Hummer & Coachmen 24'

Then the mist and fog of the fantasy evaporate like water on a Death Valley sidewalk in July. Flights of fancy are easily sparked by the Hummer, a tow vehicle unlike any we've encountered before. The reality is that Hannah and Amanda are belted safely into the passenger seats and grinning from ear to ear as they happily wave at the passing motorists who invariably turn and stare at the Hummer as it rumbles by. Mom is attempting to nap in her jostling bucket seat, and a Coachmen Catalina Lite 24-foot trailer tags merrily along behind.

The test Hummer was the four-passenger convertible-top model, one of four models in the Hummer lineup. Other Hummer styles include a two-passenger hardtop, which is more or less a pickup version; a four-passenger hardtop and a four-passenger wagon with a hardtop that extends clear to the truck's aft end. All Hummers, regardless of hard- or soft-top configuration, feature an aluminum body with a composite hood.

Given the Hummer's

$80,243 suggested retail price (bumped up from its $63,155 base by a variety of options) and its, shall we say, unique driving and operating characteristics, it's a rig that even the manufacturer agrees "is not for everyone." But for those wellheeled individuals who want something different in a tow rig that has dynamite off-pavement performance and can tow with the best of them, the Hummer may be the hot-and certainly, unique-ticket.

Conversely, the Catalina Lite is a family-oriented travel trailer that's both affordable and traditional enough to fit into many families' recreation plans. The test rig, a 24-foot 241FK model, has a forward-kitchen floorplan with a midcoach living area and curbside rear-corner full-size bed opposite a corner-situated shower and toilet enclosure. This has proven a very popular floorplan as evidenced by its use by most RV manufacturers. As for cost, the Coachmen topped out at $16,784 (suggested retail price as tested), and included a variety of options that upped the tally from its $11,942 base price.

While the 4,140-pound Coachmen didn't come close to matching the Hummer's 8,090-pound tow rating, the Coachmen's overall size better fits the Hummer's go-anywhere image. A much larger trailer, closer to the Hummer's tow rating, could have seriously hampered the places where it could go with the trailer.

COMFORT, CONVENIENCE

It's a bit of a stretch to refer to the Hummer's accommodations in terms of "comfort," although it all depends on your perspective. AM General Corporation, the creators of the first military Hummer back in July 1980 and the follow-up civilian Hummer in July 1992, has made great strides toward civilizing the rugged craft. Yet, it retains most of its military-esque appeal, which admit it or not, is one reason a lot of people buy it.

The Hummer comes standard with all the usual amenities; such as intermittent wipers; power windows, door locks, steering, brakes and the like. Its air conditioner and heater are second to none for effectiveness, and its stereo can blast the quality tunes with the best of them. Its driver and passenger bucket seats are as comfy and coddling as any we've ridden in, and many interior surfaces have been smoothed and rounded and padded as might be expected for a modern civilian vehicle. Climbing in and out of the Hummer is comparable to that process in any heavy-duty 4WD pickup or sport-utility vehicle (SUV).

But there are comfort issues. The overall packaging is what gives some people second thoughts about the Hummer. Due to its high ground-clearance design, its engine and transmission ride high between the frame rails, and they're located further aft from the front of the rig than usual. As such, there's a huge drivetrain hump between the right- and left-side passengers, and there's no chance for use of a bench seat up front or in the second row. There are four bucket seats in the Hummer, and they're wedged in between the drivetrain hump and the outside of the vehicle. A driver with long arms can sit in place and reach over and just barely touch the right-seat passenger's shoulder. While this is great for keeping squabbling, backseat siblings separated, it also means each occupant is more or less stuck in place with little room to move around. Those with broad shoulders or circumferentially-challenged girth may find themselves sitting with one shoulder against the outside door and the driveline hump almost snug against one's ribs.

At 6 feet 6 inches and 260 pounds, I found the Hummer had more than the usual amount of headroom and legroom, and for me, the rest was cake. I drove it for many hours nonstop, and while it's not as plush as an Expedition nor as spacious as a Suburban, I felt fine in the driver's seat. There were good placeswithout sharp edges-to rest my legs while driving and my arms had places to go while turning the wheel. At the same time, other test staffers found the rig an exercise in self-abuse, and they wanted out as soon as practical. Some likened it to sitting in a small single-seat aircraft, and others had airline coach-class seats brought to mind. It all depends on what you expect in a vehicle.

