You, me and Humvee
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by: Mike Page
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Gone are the days when 'responsible' owners opted for the biggest, safest, most reliable vehicles on the market. Today, responsibility for motorists means looking after the planet as well as safeguarding your 2.4 children and other passengers - so out goes the indestructible Volvo Estate and in comes the ultra-efficient Toyota Prius.
With it's frankly amazing hybrid engine, the Prius is a breath of fresh air on every level, and people who buy one at the moment can expect celebrity treatment from all corners as businesses, government agencies and the celebrities themselves scrabble to jump on Toyota's bandwagon.
Prius drivers get discounts or exemptions on everything from motor insurance to the congestion charge, as a pat on the back from the suits for being so green. No driver with a political agenda or Hollywood career should be without one.
But, hang on a minute. If you put political agenda and Hollywood career together, you get Arnold Schwarzenegger, the world-champion bodybuilder, veteran of countless blockbusters and current Governor of California.
And Arnie, as everyone knows, drives a Humvee - which is about as far from a Toyota Prius as you can get.
The name Humvee is actually a corruption of HMMWV, or 'High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle', the kind built for the US Military and its allies since 1985. The name is well-earned - manufacturer AM General currently produces as many as 17 variants, including cargo and troop carriers, ambulances, and heavy weapons platforms, and its reputation for reliability and off-road performance (some complaints about armour strength and door fastenings aside) remains largely un-besmirched to this day.
Though massive numbers of HMMWVs have been produced for the world's armies over the years, getting your hands on one as a civilian is next to impossible (unless you're an Austrian action hero of course, in which case all you need do is pick your favourite shade of camo).
However, back in 1992, buoyed somewhat by the name the HMMWV was making for itself as a result of the Gulf War coverage in America, AM General decided to launch a civilian version called the 'Hummer', and later 'Hummer H1' (after General Motors bought the brand in 1999).
Today, three Hummer variants are available to Joe Public: the H1, which differs little from military spec Humvees (although I hear the 'chemical warfare resistant paint' isn't available); the H2, a more luxurious SUV model; and the mid-sized H3, which probably has more in common with a long wheelbase Land Rover than an army troop carrier.
Obviously, as a man in the market for a new car, I'd only be interested in the H1.
But the question is, how much? How much extra would it cost me (and the planet) to nip down the shops in a car - if you can call it that - with a 6.5 litre diesel engine? How much road tax and motor insurance would I pay on a vehicle capable of climbing a 22 inch step and fording 30 inches of water?
Sadly, it's difficult to say on most counts.
This is in part due to the limited number of H1s out there - less than 12,000 were ever made. The model went out of production in 2006, due largely to lack of demand (sales had fallen to about 250 units per year). As a consequence, it's pretty hard to get hold of any pricing information for a UK-based H1.
Secondly, of course, you've got the incredulity of car insurance firms and others whenever I (penniless 25-year-old with a relatively short and eventful driving history) ask for a motor insurance quote on a 3-tonne truck with loops on the roof for attachment to helicopters.
So much for the cost to me, then. As far as cost to the planet goes, however, the Hummer is a lot more affordable than you might expect. The projected useful life of an H1 is far greater than that of most modern cars (say a certain battery-powered one, for instance), meaning that the environmental impact of its manufacture and disposal are much better offset.
And on top of that, it runs great on biodiesel.
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Author - Mike Page (Hoot Car Insurance) Car insurance providers for UK drivers
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