The Hummer brand is in the midst of change as General Motors hands over the reins to Sichuan Tengzhong in China. So far, however, very little has changed on the 2010 Hummer H3T as compared to the previous year and the Hummer HT continues to be manufactured at the GM plant in Shreveport, LA. The standard engine remains the Vortec 3.7 liter 5-cylinder, putting out 239 horsepower. What is different for 2010 is that Alpha Crew Cap and Alpha Sport Utility, for the first time, will come equipped with the far more powerful 5.3 liter V8. This 300 horsepower engine runs on either regular unleaded gasoline or E85, the new 85% ethanol mix. Specs of the 5.3 liter show a 96.0 mm bore, 92.0 mm stroke, 9.9 compression ratio, and overhead valves with two per cylinder. The multi-point injection fuel system feeds from a 27 gallon tank to provide the 300 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 320 ft lb of torque at 4,000 rpm. Fuel economy on this beast can barely be called economic at 16 mpg highway and 13 mpg city, but with the Hummer that has come to be expected. Along with the new V, the Alpha trims also come standard with a 4-speed automatic transmission instead of the 5-speed automatic offered on the 5-cylinder.
The future is looking different than the present and the image of the gas-guzzling tank for the Hummer may be at an end. CEO James Taylor has already given hints that Hummer will be shedding some weight and gaining fuel efficiency in the years to come. He has already been quoted as saying the 2010 models are just the first step in Hummer's evolution to offer responsible, yet highly capable all-terrain vehicles.
