Hummer H2 SUT: Bulk, but No Bargain

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And the price goes up fast as you add options to make the thing look cool, such as roof-rack cross bars ($400), brush guards ($675), extra chrome ($850 or more), extra running lights ($450 to $1,000), tail-lamp guards ($250 or more), etc.

The "Pacific Blue Ltd. Edition" package on my test truck, which includes a lot of this stuff plus a very cool blue paint job and a rear-seat entertainment system, adds $7,160 to the base price. There's a similar "Fusion Orange" package for $7,425. Add another $1,570 for the navigation system and you're talking real money: My test SUT listed for $66,085.

On top of this sticker shock, I nearly went into cardiac arrest the first time I gassed up the H2. There are no official government mileage ratings on big trucks like the Hummer, but I only got 10.7 miles per gallon over 209 miles of mixed driving, I figured I had miscalculated, so I drove another 126 miles -- and got 10 mpg. The one small consolation is that the SUT uses relatively inexpensive regular gasoline.

FLAWED DESIGN.

Another negative for some buyers: The SUT can only tow 6,700 lbs., maximum -- considerably less than club-cab pickup trucks like the Ford (F) F 150 (9,100 lbs). If you want to haul a big boat or trailer, you need a big pickup, like, say the Dodge RAM 2500, which can tow nearly twice as much weight (see BW Online, 3/22/06, "Dodge's Living Room on Wheels").

The Hummer's bulk and stability make it very safe, but it's even clunkier to drive in the city than the H3. Visibility out the narrow side windows is limited and you can't see behind you when parking. It's so high off the ground that there are big honking handles on the ceiling and a step on the side so you can hoist yourself up into the cab.

Some of the features seem poorly integrated into the design, too: My test truck had a power sunroof, but one of the light bars on the roof ran right across the middle of it, blocking out the sunlight, and you couldn't use the navigation system and play a CD at the same time because you had to remove the nav system's DVD to play music.

The number of buyers willing to put up with the cost and inconveniences of an H2 is dwindling as gas prices rise. The pickup truck version will appeal to a few buyers who otherwise wouldn't consider a Hummer -- but probably not all that many.

Thane Peterson reviews cars for BusinessWeek.com.