27th Jul 2008, 19:05

Yes but large vehicles ARE more dangerous than small vehicles, because they are the ones that are harder to control, take longer to stop, and roll over easier than my dog for a milkbone.

It is frustrating to see the lack of understanding of that on these sites. Boy have we gotten marketed to death on these "Big, Safe SUV's...

I have personally avoided too many accidents to count with SUV's ONLY because my car was quicker to react, handled better, and/ or stopped quicker. I guess maybe it is about driving in itself, and maybe not so much the size of the vehicle. The only reason people are being crushed to death by SUV's is the drivers lack of ability and intelligence in controlling their large vehicle. It is only safe if you can handle it people!!

28th Jul 2008, 18:24

Comment 19:05 is 100% CORRECT. Large vehicles ARE more dangerous than small ones... TO THE PEOPLE IN THE SMALL ONES!!!

29th Jul 2008, 14:05

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.

30th Jul 2008, 10:14

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.

4th Sep 2008, 05:47

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.

4th Sep 2008, 12:41

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, 15:31

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?

24th Sep 2008, 15:35

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.

25th Sep 2008, 11:22

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.

30th Sep 2008, 16:34

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.

1st Oct 2008, 18:18

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.