AM General HMMWV review: can a military-spec Humvee work as a family car?
Woah, cool Hummer!
Isn’t it just! Although, we hate to be pedantic (we don’t really, pedantry is very satisfying), but this isn’t actually a Hummer. That was the brand name used for civilian versions of AM General’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and was eventually sold to General Motors in the late 1990s.
What you see here is a genuine HMMWV, although because that’s hardly a catchy abbreviation, it’s colloquially known as the Humvee. Got it?
Uh oh, I feel a history lesson incoming...
In the late 1970s the US Army wanted a single vehicle that could replace the 1950s M151 and a number of other larger trucks. It set out draft specifications and in the early 1980s three companies – AM General, Chrysler and Teledyne Continental – were invited to build prototypes for testing. In March 1983, AM General was awarded an initial five-year contract to produce 55,000 examples of the HMMWV.
The Humvee first saw active service in Panama in 1989 and since then, has been on pretty much every continent on Earth. It's still in use today. A total of 281,000 were eventually built by AM General and there were at least 17 different variants.
Why is this one on the road and wearing a Wisconsin plate?
Well, because it’s the perfect family car, of course. Hold fire on that Skoda Kodiaq purchase, or if you’re in the US then put down that Kia Carnival brochure, because TG has found your perfect, practical family runaround.
This particular Humvee is owned by Don Wickstrum. Otherwise known as the Fastest Pastor, you can read more about Don by clicking these blue words. He bought this car directly from the military. It served in Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, was recommissioned as part of the ‘HMMWV Recapitalization’ programme in the early 2000s and was used back on US soil as a training vehicle. Quite the life.
I need a new daily! What are the specs?
Well, at its heart is a GM-supplied Detroit Diesel V8 that would have been making around 160bhp when it was new. It weighs around 2.5 tonnes, is six feet tall, over seven feet wide and 15 feet long. Oh, and it seats erm… four people.
It also has a theoretical top speed of 70mph. We say theoretical because we stuck our foot flat to the floor for a good while and only just managed to break 60mph.
Still, there’s all-wheel drive, independent suspension and portal axles to allow for 16in of ground clearance and mighty off-road ability. Humvees also got lockable central differentials and inboard disc brakes, while the body was mounted on a steel frame with the powertrain raised up above into the cabin area for maximum protection of the oily bits.
Is it practical?
Well, there’s plenty of interior space. That raised powertrain in the middle of the cabin means each passenger sits in a different state. Said interior is probably best described as ‘hard-wearing’ too, so there’s no need to worry about those pesky kids trashing the back seats.
This particular Humvee has an open load bed out back (so there’s technically more boot space than that Skoda) and Don has fitted actual doors, although the fabric roof remains and does get a little flappy in the wind. The driving position is perfectly acceptable, there are working seatbelts, and we can’t imagine you’ll be the victim of any road rage. Probably best not to ask about the fuel economy, though.
How does it drive?
The Humvee is actually very simple and easy to drive. We’re not joking. It may look like a tough guy, but with a three-speed automatic gearbox and extremely light steering it really doesn’t take much effort to pilot. Although saying that, the big diesel engine will sound like it’s making a whole lot of effort. At idle it feels as though someone has parked a dump truck underneath your feet, and once you’re on the move the gear ratios are so long it’ll be screaming away long before you get the sweet relief of an upshift.
We presume there’s a fair bit of wind noise from the blocky front end and upright windscreen too, although the racket from the engine, gearbox and diffs even manages to drown out your own thoughts. Not a whole lot of sound insulation in play here.
Don describes the engine as a “gutless wonder” and you really do have to be aggressive on the throttle to encourage any sort of movement. The steering is the complete opposite though – it’ll turn in surprisingly sharply and delicate movements are the order of the day. You can see why the Humvee had a tendency to roll over in sand. We can confirm that it’s great fun on a snow-covered field, though.
One of the first things Don did after getting his Humvee running was change the brake pads. Probably wise. There’s actually a good bit of bite when you first hit the pedal, although if you’ve just test driven a Carnival, we would recommend giving yourself a bit more time to stop when you’re in the Humvee.
So, I should buy one then?
Well, you know how some modern SUVs look tough? The Humvee actually is tough. This thing was dangled from Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters and thrown into some of the toughest terrains imaginable, so we’re pretty sure it can handle the school run. Should be fairly safe too, although we’re not sure Euro NCAP has got round to giving it a star rating just yet.
The US government has been auctioning off demilitarised Humvees for a decade or so now, and prices generally kick off at around $10,000 for those in *ahem* well-used condition. Just remember that you’ll likely need a new title and registration, though, and it’d probably be prudent to leave enough cash to buy the kids some ear protectors.
via topgear
