Tummy
Sep 20, 05, 1:37 am
We originally reserved a Navigator using the 5k weekly ZE1 award, but switched to the the Hummer H2 when we arrived. KOA isn't actually a "prestige vehicle location" so we were not able to enter the PC# into the reservation. We had to pay the normal rate and customer service credits it on the back end ($2100/wk).
The model we got matched the "Adventure" specs at $55,810 MSRP. It featured a 6.0L V8 with 325hp, 365lbs-ft torque. We averaged 12.1 mpg over 850 miles, spending about $250 for 87 octane gas. It did not come with Neverlost, but I brought my new Garmin C330 GPS with us just in case.
After driving it around for the week, I have to say that it handled all the off-road trails from the book "Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed" very well, and some trails not marked in the book. We never got suck and it made it over some huge ruts and boulders I would not have attempted in the Navigator. Some of the roads were literally rough stones laid out over lava fields. I'm sure we could have made it in a lessor car, in fact we watched many people in normal 4 doors drive very slowly over the same broken roads. They sometimes bottomed out, stopped, reversed, or had to reposition their cars. One group in a open top Jeep Wrangler looked nice in their white resort wear going in, but were all dusty orange by the time they got to the destination. Our H2 however, made it feel effortless and very comfortable with our power leather seats, auto A/C, sunroof, 6 disc changer and Bose stereo.
The engine made a lot of noise, so we could always hear it coming when the parking valets brought it around. It was very slow off the line, but at highway speeds it didn't feel too bad. We kept it in 4WD Hi all the time except for one case where putting it into 4WD Lo got us going up a very steep incline again without problem. In heavy rain around Hilo, it felt very stable. I had a lot of difficulty parking it into normal sized spaces and had to align in the spot just right, or we couldn't open one of the doors.
Interestingly, we saw more H2s than Navigators on the Big Island. Apparently they are used for tour groups. We saw a "Hummer Safari" advertised at our hotel. While driving, the other H2 drivers appeared friendly. When I waived, they all enthusiastically waived back. We didn't see any H1s or new H3s.
We got a lot of looks everywhere we went, probably due to the huge size and gas guzzling engine more than anything. I really enjoyed it and would probably rent it again if we ever go back to KOA. We decided it was a cool toy / vacation car, but not a daily driver at all, especially if you live around NYC.
Here are some photos on my Hertz page:
Hertz Rental Car Photos (http://www.thaitum.com/photos/hertz/)
The model we got matched the "Adventure" specs at $55,810 MSRP. It featured a 6.0L V8 with 325hp, 365lbs-ft torque. We averaged 12.1 mpg over 850 miles, spending about $250 for 87 octane gas. It did not come with Neverlost, but I brought my new Garmin C330 GPS with us just in case.
After driving it around for the week, I have to say that it handled all the off-road trails from the book "Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed" very well, and some trails not marked in the book. We never got suck and it made it over some huge ruts and boulders I would not have attempted in the Navigator. Some of the roads were literally rough stones laid out over lava fields. I'm sure we could have made it in a lessor car, in fact we watched many people in normal 4 doors drive very slowly over the same broken roads. They sometimes bottomed out, stopped, reversed, or had to reposition their cars. One group in a open top Jeep Wrangler looked nice in their white resort wear going in, but were all dusty orange by the time they got to the destination. Our H2 however, made it feel effortless and very comfortable with our power leather seats, auto A/C, sunroof, 6 disc changer and Bose stereo.
The engine made a lot of noise, so we could always hear it coming when the parking valets brought it around. It was very slow off the line, but at highway speeds it didn't feel too bad. We kept it in 4WD Hi all the time except for one case where putting it into 4WD Lo got us going up a very steep incline again without problem. In heavy rain around Hilo, it felt very stable. I had a lot of difficulty parking it into normal sized spaces and had to align in the spot just right, or we couldn't open one of the doors.
Interestingly, we saw more H2s than Navigators on the Big Island. Apparently they are used for tour groups. We saw a "Hummer Safari" advertised at our hotel. While driving, the other H2 drivers appeared friendly. When I waived, they all enthusiastically waived back. We didn't see any H1s or new H3s.
We got a lot of looks everywhere we went, probably due to the huge size and gas guzzling engine more than anything. I really enjoyed it and would probably rent it again if we ever go back to KOA. We decided it was a cool toy / vacation car, but not a daily driver at all, especially if you live around NYC.
Here are some photos on my Hertz page:
Hertz Rental Car Photos (http://www.thaitum.com/photos/hertz/)