Here's a fascinating off-road battle. Can a stock Suzuki Jimny perform as well (or better) than a modified Hummer H2 in the dirt? This video attempts to answer the question.
The Jimny is the standard commercial version available in Europe. It has a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder making 101 horsepower (75 kilowatts) and 96 pound-feet (130 Newton-meters). There's four-wheel drive and a five-speed manual with a transfer case offering low-range gearing. The SUV is wearing standard all-season tires.
It's going up against a Hummer H2 packing a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8. The factory specs for the engine are 393 hp (293 kW) and 415 lb-ft (563 Nm). The power runs through a six-speed automatic with a full-time all-wheel-drive system. This one has a pair of side-exit exhausts on both sides.
The H2 appears to be riding on a lifted suspension. It also has mud-terrain tires.
There's an issue with the H2, though. The buttons for activating the center- and rear-locking differentials apparently don't work. This helps the Jimny's chances in the challenges.
First, there's a drag race up a steep grade. In low range, the Jimny scoots up the hill while the H2 slowly crawls up the incline.
Gallery: HUMMER H2 Limited Edition Pacific Blue
Next, they race around a short trail. The road is narrow, and the corners are tight. The Hummer has to stop and perform a three-point turn to get through. The Jimny has no such issues and scores another victory.
The drivers then have to see which descends a hill the slowest. In addition to having issues with its differentials, the Hummer's hill descent control system also apparently isn't working. Without being able to use the brakes, the H2 hands an easy victory to the Jimny.
They next need to climb and then descend a rutted path. On the way down, the Jimny has its first issue when the suspension bottoms out.
The really big challenge is going up a steep hill with loose rocks on the path. It takes the H2 three tries and a long run-up to be successful. The Jimny requires four attempts, but driver error is part of the issue.
It would be interesting to see if the results would be different if the Hummer had repairs to the mechanical issues.