For example, the diesel engine and convertible top combined to create relatively high ambient road noise at freeway speeds, but less than we've experienced in other convertible SUVs. AM General has done a great job with snugging-down the soft-top and providing it with soundinsulating material. Yet, top removal or installation is a painless and easy process.

The coil-sprung ride is firm, but better than many we've encountered in vehicles with a 10,000-pound-plus gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr). Fast-acting power steering and a sharp turning cut angle make the truck surprisingly nimble when driving solo through a two-lane twisty road or down city streets.

Ahead of the driver is a dashboard with readily-legible analog gauges and basic, practical switches and controls. The shift lever and parking brake are readily accessible at the driver's right hand, and the radio, climate and electric window controls are comfortably angled toward the driver. From a functional standpoint, the driver's area works well. There's a bit less visibility out the windshield, but it doesn't impede the view from a safety standpoint. Speaking of the view, the test rig included the heated windshield option ($606), a spendy item but worthwhile in cold climates.

It's more of a functional feature than a comfort item, but the optional central tire inflation system (part of an $8,509 option package) sure is handy. A set of dash-mounted buttons and gauges allow the driver to reduce the tires' air pressure for better traction in soft terrain, or pump it back up again, while driving or sitting still. That's a real convenience, especially for die-hard offroad enthusiasts.

We had trouble with a couple of gauge calibrations. The speedometer and odometer were at least 10 percent slow, and the fuel gauge was way off for both the main and spare tanks. For example, the gauge would indicate the main tank was about YB full after just 12 gallons of its 25gallon capacity had been burned. We verified this on several fillups. It's just an adjustment issue, but it gave us a few second thoughts as we watched the gauge quickly dump itself while towing.

POWERTRAIN, PERFORMANCE

Despite the Hummer's dramatic image, it is also a fine, functional tow rig. It combines a variety of the right features, including a relatively long 130-inch wheelbase, wide-track front and rear axles, firm truck-like suspension, a short 46-inch rear axle-to-hitch-ball distance and precise variable-ratio power steering to create a rig that handles its load with stability and security.

Those with trailer towing in mind would do well to choose the optional ($4,613) turbocharged version of the 6.5-liter diesel engine, which is essentially the same engine offered in Chevrolet and GMC light trucks. The turbocharged engine produces 195 hp at 3,400 rpm and 430 lb-ft of torque at 1,800 rpm, as compared to the 170 hp and 290 lb-ft generated by the conventionally-aspirated engine. Both engines are connected to a GM 4L80-E four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive.

The engine is accessed by first folding the grille guard forward and down. After releasing two large external hood latches and an inside lock, the hood tilts forward. This allows relatively good access to service points and the front of the engine.

All Hummers are full-time 4WD by way of a differential in the New Venture model 242 transfer case, which can be locked manually into 4WD, or shifted down to 4WD low-range when the going gets tough.

A peek under the chassis reveals a frame and drive mechanism very different from the usual. Both differentials are mounted solidly in the frame, and the disc brake rotors are affixed to the axles immediately adjacent to the differentials. The wheels are suspended on A-arm independent suspension setups with coil springs on all four corners. Each wheel has a double-U-joint axle between the differential and the hub assembly

The differentials are equipped with 2.56:1 gears, which isn't exactly a great low ratio (numerically high) best suited for towing. However, each wheel hub is also equipped with a 1.92:1 gear reduction between the drive axle and the wheel. This results in a 4.48:1 final drive ratio, which is a terrific overall gear for towing power and performance. At the same time, the extra-tall tires help keep the engine rpm from running way out of sight at freeway speeds.

Part of the rig's monumental 16-inch ground clearance is the result of those double-gear-reduction axle hubs. The axle enters the hub fairly high up, relative to the wheel centerline. This helps keep the axle U-joint angles from being too severe, as well as lowering the wheel on the hub, thus raising the rest of the hub mechanism and suspension.

Acceleration with the trailer in tow is not neck-snapping, but the Hummer does get out of its own way once the turbo is wound up to speed and the engine builds some revs. A 0-to-60 mph dash consumed 40.86 seconds, and a 40-to-60 mph passing run required 15.2 seconds.

