I REALLY Hated The Hummer H1: Until I Drove One... WOW! 

I daily my 1998 H1 and have owned it since 2006. I live in a popular beach town where people boat launch from the beach it is always nice to rescue folks who get stuck it also works great for around the property pulling trees out etc. A few things from the video is that the slantback top on this truck is aftermarket, although they did make factory slantbacks but only available in 2000 models and only 40 were built before AM General was served a lawsuit by the aftermarket slantback manufacturer Cal Gold which makes them highly sought after. As you stated the Cal Gold top can be removed in 3 separate pieces however it was a pain due to amount of fasteners, weight of the tops, and leaking issues which required a bead of silicon between each section.. So it definitely was not something people would do.. I ended up selling my Cal Gold due to this and a few other issues.. The factory top was even more of a permanent top. The middle jump seat was a factory option/purchase which I purchased mine from the dealership, also the exhaust on this truck is not factory, the muffler is located between the framerails on the stock configuration and not within the wheel well but the exhaust pipe does route up in the wheel well on the stock configuration for deep water fording as you stated. The winch was a factory option with the Warn M12000 winch but it is hard to say if that is what was on this truck. As for the lockers the BTM(Brake Throttle Modulation) was available up until 1998 then due to regulations in 1999 they had to install ABS which made the BTM impossible so they installed TT4(Torque Trac 4) and also offered an option e-locker as well.

I daily a HMMWV - if you have a short commute, it's perfectly reasonable. One thing you guys didn't touch on is the size of it. While a very wide vehicle, it's only 180" long, which is about 4 feet shorter than any full size truck. It has a fairly small bed, think Chevy Avalanche, but it can very easily fit in my garage. MPG is atrocious, as expected, but the smiles, waves, thumbs-up, etc. makes it worth it.

2 things, I'm surprised no one mentioned the incredibly tight 26.5ft turning radius, and there was also a VERY rare civilian single cab H1 that looked awesome!

It's still just absolutely mind blowing that yes, if you lived in Canada or the US in the time period that these were sold new, you could experience driving what was essentially a military vehicle down your suburban street. What a time to be alive.

I drive my 97 HMCS daily. Love everything about her. No other vehicle can compare for it's capabilities from the factory.

As someone who spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a HMMWV in Afghanistan they're absolute monsters off road. Between real world and off road training I've done some insane things in one those. That short and wide wheel base makes a HMMWV an absolute monster.

That truck is a HMCO , soft top with the Cal Gold / Gypsy Rack Slant back kit. The Factory slant backs were limited to one model year and less than a dozen trucks. They have a rounded-out back, windshield wipers and marker lights on the rear door and interior plastic trim to fill out in the inside. Cal Gold sued AM General to get an injunction against making Slantback factory trucks which is why there is so few of them. There was enough OEM parts left over where some owners tracked down factory parts and got the conversion done. There's a few of those. I personally know of a 1992 LE and a 2006 Alpha that had that work done.

Need to take one of these to tumbleweed, see how it does vs modern off roaders!

I drove the military ones and they feel like you're re-entering Earth's atmosphere in a trashcan when you're on the highway

In order to truly hate something you have to understand it. I don't think you actually hated this truck. You just disliked it and misunderstood it.

The guy running the electrical contracting company that I worked for in 1997 had a white 4 door truck variant. He only drove it for a short time because he didn’t like it and one of the line crews ended up driving it. I got to drive it several times on and off road. I loved it. It was awesome.

I have a little piece of the hummer/humvee in my 92k1500 being it's a 6.2 diesel. Love it even if it's slow as hell

I looked up the size of the H1 and surprisingly it is not very long or wide. It is shorter in length than even modern sedans and about as wide as most modern full size trucks.

