Loved The Hummer H1? The Humvee C-Series Is For You

Think of a battle scene in a movie. Now think of the military vehicles in that scene. Is there a Humvee in there? It should be, considering more than 2.5 lakh of them have seen service in war theatres across the world.

GM, in collaboration with AM General, built civilian versions of the Humvee from 1992 till 2006. While there were three variants of the Hummer on sale, the Hummer H1 resembled the Humvee the most. Slow sales (in the latter years), tighter efficiency and emissions norms and GMs looming bankruptcy forced the company to discontinue the Hummer.

AM General meanwhile had continued to offer the H1 without any engine (which was sourced from GM earlier) to enthusiasts who could not get over the Hummer. Another company, Humvee Export, got the engine and transmission separately, assembled the whole car and shipped it off to customers outside the USA.

Now, VLF Automotive, a company headed by US car industry veterans Bob Lutz (responsible for the development of the Dodge Viper, Cadillac CTS etc.) and Henrik Fisker (designed the BMW Z8, Aston Martin V8 Vantage etc.) has taken over manufacturing duties of the H1, re-named it the Humvee C-Series and has showcased it for the Chinese market.

The Humvee C-Series is being sold as a luxury SUV with a plethora of powertrain and luxury features. The C-Series can be had with either an old-school 6.5-litre, V8 diesel engine or a GM-sourced 6.3-litre, V8 'LS3' petrol motor, both paired to 4-speed automatic transmissions. The 6.5-litre diesel is offered in three performance trims - 193PS/521Nm, 208PS/596Nm, 253PS/596Nm. The LS3 V8 petrol, meanwhile, develops 436PS of maximum power and 574Nm of peak torque and an estimated fuel efficiency of 2kmpl! All that power and torque is needed to move the 3.3-tonne Humvee C-Series at a slow pace.

The Humvee C-Series is available in three trim levels - Bravo, Charlie and Delta with varying levels of equipment. It is a proper behemoth - 4.9-metres long, 2.1-metres wide, 1.9-metres tall with a wheelbase of 3.3-metres and a ground clearance of 406mm. The Humvee C-Series has great off-road credentials - an approach angle of 48 degrees, departure angle of 38 degrees and breakover angle of 25 degrees mean that there are very few places this SUV cannot go to. Add a wading depth of 762mm, the C-Series can be used forge small rivers too!

With limited production, the Humvee C-Series will not come cheap - but then, would it be appealing if it was cheap?