The Misfit Hummer
Essay Preview: The Misfit Hummer
Report this essay
As the bidding for the production of the Hummer was happening in 1979, the army officials responsible for the building of the Hummer created had in mind a new and improved High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle. Not as a civilian vehicle as it used today. The Hummer was created to survive three hundred feet dunes of sand, withstand extreme heat and arctic conditions, not to roam the pavement jungle that we live in. The Hummer presents many problems such as: its massive size, fuel efficiency and the pollution it produces.
The Hummer being the biggest civilian vehicle available for the average Joe, stands 203.6 inches long! Its width is an astonishing 81.2 inches. The Mazda 6 a normally sized sedan has a length of 150 inches, thats 50 inches less than the Hummer. In a parking space where you can park three Mazda 6s you could park 2 Hummers and a little bit. Isnt parking space valuable these days? Besides the fact that they are long they are also very wide, their side “flows” on to the road by about 20 inches, which might come in handy in a narrow street or in traffic. Besides the problem with the parking the biggest problem with the Hummers size is what happens if you hit it? Due to the Hummers weight which is estimated at about 8500 Lbs, and its raised bumpers you can kiss your economy car goodbye if you collide with it. In town you rarely see eighteen wheelers and big trucks, making the Hummer the biggest “car” you will see on the road. Some people call the Hummer a Death Machine, I think its more of playing with the immortality cheat in GTA, you are invulnerable when you ride Hummer, something you cant say about your fellow drivers.
The H2 is a gas eater. Due to the fact that it has a weight of over 8500 lbs, the US government does not require it to meet federal fuel efficiency regulations. Hummer isnt even required to publish its fuel economy. Owners do indicate though that they get around 10 miles per gallon for normal use. So while the US army is off fighting in the Middle East risking their lives to secure Americas fuel future, not the danger of weapons of mass destruction, H2 drivers are wasting the troops efforts during each time they go to pick up their kids from soccer practice.
Another problem the Hummer produces it actually produces. Due to the Hummers very low mpg (dealerships optimistic assumption is about 13 mpg) it produces almost