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H2 SUT wraps utility in cute but big package

Hummer owners are a unique breed–envied by some, scorned by others.

People look up to them for their wealth or down at them for consuming a greater portion of the earth’s petroleum supplies than deemed equitable.

Whether friend or foe, give Hummer owners credit. They can’t slip in or out without being noticed even if they wanted to in a vehicle as wide as it is tall, a machine that at first glance more closely resembles a caricature of a sport-utility vehicle.

And now there’s a new addition to the lineup to attract even more followers into the camp that finds comfort in purchasing the biggest vehicle money can buy without 18 wheels–a Hummer H2 pickup truck. (There is an H1 with a box in back but no tailgate, so it has to be loaded from the top.)

Yup, first there was the Hummer H1, so big it should have been required to have life rafts as standard. Then came the Hummer H2, a somewhat smaller version of the H1 craft, a civilian version of the vehicle popularized by the military. General Motors created the H2 once it bought into the Hummer family.

Now comes the Hummer H2 SUT, basically an H2 with a pickup bed rather than a sport-ute cargo hold.

Maybe not cuddly, but cute.

Not a vehicle for everyone, but neither is a Hyundai Accent.

The H2 SUT is for those who need to hold five folks in the cabin and prefer holding the stuff those five folks need outside the cabin.

But, if you need to hold only two adults yet lots of lumber, shrubs, bricks, ladders or anything else that won’t fit in a bed that’s only 35 inches long, the H2 SUT will still handle the challenge.

The bed is 47 inches wide, 35 inches deep and 20 inches high, large enough for luggage, duffel bags, or, if a professional athlete, gold chains, earrings and related bling-bling.

Like the Chevrolet Avalanche pickup, the H2 SUT comes with a midgate, or wall that separates the cabin from the bed.

Flip and fold the rear seats forward, press a dash button to power the rear window into the midgate, press the buttons to lower the metal midgate and extend the bed 3 feet by borrowing from the passenger cabin. Lower the midgate and tailgate, and you can haul items 8-feet long.

You can leave the bed exposed, or opt for the $950 locking tonneau cover that secures items inside. The cover is strong enough to support 250 pounds should you decide to stand on it or spread out a blanket on it to soak up some rays while adventuring into the great outdoors.

We tested the ’05 H2 SUT but didn’t stand on the cover because even with the tailgate down, you’d need a ladder to get onto the top.

What’s surprising about the SUT is that it delivers such a smooth, pleasant, hassle-free ride. Road blemishes go virtually unnoticed. Can’t say that about too many SUVs, much less too many pickups.

Handling, well, handling is about what you’d expect in a vehicle that stands about 81 inches high and 81 inches wide. You sit high and see down the road without anything getting in your way. Thanks to the 81-inch width you sit in comfort with more than ample wiggle room.

Of course, when 81 inches high and 81 inches wide, there are a few nuisances you don’t have to put up with in a roughly 55-inch high and 75-inch wide family sedan.

Corners are best taken at reduced speed. Yes it’s wide, but it’s also more than a tad heavy and you always feel more in control in keeping the bulk moving forward rather than at any lateral angle.

Also, you feel like you’ve filled the lane on the road and don’t dare wander an inch or two either way.

And when you pull into the mall lot, you park in the hinterland because you don’t always fit easily between the other visitors.

Consumers complain about trying to see what’s coming when backing out of the lot when nestled between two big SUVs.

Hummer owners have their gripes, too. While they easily can see what’s coming, the problem is having to squeeze into or out of that spot when other vehicles are alongside, and squeezing out of their Hummer when a vehicle is parked alongside–not to mention squeezing back in again.

Thankfully the test vehicle came with optional $425 tubular side steps. Getting into or out of the SUT without them would have been a chore because it stands so high to allow for off-road clearance.

The 6-liter, 325-horsepower V-8 does a more than admirable job in getting the size and weight in motion–and doing so quietly.

However, while tree-huggers may detest you, filling-station owners roll out the red carpet. The tank holds 32 gallons of gas that gives you about 310 miles of driving range. The government doesn’t require a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or more to list its city and highway mileage figures. But without doing the math, it’s safe to say the SUT doesn’t obtain 20 m.p.g.

If it’s mileage you want in a Hummer, you’ll have to wait for the H3 sport-ute that joins the lineup in the middle of next year. It will deliver roughly 14 to 16 m.p.g. city and 19 to 20 m.p.g. highway.

The H3, expected to start at around $35,000, is derived from the midsize Chevy Colorado pickup platform and will be powered by the same 5-cylinder engine. Of note, the H3 was unveiled as a Hummer H3 SUT concept a year ago.

The Hummer H2 SUT starts at $51,995, though it finishes a lot higher after the typical owner does a little personalizing.

Nice touches include push-button AWD with four-wheel-high and -low settings; five power plugs front and rear, or one more plug than cupholder; a front-seat air bag on/off switch; heated rear seats; four wheel anti-lock brakes with traction control; rear-seat audio controls with headsets; power sunroof; power heated/folding side mirrors; 17-inch, all-terrain radial tires; and power operated just about everything.

The test vehicle added $2,780 for an adventure group with such features as air springs, brush guards, tubular taillamp protectors to prevent off-road damage, as well as a first-aid kit/tool kit/flashlight package.

The truck bed cover ($950) and tubular assist steps ($425) inflate the price even more, though the bed cover is nice to have and the steps are a must.

Strictly personal: A smile, a laugh and Dennis Buckley would lift the spirits of all those around him. Buckley, director of marketing for the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, has died at age 62 after a long illness. Sympathies to wife, Lauren, and family.

TEST DRIVE

2005 Hummer H2 SUT

Wheelbase: 122.8 inches

Length: 203.5 inches

Engine: 6-liter, 325-h.p. V-8

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 310-mile range from 32- gallon tank

Base price: $51,995

Price as tested: $56,600. Includes $2,780 for Adventure group with air springs, air compressor, brush guard, rubber floor mats, AM/FM six-disc in-dash CD changer, first-aid/tool kit/flashlight, tubular taillamp protectors and crossbar roof rack; $950 for locking tonneau truck-bed cover; $450 for chrome package with chrome door handles and mirror caps; and $425 for tubular assist steps. Add $850 for freight.

Pluses: A Hummer pickup truck with the take-no-prisoners design. Smooth, quiet, comfortable ride for such a big vehicle. Sit high (81.2 inches tall) for great down-the-road visibility. Room for five adults in cabin. Truck bed for when you need to haul stuff and foldable midgate with power window to extend bed into cabin when you have to haul longer stuff.

Minuses: 310 miles of driving range from 32 gallons of gas. SUT is 8 inches wider (81.2 inches, as wide as it is tall) than a Buick LeSabre, a dimension that comes into play when you tr slipping between the painted lines in the mall lot.