Five or six years ago I purchased an old military surplus 1994 model it just has a truck cab with a bed on it. I bought it strictly to haul round bales of hay in the river bottom. It has the old lame dog 6.2 before the turbo came out. Those old slugs have to be plugged in all of the time to crank because of those sorry glow plugs but i’ll tell you one thing it will absolutely go anywhere because it is basically a law of physics, if you don’t have the power to spin the wheels you cannot get stuck. 🤣. In the five or six years I have owned it I’ve put about 3000 miles on it in some of the nastiest mud and water you can imagine and I have never spent a dime on it because really there is nothing to break on that old military model.

sorry I'm commenting as I'm watching. The 4WD thing you are talking about with the braking and throttling is called BTM (Brake Throttle Modulation). The first time I used mine was on ice going over a bridge and it literally saved my ass. The trick is revving it with the brakes fully on to about 1700 rpm, then letting off slowly. It's honestly one of the most amazing things ever, and also one of the reasons I keep my truck in case of some emergency and you really need to be able to get out of a bad situation. I'm 6'2" and 255 on a good day, and I totally disagree with the room. I am now also driving a jeep and I feel like im in a clown car. There's tons of room to drive. also I suggest you don't call CTIS "SEETIS" to anyone. Keep that to yourself. map lights are not anything ever offered. Defrost button was not offered. You can see defrost right on the HVAC controls. These are custom mods as well as that red dash thing whatever that is. again I'm 6.2 and there is no lack of leg or shoulder room. There must be a mod or something. I can move my seat back very comfortably and I have way more room in the jeep. middle seat is an accessory. Yes you are right that the back seat is tight for a tall guy but not a problem in width. no clue on that hummer headliner. it is not a factory thing. Someobody did some bad mods to this truck passenger seat? yeah sucks. they have some knee mod you can do but still this truck was made for the driver. there is no temp compass in that year H1 that I know of, and you are driving a modded up H1 with a third party slant back so yeah, no view. and that exhaust? nowhere near correct. The muffler is underneath. I have no idea why they would place it up there. It's literally never been that way. and again, third party slant back. They did run a limited series slant back but this is not it which it why it appears to be removeable

9:01 - horn button is fun. My dad’s old Fairmont had that kind of horn button.

These things are actually awesome with a modern 6.6 LBZ or newer Duramax and a newer 5/6 speed transmission. Still gets 10 mpg though, no amount of torque can help that

In the actual military one at 6’2 my knees touched the dash and the seat didn’t go forward and backward Or lean, one setting

I love my HMMWV. Daily driver for 3 yrs now

Slant back is the best looking, brings back memories.

Great idea getting these obscure unique vehicles from dealers to review. That thing is huge. Thanks guys

Thank you, Tommy. Love the HUMVEE. As wide as the vehicle is, that wide tunnel, makes it narrow seating even your narrow hips. Good review

from having had 2 of them on my floor , both owned by the same guy and funnily enough both bought from the first owner by himself , the first owner being a well known celebrity who had bought over these cars for his game farm , both cars were 4 seat in the cab pick up trucks , one having had the back converted into a fully enclosed game viewer . one was petrol and one was a diesel , 6.5 non turbo . I drove them both and they were fun to drive , a bit like the defender in cabin proportions with a huge transmission tunnel in the middle for fun , the diesel was the happier engine even if it was as slow as a snail . I can tell you , once you learn the tricks , she is pretty good offroad , do you know why they were so wide ? they were designed to drive in tank tracks !

You guys should go to the military auction and buy a surplus Humvee! I have seen these auction and would love your take on the process and what kind of work the surplus humvees need or don't need.

Awesome job and great the dealership was able to provide you with a unique vehicle and good advertisement for them too. Always thought these were cool and was able to drive a cavilian one too.

On the truck shown, the CTIS must be inoperable given the gauge showing 0 and almost 0 on the 2 needles. I'm also pretty sure that this particular truck was not made as a slantback by AMG. The way the roof sits in relation to the windshield makes it look like an aftermarket option. -There's nothing wrong with that of course, but I don't think this truck was born as a slantback.

Most HMMWV come with a poor mans winch. Your version has the mount, but it is missing. The 4 lugs in the center of the hubs is for a part found on most military versions. You stick a bar through it, tie a rope around it, and drive. You do this on both sides and it winds itself in. Refer to the old military field manual. You might learn a neat trick or two. FM 20-22.

That horn button on the stalk had me laughing!

I drove one a LOT in the army. We used JP8 in Germany which allowed the hummer to go pretty fast. They are wide so there is a learning curve.

I could never own an H1, but I absolutely love all the hurky switches, dials, toggles and levers. Having that much immersion and level of physical manipulation inside the vehicle is something I always love having.

