2008 Detroit Auto Show: Hummer HX Concept
- Looks like: A shrunken H3 was mounted on the H2’s undercarriage
- Defining characteristics: Seven-slot Hummer grille, massive wheels, armored underbody
- Ridiculous features: Pie-in-the-sky interior, more removable parts than a post-op celebrity
- Chance of being mass-produced: Unlikely in its current form, but elements could make their way into a future compact Hummer
Make no mistake — Hummer’s HX concept takes direct aim at a certain Jeep. Behind its big-boy face, the HX has all the ingredients you’d expect in a compact off-roader: Locking front and rear differentials, a disconnecting stabilizer bar and the most underbody plating this side of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Hummer calls it a “four-wheel backpack,” citing its numerous trail-friendly provisions – among them a first-aid kit, flashlight and shovel – and snidely adds that the bumpers have tow hooks for “wrangling others” who’ve gone astray. Your move, Chrysler.
Smaller than the H3, the HX comes in at 171 inches long, just a hair shorter than the four-door Wrangler Unlimited. Under the hood is a 304-hp V-6 cribbed from GM’s direct-injection engines. Ground clearance is a healthy 13 inches, besting the Wrangler by 2.5 inches, and Hummer says the HX can ford 2 feet of water. Should you need to build a lean-to at base camp, the doors, roof and fenders are removable.
Like many concepts, the HX’s cabin borders on pure imagination. Its boxy confines house four neoprene seats with exposed framework and four-point racing harnesses. The dashboard mounts on a crosswise aluminum frame, with central pods for the navigation system, auxiliary dials and stereo. In the press photos, the stereo is playing the Village People’s “Macho Man” off a device called “Jeff’s iPod.” Everyone together now: We’re laughing with you, Jeff, not at you.
While the HX is strictly a concept, it could presage Hummer’s future Wrangler-fighter, which some have dubbed the H4. There’s been no official confirmation of a baby-Hummer yet, but the HX certainly advances its possibilities. More photos below.
