Big V8 Hummer happily hums along

In fact, as we drove through the park gates at Crocodile Bridge I was half hoping the Hummer would grow a huge carapace to shelter my wife Penny and me from the nasty looks we expected from greenies cheesed off about the vehicle's big footprint on the environment.

Centre of attention

But we needn't have worried for a minute because not once during the next three days of our stay at Lower Sabie did we get one dirty look or a single snide comment.

In fact, the general response to the Hummer's presence was quite the opposite.

A number of lads came over for a beer-in-hand chat when the braai fires were lit at night and were suitably impressed that our average fuel consumption to date was less than 10 litres per 100km which is considerably less than GM's own claimed figure of 14,5 litres per 100km.

(The reason for our impressively low fuel consumption was partially due to the fact that we idled along on game-spotting drives for many hours at 45-50 km/h on cruise control because of the Kruger's strictly imposed maximum speed limit of 50 km/h).

But… But where do I put my Zeiss binocs?

The bigger and more powerful engine required a few structural changes to the front part of the frame and body.

The spacious interior impressed them as well, although a few said they were surprised to see that the Hummer didn't have a solid luggage cover.

Being experienced SUV, double-cab and faw-ba-faw owners, they also tut-tutted about the lack of cabin storage space for smaller items such as a camera, binoculars, sun glasses, large packets of biltong, road maps, bird reference guides, cold drink bottles and the rest of the essentials one carries around in a game park.

And one large local muttered a few choice words when his left knee slammed into the protruding handbrake handle as he hoisted himself into position behind the steering wheel - a performance I replicated more than once myself during our eight-day exploration of the Lowveld.

More oomph impresses

But being owners of similar type vehicles they were impressed by the 224 kW and 434Nm of the big V8 which is a huge jump up from the 180 kW/330 Nm of the 3,7-litre, five-cylinder standard Hummer.

It's designed to handle the very rough with the smooth equally well.

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With trailers, boats and caravans being part of their work and play life-styles they gave respectful nods when told the V8 variant can now tow all of 2 448 kg.

And one or two of the younger, single lads loved the fact that the stepped-up General Motors jumbo Hummer will outrun a charging elephant with a 0-100 km/h time of just a fraction over eight seconds!

Unleashing the hooligan within

And yes, I released the hooligan in me a few times on long stretches of open highway outside the park just for the thrill of hearing and feeling the big V8 thundering up front. Silly, I know, but it's a boy thing, as I tried to explain to Her Ladyship….

Born for the great outdoors...

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As a game drive vehicle the Hummer does a grand job, thanks to its high seating positions, sliding sun roof, big comfortable leather seats, excellent air-conditioning, amazingly smooth ride and purringly quiet engine at low speed.

Being only two-up we used the back seat for parking essentials such as a picnic basket, camera, binoculars, books, clothing and refreshments and it took up only a fraction of the space which could easily be occupied by three big adults.

Easy rider, easy roller, exhilarating

We never travelled on anything rougher or more demanding than a rutted dirt road, so there was no need for the new heavy stuff the V8 is armed with such as the electronically selectable, full-locking front and rear differentials which our Adventure model was equipped with (there is also a Luxury spec option).

Outside the park I cracked the whip a few times and the beast is quite keen to gallop although at naughty speeds it does display quite a bit of body roll through the corners, which is to be expected, I suppose, from a high-riding, 2,3-ton beast of this nature.

But it cruises quietly and comfortably at legal speeds and in spite of its prominent presence it sits quite solidly on the road… a practical, comfortable and exhilarating machine all in one.

A nice air of exclusivity

I loved its tough guy looks: big wheels, flared arches lots of shiny chrome bits, narrow windows and elephant-eared side mirrors certainly makes it stand out in a crowd.

There is also a nice air of exclusivity about the V8 Hummer because GM will only make 120 of the bigger-engined versions. And it's got a good dose of Easy Rider, Harley Davidson bad boy look and feel about it which some of the more snooty vehicles of this ilk totally lack….

... But equally at home, and an exhilarating ride, on the smooth.

To accommodate the bigger and more powerful engine GM had to make a few structural changes to the front part of the frame and body to house a new oil pan, a thicker prop shaft and stronger engine bolts.

The damper settings have also been upgraded and the steering system tweaked, but the only real outward changes are bigger, shinier wheel rims, a muted metal front differential case, and the shiny V8 brag badge at the back.

Good news - the warranty's been extended

The two V8 variants are quite well-priced compared to the smaller-engined models, with the V8 Luxury model weighing in at R531 887 and the Adventure at R541 886. Both V8's have auto transmission.

The five “baby” hummer models vary in price from R412 650 to R490 350.

Good news is that the warranty on all new Hummers have been extended from two-year/60 000 km to five-year/120 000km and an added nice touch (besides GM's commitment to be there for Hummer owners for as long as the vehicles are around) is that all models now also have a reverse camera which displays in the rear-view mirror.

In its class the Hummer is as good as it gets, whether you're thumping and bumping over rough terrain, towing a caravan or just cruising down the highway… and you definitely won't ever have a problem finding it if you have forgotten where you left it in the supermarket car park.