Additionally, 1997.5 and newer had way better HVAC. The H1 Alpha was an amazing package in the last years. After 1997, I believe all were turbo diesel or gas (no more na diesel). The trucks actually drive great once you get the tires balanced and make sure there is no slip in the pitman arms (multiple pitman arms). There is a strong community of owners that wrench on their own trucks and all the issues are pretty known and easy sort out.

That high rear seat made for a nice touch for civilian use but was just a platform for the turret machine gunner. There was a seat on that platform if you had an antitank cannon on your Humvee

Really cool video to watch. I worked on the military version for several years and noted the differences. The 6.5 paired to the 4spd was a huge improvement over the 6.2 which was hooked to a 3spd. And yes. The seating is very cramped. And I've never seen seats installed in the middle of the rear like that. That's either unique to the civilian model or it's aftermarket. Also new to me is the CTIS which is common in bigger military trucks but not HMMWV. I'm curious where they put the ac condensors. When they retrofit military HMMWVs with it, they installed them over the rear wheels where I see the exhaust is located. Before the suspension upgrades, they would hit pumps in the road causing the tire to impact the condensers making the AC worthless. They are a pain to replace and we did it MANY times!

Always wanted one of these but damn for the price a H1 or a new Jeep or bronco now some of these are still over 100k

Once you drive a hummer of road. You’ll love it. Same as a G wagon. Any year.

The civilian version was very luxurious compared to the military spec. I thought you rode or drove one Tommy that was a converted military spec version. One of your other friends that has a few vehicles brought it out?? Or was that Andre?? The seats are basically a canvas sling in the military version. My buddy has one with a 502 fuel injected running through a stout 4 speed automatic. He said there was a kit to basically both everything in. Of course it wasn’t as easy as it sounds,,,, but it was easier than some conversions we had done. The truck was still not exactly quick with 525 hp and similar torque. It was really nice off-road with that powertrain, but it was huge!! The trails were challenging.

Cool color and just a crazy offroad vehicle.

That after Center seat is an aftermarket product and the slant back is an aftermarket basically that was open top H1 Hummer that someone converted to a slant

There are aspects of them that are a bitch to work on,such as front drivers side brake rotor/caliper setup.I've driven them in the military plus rebuilt them at the depot I work at,it's a pos.They aren't really for tall people,the aluminum support beam in back of the front seats cuts down on the front seat room.

Dang wish I was around for this one :)

This is not a real slantback or even a well done knock off. It’s an opentop with a kit on it. The CTIS is not working. Someone also repainted it. The middle seat was an option.

I count myself fortunate that I was able to sit in one as a kid around 2001 at the San Francisco International Auto Show in Moscone Center. The width of that center transmission tunnel is really hard to portray on camera - if it wasn't there, you could easily fit four seats across. It feels like you have to shout at your passenger just to relay a message, and that's with the vehicle off!

Call me crazy, but I'll daily tf outta this over my humvee. I daily drive my humvee and love it because of how well it handles and its pretty small as well if you aren't talking about the width of it. Plus for its size, it has a ton of cargo space since its not taken over by a bunch of air bags and plastic

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that's not actually one of the 40 Slantbacks but a HMC4 (soft top) with a California Gold top

The H1 is my dream truck

I love that my Alabama-made “shopping mom GLE” has more HP and torque that this big diesel tank!!

As others have mentioned, as a 1997 that's not an OEM slantback. They only made 40 of those at the factory and they are VERY VERY sought after. This particular truck looks like the CTIS system has been disabled and the dash has been mangled. Never buy a truck where the plastic has been drilled into - you can't get those parts anymore.

It was Chrysler that tried to sue GM, but they lost because they didn't seem to know the history of there own vehicles...lol AM General is Jeep's military division, so they have every right to use the 7 slot grill.

Such a beast. Cool. But I would not put a small sportscar steering wheel in mine.

I love it, but it needs an OEM steering wheel to be perfect.

Great stuff, keep them coming..Brad frm Vernon British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦 love your channel.

side note: from my personal experience, a Cummins engine may be better suited for them

I can believe they missed the opportunity to stack a cooler instead of that small seat

She cried a tear when you threatened to bring her on the main road LMAO!

The rpm guage says diesel because diesels need special rom guages, they don't have spark, why am I telling you this your the car guy right?

Mmm a video on this hummer vs bronco sport tommy?

