Hummer H2 (2007): first official pictures

Hummer H2: the lowdown

It’s best not to look directly at the new Hummer H2 in sunlight; you’ll be blinded by bling. New bits of glitz have appeared on the 2008 model, going on sale later in the year, including newly chromed door handles and a larger, lower grille. This grille, along with larger gaps in the seven-slot full-frontal smirk, helps to cool the more powerful 6.2-litre V8. Otherwise the exterior remains much the same, but the interior has been seriously plushed-up. The all-aluminium small-bock V8 delivers 393bhp, an increase of 20 percent, while torque swells to 415lb ft from 365. We’re promised that variable-valve timing and the six-speed transmission increase efficiency although no figures are given. But then, any improvement over 15mpg would be good...

What’s inside?

The rap stars and moms who so frequently drive this macho beast will appreciate the all-new interior. Instead of the previous austere environment, we’re promised improved materials, leather seats with smart piping and interior gap tolerances of 1mm or less. Kids in the back get a new rear-seat overhead DVD system and a full third-row seat for two with its own heating and cooling vents. The H2 will be able to clamber over rocks just as before, and new safety features for on or off-road include a new electronic stability control system with roll-over mitigation and roof-rail head curtains. It can tow 8000lb, too, and a rear-view camera will help hitch the trailer. Clearly, the H2 is aimed squarely at the US market, and other space-abundant markets; only its smaller H3 brother is deemed small enough to be sold in the more congested European market.