MissingHummer

I wish that I could be completely loyal to GM. I really do. I just don't see GM putting out a vehicle that can go head-to-head with a Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Wrangler seems to be everything I want/need in a vehicle: 4wd, off-roadable, basic tow-rating, possibly a diesel engine, tough, some modular body parts, convertible. Without a real off-roader, Hummer is just a bling-mobile. I am so very eager to buy a 2007 Wrangler Unlimited, it's a little scary. It's an inch skinnier than an H3, has better ground clearance, better articulation from the factory, and better approach, departure, and breakover angles. The Wrangler also has the ability to take the roof off completely.

Well, here's what I think Hummer needs in order to complete the line-up: something to go directly up against the Jeep Wrangler. For easier discussion, I'll call the truck the H4.

The Design Philosophy

Design the vehicle as if descendants of the Jeep M-85 and M-151 had remained in military service through the present. Design the H4 as if it were going to replace a compact US military vehicle and the British-market Land Rover Defender with several variants. Design the H4 with modular parts as if designing it to up-armored easily (as on the current Defender). Design the vehicle with a modular roof system similar the the H1 and Jeep Wrangler. Extend the modular design philosphy of the H1 to the H4 and expand on it. Design the chassis and suspension as if they were a 1/4 to 1/2 ton vehicle going up against some of the toughest terrain in combat arenas. Make the design simple, easy to repair on the trail (combat arena).

I'm talking about a smallish vehicle with live axles in the front and rear, easy to lift, easy to afford, and easy to drive from the dealer to the trail. The H4 should be about as wide as the 07 Wrangler or H3.

The body should be designed for the trail rather than the mall. Less chrome, more easily replaceable body panels. More utility to the design of the body. The body should have parts that can take a hit without too much damage and be easily replaced when damaged beyond continued use. The H4 should come with a factory functional snorkel option and a fold-down windshield. The doors should come off and the mirrors should have mount points on the front doors and on the front quarter panels just forward of the doors. The roll-cage should run down the inside of the A-pillars through the dashboard.

The various body lighting should be derived from the Big Rig market or should imitate NATO standard lighting as on the H1. Sealed-beam round headlamps, modular running-lamp and turn signals assemblies. Side marker lights and turn signal repeater lamps derived from Big Rig armored side-marker lights. Rear tail-lamp assemlies derived from trucking lights but with amber turn signals (perhaps use Land-Rover style lights, 4" trucking tail-lights, or square modular taillights). Include clearance lights from the factory.

The front and rear bumpers or frame should come with 2" hitch recievers and recovery D-rings

Three Chassis Lengths

The H4 should have lengths comparable to the variations on the Wrangler/Unlimited/Gladiator and the Defender. Specifically, I think there should be:

- The Compact model: a two-door (07 Wrangler/Defender 90 sized)

- The Standard model: a four-door (07 Wrangler Unlimited/Defender 110 sized; doubles as the two-door full-bed pickup)

- The Extended model: a four-door extended (Defender 130-sized; designed to be a 4-door pickup with a half-bed, a two-door long-bed pickup, or an enclosed four-door with an extended cargo area)

- The Standard chassis cab: only available in two-door with a modular (removeable) roof and rear upper cab and solid lower rear cab wall.

- Extended chassis cabs, available in two-door or crew cab with a modular (removeable) roof and rear upper cab and solid lower rear cab wall.

Offer the three lengths and let the owner configure roof/cab variations with the modular roof or fabric tops to suit his/her needs for the cargo and passenger areas. The approach, departure, and breakover angles on the H4 Compact and Standard should be competitive with the 07 Wrangler and 07 Wrangler Unlimited with an obvious breakover and/or departure penalty for the H4 Extended. The front and rear doors should be long enough so that a 6'3" (190 cm) tall person can enter and exit the vehicle without bashing his or her knees on the doorframe, but no longer.

Flexible Roof and Seating

Provide multiple rear-cab-shell/trunk-shell/seat/cargo anchor points in the floor and design the hardshell cab variations to work around the roll-bar. As with the Wrangler, the owner should be able to change the configuration at his/her descretion.

The Compact Model could be configured as follows:

- 2-Door Pickup (with a very short bed)

- 2-Door Coupe (Pickup with a hard locking tonneau cover

- Possibly a slant-back variation

- Various ragtop, hardshell, and open variations on the above.

The Standard Model could be configured as follows:

- 2-Door Pickup (with a medium bed)

- 4-door Pickup (with a very short bed)

- 2-Door Coupe (2-door Pickup with a hard locking tonneau cover, aka trunk).