Love it!

many years ago i had a job at a radio station as a laborer.... i did things like help setup events, mowing grass under the transmitter towers, janitorial work.... you name it, i did it they had a hummer H1 as a promotional vehicle, i rode in it several times. eventually someone didnt check the oil and it spun a rod bearing..... oops, big oops actually. this was over 20 years ago, late 1990's

I own a 96 soft top. I disagree with the visability. It's basically a brick shape, so unlike modern card that have all kinds of curves that you can't see, you can easily estimate the corner because it just goes straight down. Infinitely easier to parallel park than a regular car too

Not a daily driver, but a tow vehicle?! I got a boat!! Would love to see the faces when I tow down to the dock with this!!

there are a few of those H1s out there that had the Vortec 8.1 but they are very rare. I'm not 100% sure if they were factory or not.

The fantasy is Always better than the reality.

The one you want is the H1 Alpha with the Duramax and Allison...

There was no middle seat in the military version, that's were the turret gunner stood.

Someone needs to hellcat swap one of these

I own an M1123 HMMWV wouldn't trade it for anything. When I took it wheeling for the first time I went with 15 various other 4x4's me and a heavenly moded TJ Wrangler were the only two who didn't get stuck.

Is that Ginger from Epic Adventure Outfitters?

Don't forget about the factory CTIS...

I believe these use Torsen limited slip differentials. There are no clutches, they "lock up" using only gears, so they are very robust. They are not technically a "locker".

What do you mean they have automatic lockers where you would use the brakes and you can get them to lock up how does that work

Love this vid

love to drive it not to own though

Unimog: Hold my beer 🍺

Now take it to your course!

Part of me wants to daily drive one for a week... However I frequently am navigating tiny school parking lots for work, that wouldn't be fun in one of those...

ive always wanted one, but not al fancied up like this, i want one that looks like it just got back from iraq lol

I had a 1996 HMCO (open top) which is a little closer to the HMMWV mil spec. This video was a slant back which was only available for a short time by AMGeneral... mil slantbacks were typically anti armor and military police and the hard shell was different than the civilian one, including a ring turret for mounted weapons. The middle seat was marginally popular, but due to the impracticality, usually reserved for children's seats. The winch in the video may be factory (kinda rare) but it's not the factory bumper. The vehicle shown in the video has a lot of aftermarket customization.

If I was to own an H1 it would be either this slant back or open top version I've always loved those trucks

No way! I've been watching this one on Autotrader for awhile.

Tommy let's remember that AM General, is GM.

Now try getting in while wearing full sapies and carrying a 240

Dang. That is a civilian version of the M1026 gun truck used in the Army. The M1026 had a 6.2L non turbo. The 6.5L is the same engine as the M1114 and M1151 up armored. A pooch engine. But for the civilian version I bet it's quick.

Not sure what is worse, the paint job or the boo boo roof conversion. Put the soft top back on!

Naturally aspirated with Gleason torsion difs not turbo or locker

this vs the cummins 2500 in a TUG O WAR! 12:25 oh sheeet she's sweating!

That’s a truck you just have to ride at least once out of sheer curiosity.)))

My H2 is unreal. Like every time I drive it I still ask myself like what was GM thinking making this thing

If I had the money I would buy one and daily drive it at least for while

I would daily drive the heck out of that! Of course I drive 6 miles per day, so I would only be burning about 6 gallons of diesel a day...

So much want! I rather have this then then million other Jeeps on the road...until it breaks down, often.

The real question is how many gallons per mile are we looking at?

From what I have seen that middle seat in the back was an option from the factory

You should have showed where the brake calipers are. That's pretty trippy. I know you mentioned it also, but it really is hard to describe just how shockingly mid engined these actually are. The entire engine sits well behind the front axle.

FYI they did not come with a factory winch

I still laugh at the video of the h-2 that Andre liked and Nathen hated .

tbh you're better off buying a mil version and retrofitting it yourself.

oh baby

If you are looking for a H1, do yourself a favor and REALLY research the vehicle you're about to buy. It's not complicated, just different. If you get a pre 2001 truck, try to find out if the engine has already been replaced (because if not, budget $10-15k for a new one) Also "its not something you want as a daily driver". I disagree.. I daily my H1 and its amazing.

My two favorite people ever

After all these years I still haven't seen a H1 with a factory 5.7L small block. I've seen plenty that had gas engines swapped in but never a factory job. I'm ready to call it a myth at this point.