This is from Four Wheeler magazine's website. H2 also placed 2nd this year behind H3 Alpha in its 2008 Four Wheeler of the Year competition.This is about the best off-road magazine aroundIMHOand it'sgreat to seethat they have gotten over their HUMMER=Hollywood bias and havecome aroundto the "Hummer camp"over the years!

2008 Hummer H2 & H2 SUT - First Drive
Improvements Made Where They Matter

writer: Sean P. Holman
photographer: Jim Fetz


With the demise of the Hummer H1 last year, there was speculation in the industry that the Hummer brand was on its way out. But after a secret meeting with Hummer executives last January, we got the skinny on the future plans for GM's four-wheeling brand, of which we can only begin to talk about now. While we can tell you there are some exciting products in the Hummer pipeline, the first one we can officially show you is the 2008 Hummer H2-now the brand's flagship vehicle.


It is no secret that we are huge fans of the H2, but the first generation generally fell short on quality, especially interior materials, while some of the other complaints focused around power, fuel economy, and rear visibility. While the H2 was improved each year to answer complaints, it isn't until the 2008 model that you really benefit from the biggest change, a gorgeous, all-new cabin. Still based on its own unique and upgraded version of the GMT-800 platform (like the '08 Silverado/Sierra HDs), the H2 retains its heavy-duty coil-sprung, multilink rear axle.



The cabin is anchored by a new luxurious dash that no longer says, "Hey look! I must be macho!" The new design features soft-touch materials everywhere, even on the door panels with hard cheap plastic scarcer than a Michigan highway without orange cones. There is even a splash of metallic trim, as well as copious amounts of soft leather. The switchgear finally feels expensive, with tactile feedback, and the four-wheel-drive engagement switches have been exchanged for a single dominant ****. A fantastic audio system, along with an audio jack, rounds out the cabin experience. As a major bonus, SUV models now have a full third row (spares are mounted on the outside as on the SUT) for true seven-passenger capacity, and we were thrilled that our early production testers exhibited no squeaks or rattles.
As with the previous models, the H2 is a road-trip machine, chewing up miles of pavement effortlessly with a smooth ride and even more comfortable seats. As with earlier versions of the H2, there is some wind noise around the windshield, but it is not objectionable by any means. For fans of entomology, the upright windshield still attracts bug splatter like Vegas attracts weddings.



While we probably would have been satisfied with just an interior upgrade, Hummer also wanted to answer our concerns of power and economy for the H2, so they replaced the previous 325hp 6.0L OHV V-8 with the 6.2L OHV V-8 from the Escalade, backing it up with the same excellent 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission, which nets the Hummer 393 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque, with the bonus of a

 

Great article and cool pics.

 

The engine looks SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!