Jeep and Hummer Real Life Review

Before I went to Iraq we were doing some field exercises training right off the post in Mannheim, Germany. It's a pretty muddy place and a lot of people from post take their 4x4s there in their spare time.

Anyways it was winter in Germany with a lot of snow and mud and we got a few of the HMMWVs stuck out there. About 4 days later we were on block leave and my friend took his 2-door Jeep Wrangler X out to the area and made it through the spots were we got the HMMWVs stuck.

The only thing done to his Jeep was some aftermarket wheels and 33/12.50/R15 Mickey Thompson MTZs. I was really surprised at how good the Wranglers are in mud. I'm not saying JKs are better than H1s offroad, but in the mud the weight of the HMMWVs really hurt them, plus the military soft top HMMWVs are stripped down with no lockers.

Anyways the H3 is a capable vehicle but a JK Rubicon has more ground clearance (10.2" vs 9.7"), better water fording (30" vs 24"), better crawl ratio in low range (73:1 vs 68:1), more horsepower with the Pentastar (285 vs 242), more torque (260 vs 242), solid front axle vs IFS, and weighs 300-800 lbs less depending on 2 door or 4 door JK. Plus it comes in 6-spd manual.

After my experience in the mud with the HMMWVs and JKs I ended up trading my Chevy Colorado Z71 for a 2-door Rubicon when I got back from Iraq. I also used to think my regular cab Colorado was a capable 4x4 since it had 33's and a rear locker (the H3 is based off the Colorado) but it doesn't come close to a Rubicon offroad. A lot of places where I had to use my locker in the Z71 I can go without using them in the JK.


Larry's Comment: First of all I would like to thank you for your service to our country.

It's nice to hear a true informal "field" test from someone who has actually run both the Hummer (military and civilian) as well as the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

Everyone has their own preferences, uses, and biases regarding their vehicle of choice. That's what I think makes brand loyalty kind of fun. 'My Hummer can beat up your Jeep'...or...'my Jeep can run circles around your Hummer'.

Truth be told, I don't think that even cold hard facts are going to change anyone's mind who own either a Jeep or Hummer. Also, each vehicle has positives and negatives, and both can do a lot of cool stuff off road.

Thanks for your great feedback on both vehicles in real life situations. I only wish you had included a photo or two of your new Jeep.