Sometimes, a bad reputation is well deserved.
Lists that rank the worst cars of the 2000s (or all time) tend to include the Hummer H2. We remember it as a symbol of excess. It's a reminder of America's onetime obsession with bloated SUVs and an exemplar of cars that can't back up their tough looks. But once you get past the deserved denigrating of this bad car, it's kind of fun to look at the nitty gritty design details and discover just what made the H2 so embarrassing.
Doug DeMuro rented someone's H2 for a few days and made this video that walks you through a litany of regret. There are the styling cues such as the hoops on the hood and covers over the tire inflation valves that ape the look of the real military Hummer but are absolutely pointless on the H2. There are the side steps that cut six inches off the ground clearance of the supposedly tough machine.
And then there are the faux-tough features that actively harm the driving experience. The rear windshield is smaller than it could be, harming your visibility, and all to make way for ... a few fake vents. Up front, the upright windshield is a bug magnet.
Sit back, watch, and remember the bad old days.
Source: Digg
Andrew's from Nebraska. His work has also appeared in Discover, The Awl, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Playboy, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn with two cats and a snake.