Side winds and passing traffic make scarcely a dent in its dead-ahead forward progress. The Hummer and Coachmen felt solid and very secure under all conditions, including curving two-lane roads and while braking hard. A climb up a 7percent grade had us motoring along at 41 mph in second gear at 2,500 rpm, and dropping down the same grade, engine compression held us to a comfortable 50 mph at 2,000 rpm in third gear. Fuel economy averaged 8.5 mpg when towing, and about 12.8 mpg running solo.

TRAILER LIVABILITY

When towing a trailer through a closequarters campground or across some soft blow sand, it helps if the trailer isn't huge and heavy. That's where the Catalina Lite 241 was well suited for family use behind the Hummer. It's big enough to keep everyone comfortably accommodated, yet small enough to follow the Hummer to any of several rugged destinations.

A small crowd can overnight in the Lite 241, as long as they aren't all full-size adults, because the sleeping arrangements provide one full-size bed and two alternate-size beds. The dinette is actually a couple of inches longer than the main bed, although it's narrower, so it can handle a long person or a couple of small kids. Likewise, the fold-out sofa can take small kids or an adult who doesn't mind a slightly lumpy sleeping surface.

While the corner-bed arrangement is great for fitting the bed and bathroom into a compact space, it's also the leastdesirable for making the bed each day. With just one corner open for access, the bed maker must crawl on the bed and arrange the linens while kneeling on them, which requires some gymnastics. Still, many users are somewhat casual about making the bed while camping, so this may be less of an issue than it seems.

The tall road tester in our group slept with his feet dangling out over the accessible open end of the bed, which worked pretty well. He's accustomed to smallish beds, so the dangle was no problem.

However, the shorter test crewperson had to crawl over the beanpole each time she needed to make a bathroom break trip, which is a consideration for those shopping for a trailer with this type of bedroom arrangement.

As a lounge, the central living area is the berries. The low-profile entertainment center console, streetside, is the right spot for supporting a portable television and includes all the necessary hookups. A television in that spot is readily seen from the sofa, but the swivel chair must be moved around to provide viewing for the chair's occupant, hopefully without blocking any major traffic flow through the trailer

The forward-kitchen floorplan is more popular than ever, with good reason: It's just plain practical. It sort of isolates the cook from the ebb and flow of foot traffic through the rest of the trailer, and provides a relatively calm place to prepare meals. Close-by storage for kitchen goods is well-sized for this unit.

Likewise, the close-by fixed dinette makes meal service convenient for the chief cook and bottle washer. As long as you're going to be stuck with meal chores, the facilities may as well be as comfortable as possible.

The bath is small, but functional, with adequate space for getting clean and toilet usage, and the vanity sink is tiny and tucked away in a corner. Wide-shouldered individuals may need to hunker slightly sideways to get seriously close to the sink, which doesn't have a whole lot of extra surrounding counterspace.

Storage is pretty good throughout the interior, with enough closet space to keep Mom and Dad's nice duds tidy while storing a few coats at the same time. With a full house, the kids can take advantage of the numerous storage cabinets and drawers, but some clothing will likely need to be stashed in duffel bags that are moved about as needed for using different spaces inside the trailer. Exterior storage is minimal and can handle a few tools or blocks, or maybe a hose and cord, but not much more.

CONSTRUCTION

Coachmen uses traditional but reliable assembly techniques, as befits a lowerpriced unit that's designed for long service life. The roof, walls and floor are framed with wood, including tapered 2 x 2-inch rafters, 2 x 2-inch floor joists and 1 x 2-inch studs. All are insulated with fiberglass, and the interior is sheathed with decorative lauan wall and ceiling coverings. The floor is a combination of vinyl or heavy-duty carpet over S-inch Structurwood, with a Darco vinyl underbelly to seal the insulation from the weather. The outside walls are corrugated aluminum, and the roof is one-piece aluminum laid directly over the rafters.

As impressive and fantasy-generating as the Hummer is, it's also a fine tow rig that can do a real workmanlike job while providing the kind of image-conscious ride that some people want-and can afford. The Coachmen Catalina Lite is an affordable, functional trailer with broad appeal to budget-conscious families who plan on short-term vacations, or perhaps, that ultimate fantasy family trip...complete with lightning, lost treasures and adventures beyond belief. TL

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Aug 1998
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