TL TEST

GM'S NEW H2 AND THE LIGHTWEIGHT JAYCO MAKE A VERSATILE, GO-ANYWHERE, EASY-TOWING COMBO

It may not tow the biggest trailer or haul the most cargo or people, but the all-new GM Hummer H2 is undoubtedly the most-exciting new tow rig to come along in many moons. It has the head-turning style and rugged abilities of its namesake, and it handles a trailer like an old pro.

GM's H2 embodies the best of the first-generation Hummer image in its macho styling and supreme functionality, yet its "civilianized" interior and creature comforts make it a vehicle that virtually anyone would be happy driving on a day-to-day basis. Behind that tough-guy persona lurks the spirit of a truly user-friendly tow rig.

We matched the H2 up with a Jayco Kiwi Too 28R trailer. Not all growing families have un]limited budgets or big tow rigs, so the Kiwi Too fills the bill on several fronts. This Jayco series of lightweight models is suitable for use when the user's tow vehicle does not have mega towing ability, but full RV livability and quality features are still on the must-have list.

The 28R model, with a front kitchen, mid lounge, curbside self-contained bath and aft-end master bedroom, provides full living features in a lightweight 5,300pound wet-but-empty package. The test model had a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $22,511 - not the least expensive of its type but still affordable as a family-use RV Its weight makes the Kiwi Too a good match for the H2's 6,700-pound tow rating.

At the same time, while the H2's $52,510 MSRP isn't exactly inexpensive, it's about half the cost of the original Hummer and very much in line with the price of a full-pop Ford Excursion, Chevrolet Suburban or other top-end SUV.

Our road-test trip found us headed up California State Highway 99 en route to the Sierra Nevada mountain range above Fresno. The objective was the Whiskey Ridge area, outside the hamlet of North Fork, where we planned to continue some research on historic sites relating to the Sugar Pine Lumber Company, which operated in this region during the 1920s. We knew this drive would cover freeways, steep highways in the mountains and scarcely maintained Forest Service roads that once were railroad grades, so the H2 would be adequately put through its paces under a variety of towing and driving situations.

POWERTRAIN