- A Sedan (4-door Pickup with a hard locking tonneau cover, aka trunk).

- Possibly slantback variations.

- Various ragtop, hardshell, and open variations on the above.

- The rear pair of doors could be replaced with a solid panel as with the HMMWV pickup or be left as lockable half-doors when used with the tonneau covers or 2-door wagon shells. The rear doors could also be left off.

The Extended Model could be configured as follows:

- 2-door or 4-door Wagon

- 2-Door or 4-door Pickup

- 2-Door Coupe (2-door Pickup with a hard locking tonneau cover, aka trunk).

- A Sedan (4-door Pickup with a hard locking tonneau cover, aka trunk).

- Possibly slantback variations.

- The rear doors on the extended version should be full interchangeable with the rear doors on the standard version.

- Various ragtop, hardshell, and open variations on the above.

Suspension Options

- Standard: competitive with the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon models

- Rock-Ready: The Rock-Ready version should come from the factory with an extra 2-3 inches of ground clearance and should beat the Wrangler Rubicon on articulation and the three critical angles from the factory. Factory sliders and skid plates should be designed for the toughest trails and should come standard with the Rock-Ready.

- Street: Heaven forbid! Not a low-rider. This would be about the ground clearance of the Base model Jeep Wranglers. I hate it but it should come with an option cheap-o wheels for those who want to put blingin rims on.

Transmission Options

- 5-speed automatic (possibly with autostick function)

- 5-speed manumatic (stickshift with no clutch pedal; requires driver input for gear changes. could also be designed with an "automatic gear" which doesn't require driver input for gear changes)

- power take-off standard with all transmissions: for generator, air compressor, winch, or other appropriate accessories.

Drivetrain Options

- On the Street version, 2wd is optional, street or towing axle ratio options

- On the Standard and Rock-Ready models, 4wd with multiple axle ratio options

- Bucket Seats with full center console

- Bucket Seats with half-height center console

- 4-door rear bench and bucket seat

- rear bench for placement between wheel wells.

- GM parts bin radios and/navigation systems with front audio input.

Color Options (civilian)

- Shadow Green Metallic

- Forest Green (non-metallic)

- Competition Yellow

- Twighlight Maroon Metallic

- Navy Blue (non-metallic)

- Olive Drab Gloss (non-metallic)

- Desert Sand (non-metallic)

Color options for fleet would run the whole spectrum of available colors. Comparable options to the Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor and Chevrolet Impala 9C1 (police package)

HUMMER Accessories

- Safari and Pickup-bed trailers, designed to match the looks of the H4 and re-using some parts like wheels, rear lighting, rear tailgate and bumper, suspension, rear-end of frame, wheel wells, wheel flares, etc.

- Roof-racks for the hard roofs with Thule and Yakima compatiblilty parts, forward and rear light brackets, and safari cargo baskets

- Safari racks for use with soft tops or topless operation

- Ladder/Utility racks

- Safari tire carrier: swing-out carrier for the rear tire with options for extra-wide tires, shovel and hi-lift jack mount points, jerry can holders, additional CHMBL.

- Tailgate options, including pre-runner reversible tailgate with tire-mount

- Interior tire carrier

- Full-doors (manual and electric lock/window variants)

- Half-doors (manual and electric lock variants

- Solid, non-functional panels for the rear door openings and the tailgate

- wagon and solid side panels

- cloth roofs, cab panels, side panels, soft tonneau covers, fabric troop-carrier style pickup bed covers

- brush protectors and cargo protectors for the solid-side windows (cargo protectors and/or brush protectors would keep my dogs in the truck with the windows down)

- brush protectors for the headlights, taillights, etc.

With the above vehicle specifications and options, the H4 could go head-to-head with the Jeep Wrangler, Wrangler Unlimited, a Jeep Gladiator, most of the Land Rover Defender models, and most of the Toyota LandCruiser models (available outside of the United States).

Who knows, if the vehicle is built right, there might be a military contract or two as well as civilian purchases

If it's built, I'll use mine for a play-toy on the trail, a utility vehicle in the 'burbs, a home-improvement hauler, and a daily commuter.

- 4-door Standard length

- the manual or manumatic transmission

- Rock-Ready suspension

- the solid roof/cab pieces to configure the sedan and 4-door wagon and the pickup.

- full-doors in the power window/lock variant, additional full rear doors in the non-powered variant, and half-doors in the non-powered variant