthest spot away just so I won't get a door ding or scratch. What do I find when I go back out to my car? Some big (and shiny - woo hoo! - no muddin' today) SUV.

I wouldn't go as far as saying the nobody needs an SUV. That is political correctness gone too far.

SUVs are great vehicles for families, those who live in the North, the North East, and anywhere else where you get snow, they're also good for those who carry a lot of cargo, or have pets.

What I will say is that I can't imagine anybody who really needs a Hummer. Especially the H1 & H2, but even the H3 is not a very practical vehicle.

I don't know what GM was thinking with these things.

There are far more practical & efficient SUVs on the market, and given the cost of gasoline - hopefully we will be seeing even more efficient ones soon.

"4th Sep 2008, 05:47.

Just the thought of some broad sipping her DaSani and yakking on her cell phone weaving in and out of traffic going 75MPH annoys me."

As opposed to some young person weaving in and out of traffic doing 75 mph in a Honda Civic while yakking on their cell phone. Totally different, right?

Both are annoying - but the fact that someone is driving around in a 5000 lb. behemoth getting 10mpg is more annoying than someone driving a 30mpg econobox.

I just love the people who want to tell us what is practical, and what is wasteful. Like the guy I work with who drives a Corolla 100 miles round trip to work and back home, he thinks SUV's should be outlawed.

Who is more wasteful? The person who drives a Hummer H2 10 miles a day, or the guy I work with who drives a Corolla 100 miles a day?

Where does it stop? Should we also limit the size of your home? Should we also ban RV's? How about jet skis and boats? How "practical" is a Mazda Miata? How "practical" is a Honda S2000? Surely these should be banned as well because they are not very practical.

Nope, people should have the freedom to choose whatever option suits them best. That choice will be important in the near future, since market forces seem to have decided that the era of the McMansion and Cadillac Escalade are over. High gas prices will allow the choice to park jet skis and ATVs (I'm seeing many sitting for sale on lawns along the road), dump McMansions in the suburbs in favor of living closer to work, and dump low-mpg vehicles (like pickups and SUVs now clogging lots). For those who can afford them--fine. But for those who can't afford them, the easy credit will no longer be available to facilitate their overextended lifestyle. People are being forced to choose what they really need, and in most cases, that means the more economical option.

Frankly, reading these comments is very entertaining. Comment 15:31 brought up TWO interesting points.

First of all, I wasn't sure an H2 would DO 75mph, or be capable of being safely controlled at such speeds.

Secondly, I'd much prefer to be hit by someone yakking on their cell phone in a tiny, tinny little Honda at 75mph (which crumples like an egg when hit) than by a 3-ton H2. And since driving an H2 10 miles uses almost the same amount of gas as a Corolla being driven 100 miles, I fail to see the point of that comparison. (and where on Earth did the 10mpg figure for an H2 come from, I thought it was more like 4-6mpg).

And yes, people should have the right to drive whatever they want to. I just can't fathom why even a wealthy person would choose to drive a slow, lumbering 3-ton, 5 mpg vehicle to the grocery store or the kids soccer games. Trying to merge onto a freeway behind one of these monsters is very trying. 0-60 in 20 seconds sort of limits the vehicle's merging ability a bit.

Since these things came out I have yet to figure out any REASON for them. I know quite a few people who own them, and I have never known of even ONE being used off of a paved road. All my friends who off-road drive Ford and Chevy 4X4's. It seems all that the Hummers are used for is the same thing most people use more sensible, more economical and more environmentally friendly vehicles for. That makes very little sense, especially in times of $4 a gallon gas and run-away global warming.

To 9/30/08 16:34.

Not sure why the comparison flew by you, but I will try again. The Corolla owner lives 50 miles from work, and thus drives 100 miles per day at 34mpg. This means he burns 2.9 gallons of gas a day. The Hummer H3 owner lives 5 miles from work, and thus drives 10 miles per day at 10mpg (yes they can get 10mpg). This means the Hummer H3 owner burns 1 gallon of gas a day. In summary, the Corolla owner uses almost 3 times the gas in a day that the Hummer owner does. Who is more wasteful? The moral of the story is this, just because you drive a cracker box Corolla or Civic, don't think you now are saving the planet. By the way, the above situation is based on real people. The Corolla owner thinks SUV's should be banned. I think he should pay a special tax/penalty for living so far from work.

Oh, so it's OK to drive a gas hog if you don't drive it that far. Of course, this begs the question of why someone who only lives 5 miles from work would drive at all vs. taking public transportation.

Sure it's okay to drive a "gas hog" if it's not that far. The issue is about using less gas. Less gas is less gas.

Truth is, you don't know why they own a "gas hog". Maybe they would trade it, but are upside down on their loan. Maybe they need something to take on vacation a couple times a year. Maybe they like the vehicle. Maybe there is no public transportation available. Maybe they got a better deal on it than what they could have gotten on a car you approve of. Maybe they inherited it.

If driving 5,000 miles per year in a lower mpg car uses less gasoline than driving 20,000 miles per year in a 35 mpg car, then the "gas hog" is still using less gas. Seems simple enough.

Everyone doesn't have access to good public transportation... I think some people don't like to admit defeat. Less gas usage no matter what you drive conserves more energy.

I still am having trouble trying to understand why a person would choose to drive a vehicle that can't even be parked in a standard parking space 5 miles to work on a paved road when (supposedly) the vehicle is designed for off-road use. Wouldn't it be simpler just to buy a normal vehicle and just wear big diamonds or an Armani suit to display your social status?? Even driving a Mercedes 500SL would make a lot more sense than paying the same price price for a vehicle that is slower than a Chevy Aveo, requires 2 parking spaces and handles like a grocery shopping cart.

"2nd Oct 2008, 20:07.

I still am having trouble trying to understand why a person would choose to drive a vehicle that can't even be parked in a standard parking space 5 miles to work on a paved road when (supposedly) the vehicle is designed for off-road use. "

Then you should not buy one. Problem solved. Next?