Roughing it?: been a really good year? Have a look at these high-end SUV's - the luxurious '03 Lincoln Navigator or the outrageous 2003 Hummer H2

Canadian Forest Industries, May 2003 by Jamieson, Scott

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At first glance, the stately '03 Lincoln Navigator and the in-your-face 2003 Hummer H2 have little in common, except of course the hefty price tags. Starting in the $70 000 range, and priced at over $80 000 as tested, either rig is suited for only the largest or most profitable of contractors or equipment supplier.

Unless of course you want to take out a mortgage on one and move the family in. They are both that big, which is where you start to see just how much these trucks have in common, and how much looks can deceive.

The Hummer's imposing stance and aggressive cladding make it look immense, and it is. It boasts a 123-in wheelbase, an overall length of 190 inches, over 81 inches in width, and stands almost 78 inches tall, not counting the military style roof rack and bush bar. Our tester was canary yellow to boot, making it larger than life.

Full of surprises

While the H2 appears the larger of the two, get out the tape measure and you'll find that both trucks are almost identical in size. The Hummer has an available 3[Symbol Not Transcribed] row seat, and as such can seat six adults nicely with a maximum cargo space (all rear seats folded) of almost 87 ft[Symbol Not Transcribed] - there would be more, but the full size spare occupies a big chunk of the cargo area, and I could see throwing it on the roof for camping trips or family outings. Our tester sat five with ease, with decent room for luggage in a rear compartment we measured at over 27 ft[Symbol Not Transcribed] with the huge spare in place.

In terms of exterior dimensions, the Navigator is actually longer than the H2, almost identical in height and, surprisingly, just as wide. Most surprisingly, the vehicles weigh almost the same - the H2 at 6 400 lb; the Navigator close to 6 000 lb.

For practical inside room, the Navigator is the hands-down winner, with seating for seven in our tester, no end of practical storage space and compartments, and over 103 ft[Symbol Not Transcribed] of total cargo space. Head out onto the road, and you've more surprises in store.

Performance on & off road

As you'd expect from advanced billing, the Hummer H2 thrives off the beaten track, taking you anywhere full-size off-road pickups will, and plenty of places they won't. Unlike most SUV's, smart driving and careful manoeuvring are not necessary to keep you out of trouble on tertiary roads, deep snow or anywhere else for that matter. Ours took us on unplowed roads and fields where we'd think twice before taking a stock heavy-duty pickup.

The H2 has a way of driving you places you'd normally never think of going - in our case over an old rock wall and alongside a snowmobile trail on the frozen Ottawa River in crunchy, multi-layered snow - being mid-January, we figured there'd be lots of time to get the H2 unstuck before thaw, but we needn't have worried. At no time did we come close to bogging down, nor did we have to dial past 4-HI-Locked on the H2's extensive all-wheel setting selection system (it comes with a quick reference chart to explain the half-dozen settings).

The Lincoln Navigator for its part manages basic off-pavement conditions like you'd expect in an SUV. It has a 4WD Lo setting, which came in handy, offers 8.6 inches of clearance for the H2's 10, much less aggressive tires, and approach and departure angles that are not even in the same league as the Hummer (22/20 degrees vs. 44/36 for the H2 - a Range Rover boasts 32/29 approach and departure angles).

We did not even attempt the stone wall or river ride with our Navigator - no doubt to Ford Canada's relief - nor would anyone buy a Navigator with this kind of driving in mind. We did attempt a short drive beside the Hummer's path along an open, snow-drifted field, but our ride ended when we stopped to clear a branch out of the way (you don't want to scratch this sculpted body), and the bulky Navigator dropped through the crusty layer and into the powder below. After an hour digging the wheels out on a howling -30 degree morning, we were on our way. In short, like other SUV's in its class, it is capable off-road, but within limits.

However, back on the highway the big Lincoln handles much better than the average SUV, and far better than the old Navigator. Like the Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigator has been treated to a much stiffer frame and the results are just as impressive as far as higher speed handling goes. The speed sensitive steering system is a breeze, and the vehicle has a reasonably tight turning radius for its size. It also boasts fully independent suspensions front and back with refined 18-in tires, so the ride is very smooth and quiet, as you'd expect. The interior is outstanding in quality, appearance and comfort.

Surprisingly, the new Hummer's road manners are very sedate, making the H2 a different breed than the original H1. It tracks brilliantly at speeds up to 140 km/hr (perhaps higher, but the roaring sound of fuel being sucked out of the tank at these speeds was too much to bear, and excessive speeding in a large yellow Hummer is unwise).