by Julian Cavazos - Jul. 23, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The Hummer has always been impossible to miss, a selling point when the road behemoths first hit American highways in 1992.

But in a time of decreasing sales of SUVs and trucks, rising gas prices and increased concern of global warming, that spotlight may be getting uncomfortable.

The Hummer has become an icon of unnecessary extravagance, a car that thumbs its grille at a changing world. Nationally and in Phoenix, sales have gone down more than 30 percent through the end of April.

But whether you love or hate the Hummer depends on your view.

Don Harris’ view is from the driver’s seat, and he loves what he sees. He recalled what it was like driving his Hummer off the lot when he bought it in 2003.

“You could see everything,” said Harris, 69. “I was set up high so I got more security. It’s a comfortable feeling, and the kids loved it.”

But Jack Clifford, 56, looks at the Hummer from the ground up. Clifford cringes each time he sees the vehicle, which has roots in the military.

“I really, really dislike them,” said Clifford, who lives in Casa Grande. “If ever anything was meant to be ostentatious and showy, just for the sake of being showy, the Hummer is it. There can’t possibly be another thing in this world that screams out, ‘Hey, look at me. You down there, look up here. Ha ha, mine is so much bigger than yours.’ ”

The anti-Hummer people are becoming more vocal.

Online, numerous Web sites and blogs express antagonism and mockery toward the brand. On at least one site, visitors can post degrading comments, buy anti-Hummer merchandise and see links to negative news articles. One can also see a photo of obscene hand gestures aimed at a Hummer.

Hummerdinger.com, a parody site, lists fake news briefs about Hummers, using humor to skewer the vehicle.

Sharon Dick, 62, of Glendale, dislikes the metal beasts but channels her anger into a vigorous game of “SlugHum,” a variation of “SlugBug,” played when Volkswagen beetles were popular.

Each time Dick sees a Hummer, she slugs her husband.

“Back then, the (VWs) were such a novelty that everybody made fun of them,” Dick said. “Seeing Hummers makes me want to bring to people’s attention that these things aren’t good for us to have. I’m making fun of them because they’re ugly and use huge amounts of gas. Nobody needs to drive around a tank.”

Dick did see one positive attribute in Hummers.

“The only good thing I can think about them, if you can park next to them a lot, sometimes you get shade,” Dick said.

Hummer owners are just as passionate about their vehicles as the Hummer haters. They love the vehicle’s advantages, which to them are well worth the high cost of filling up. For them, public opinion is hardly an obstacle.

Hummer owner Gerry Wiebers, 45, of Scottsdale, doesn’t think others should judge him. He just purchased his second one for his wife.

“As long as it meets the emission test, what difference does it make?” Wiebers said. “I could care less about what people think. I really don’t think it’s anybody’s business.”

For him, safety is a concern. Wiebers, who owns an H2 and an H3, said he bought his two Hummers for their relative indestructibility. He likes the feeling that his large vehicle would protect him in an accident.

“I had somebody hit me a few months ago, and I almost didn’t even hear it,” Wiebers said. “You don’t see many people hauled off in a hearse taken out from a Hummer.”

That reasoning works in reverse for those encountering Hummers. Few cars could stand up to a Hummer in an accident.

“I had a number of close calls with these vehicles while driving, and I was certain it was because the vehicles were not built for driving in heavy traffic,” said Patience Hoag, 47, of Phoenix. “The drivers simply could not see me.”

Environmentalists complain about the Hummers because of the fuel inefficiency. The first Hummers (H1s) and H2s weigh more than 8,500 pounds, so the vehicles are not covered by federal regulations requiring fuel-mileage figures for cars and light trucks. However, IntelliChoice, an automotive-research site, lists the H2’s mileage as 11 mpg in the city and 13 mpg on the highway. Consumer Reports magazine did its own tests and found the H2 averaged 10.7 mpg.

Sandy Bahr, regional chapter director for the Sierra Club, considers Hummers to be a waste of valuable resources.

“It’s the ultimate symbol of inefficiency,” said Bahr, who drives a hybrid. “We ought to be thinking about the next generation, about having clean air and what kind of planet we’ll have.”

Then there’s the financial impact. With gas at $4-plus per gallon, it costs about $128 to fill the H2’s 32-gallon tank.

Those numbers did not dissuade Barry Kluger, 54, of Scottsdale, from buying a Hummer. The public-relations-agency owner moved to the Valley three years ago from New York City, away from 700-square-foot homes and small cars.

His East Coast friends complain about him owning one. “Our East Coast friends are these green people,” Kluger said. “Ever since we moved to Arizona they said we’ve become these gas guzzlers. Our friends say, ‘You got to get green, save a lot of money.’ New York tends to be more liberal and more energy conscious.”

Hummers go back to 1979, when vehicle manufacturer AM General began making high mobility, multipurposed, wheeled vehicles, or HMMWVs (pronounced Humvees), for the U.S. Army. In 1992, the civilian version of Humvees, known as Hummers, became available to the public. The H1, H2 and H3 models now are manufactured and sold by GM.

In the immediate future, Hummers still will be made based on demand, said Nick Richards, Hummer communications manager. Last year, 55,986 Hummers, including 12,431 H2s, were sold in the United States.

In the face of rising gas prices, Kluger’s wife, Hope Kirsch, 53, tries to conserve miles by running several errands each trip.

“I’ll make sure I am doing three things instead of just one,” said Kirsch, an attorney. “I’m mindful of where I travel, and try to stay in my neighborhood.”

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2008/07/23/20080723hatehummers0719.html