2006 HUMMER H2 SUV New Car Buyer's Guide

What's New for the 2006 HUMMER H2 SUV?
The 2006 Hummer H2 carries over virtually unchanged this year with the exception of two new exterior colors: Twilight Maroon Metallic and Slate Blue Metallic. Stealth Gray Metallic has been phased out.

Advantages of the 2006 HUMMER H2 SUV:

• Rear seat comfort
• Three locking differentials for extreme off-roading
• Control layout and user-friendliness
• Can tackle extreme off-road terrain

Objections to the 2006 HUMMER H2 SUV:

• We averaged 11.3 mpg, with a light foot
• Hard to climb into and out of
• Cheap plastic interior trim
• Ludicrously small cargo area, even with the third-row jump seat tumbled forward
• Vehicle width a liability on narrow or wooded off-road trails
• Poor outward visibility
• Noisy cabin when underway

Editor's Advice:
Based on GM's heavy-duty pickup platform and using parts bin pieces ranging from Pontiac Aztek dashboard vents to Chevrolet TrailBlazer seat heater controls, the 2006 Hummer H2 was a cash cow for the world's largest automaker until gas prices began rising. We spent a week driving the Hummer H2 around the Los Angeles area, and we tried to maximize fuel economy but could only muster an average of 11.3 mpg. Aside from the novelty of piloting something this tall and wide in a city littered with narrow freeway lanes, compact parking spaces and low-clearance garages, we couldn't imagine why any sane person would want to drive one every day. Thinking that perhaps its ability in the rough could redeem it, we took it off-road at a dedicated Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) park in the Cleveland National Forest. There, we discovered that the Hummer H2 is too wide to clear trees and brush on narrow trails, is too difficult to see out of when trying to safely explore new territory, and will indeed scrape its undercarriage from time to time. At least Hummer advertises the H2 accurately. This vehicle is most at home traveling at a constant rate of speed over wide-open terrain without another vehicle in sight.