Why Are Most H2 Owners So Ridiculously Defensive?

[Playdrv4me]

Wow, I didn't realize the fuel economy was THAT bad, that's actually worse than the H2. MPI must have done alot for the 360 because the 5.9 Grand Cherokee had much improved fuel economy.

[gary88]

Originally Posted by AMGoff

Bullocks...

It's bollocks, you bloody Yank!

Back when I had my '93 K5 Blazer with a 350, I calculated out the gas mileage to be 8-9 miles around town and 13 on the highway. With a 27 gallon tank, I'd be lucky to get 250 miles out of it.

[Playdrv4me]

Originally Posted by gary88

It's bollocks, you bloody Yank!

Back when I had my '93 K5 Blazer with a 350, I calculated out the gas mileage to be 8-9 miles around town and 13 on the highway. With a 27 gallon tank, I'd be lucky to get 250 miles out of it.

I'm not really sure why but the H2 gets miserable highway economy, but miserable in the sense that it doesn't jive with the city economy. At least on the 175 mile trip back from where I got it, I couldn't break 12MPG. Yet in the city it averages around 11 or more. I really can only attribute that to the fact that refrigerators have zero aerodyanmics.

According to Jesda, the Navigator was only a few tenths better in city use.

[gary88]

That's somewhat surprising, as the Escalade gets better gas mileage. About 13 around town, 14 if you baby it, and 18-20ish on the highway. Once you get all that mass rolling the mileage starts to get better.

[dkozloski]

What really annoyed me about the Grand Wagoneer was all the shimmy and wheel tramp associated with the four wheel drive. Going over mutiple railroad tracks at 20 MPH it'd just about swap ends. On a gravel road, where you were going was anybody's guess. I never saw a GW that a radiator leak hadn't just been fixed, it was presently leaking, or about to spring a new one. The silent chain in the transfer case either roared, had a mile of slack and you could hear it slapping around, or both. They would seldom strand you but that was bad because it didn't give you a plausible reason to dump it and get a real rig. Interior trim was never a strong suit and most of them around here the stuffing was coming out of the seats.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

In it's day, the GW was the only real "luxury" 4wd, aside from the Rangies.

[dkozloski]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

In it's day, the GW was the only real "luxury" 4wd, aside from the Rangies.

Yeah! If you wanted luxury you had to put up with the crude running gear.

[Koooop]

Originally Posted by AMGoff

Bullocks... it's damn near impossible to kill a 360, believe me... I've given it more than its fair share of abuse. The things are dinosaurs, in fact they were the preferred vehicle of the druids... there's really not all that much to go wrong with one. The "technology" (if you can even call it that) was well beyond antiquated while it was still in production - if I remember correctly, it was the last domestically produced vehicle in the US that was still carbureted... I think only some cruddy little Isuzu continued to offer such for a year or so after.

In the almost 14 years I've had the old gal, other than normal maintenance stuff (plugs, wires, fliters, batteries, fuses, etc.)... I've had to replace the vacuum lines, the ignition switch, the starter solenoid, and the headliner... that's it. My only possible complaint I could make about her is the wretched fuel economy... which I'm happy if she hits double digits - which is usually downhill with a tailwind!

Beyond that, I still attest that it's not only the genesis, but the pinnacle of go-anywhere comfort. Even compared to most modern SUVs of today... all I have to do is flip that little chrome switch on the dashboard and she really will run circles around the whole lot of them - especially an H2!

As far as the old Suburbans go... I've always been fond of them... they just needed a hefty dose of faux woodgrain trim!

I seem to recall the giant POS GW was a 401 4bbl, which was junk. I guess all of these things didn't have the Limited option.

I also recall the average buyer of a Limited made in excess of $125,000 per year, which was good money by the standard of the day.

The Limited was heavy on luxury and would go anywhere, but a rattle box none the less. You could stick your finger out over the window frame when the door was closed! Wadda (go anywhere) pile.

LOL

[dkozloski]

Originally Posted by Koooop

I seem to recall the giant POS GW was a 401 4bbl, which was junk. I guess all of these things didn't have the Limited option.

I also recall the average buyer of a Limited made in excess of $125,000 per year, which was good money by the standard of the day.

The Limited was heavy on luxury and would go anywhere, but a rattle box none the less. You could stick your finger out over the window frame when the door was closed! Wadda (go anywhere) pile.

LOL

The entire package was a flexible flyer. The steering wheel shook, the mirrors shook, the seats shook, the gearshift shook, the instrument panel shook, the doors shook, all in response to the shimmy and wheel tramp.

[AMGoff]

Ahhh... there's the old Koz I know... we've been agreeing on too many things lately, it must have made me forget. I can't speak of any of the early Wagoneers or J-Trucks, but any of your anecdotal evidence is in complete contradiction to a 14 year old love affair.

Who knows?

Maybe you're absolutely right and I just happened to acquire the one fluke that manages to run right... or maybe I'm just lying out my rear-end and the thing's a total bucket... or maybe.. just maybe, sometimes a sweeping generalization isn't an accurate representation of reality. The things I mentioned having worked on are truly the only things I've had to replace on it... again, who knows... maybe the whole thing to a complete dump on the original owner during the first 5 years of its existence and I just happened to get a totally rebuilt GW. Again... as far as the interior, with the exception of the headliner and some discoloration of the steering wheel... the interior is in fantastic shape for a vehicle that's almost 20 years old... I've never done anything special with it either - I'll only vacuum her out every now and then, but there's no stuffing coming out of the seats, the leather's still in nice shape - no tears or rips, the corduroy inserts show little wear... all the power accessories still work, ie - keyless entry, overhead console computer, seats, locks, mirrors, locks, rear tailgate window, etc... Then on the outside... the paint is in horrible shape - but that's only because Chrysler products of that era were notorious for their sub-par paint jobs.

I'll fully admit that while on the road in 2WD, the steering is as vague as it is sloppy... way too much wheel play and no sense of being connected to the road. However... in 4WD that's not the case whatsoever - she handles amazingly offroad and in inclement weather. What you might call crude, I call beautifully simple - because it just works... flip that little chrome switch and BAM! Ready to go anywhere... then if things get a little tricky, pull the lever, put her into LOW and you're on your way once more... while also being able to pull Mt. McKinley.

The fact remains... whether biased against them or not, in the world of luxury SUVs, the GW is genesis... all of those Navigators and Escalades can call the GW "grand-daddy." Big, comfortable, capable, and for the time uber-luxurious... that's why they fetched Cadillac prices. They never should have stopped making them... there was no reason to, at least from a financial standpoint as they were still selling really well even at the time of their cancellation. The styling was classic... all they needed to do was throw a fuel injected 360 into it and maybe built it on to a modern Ram chassis and it would have been good to go for another decade at least.

Speaking of which... did anyone see the Popular Mechanics project where they took a GW body and threw it onto a Durango frame? I think they called it the "Durangoneer!" I'll have to see if I can find a link for it... but ever since I saw that I've thought that would be a cool idea.

Oh... Ian - yeah... the gas mileage is that horrible. Granted... it would all be considered "city" driving because I never take the think on the highway, nor above 50mph... I'd say 10mpg is a good estimate. Either way, fuel injection made a world of difference... actually.. wait.. was the 5.9 the used in the GC Limited a "Magnum" engine? If so... they were based off of the old LA engines... whereas the 360 in the GW was an AMC engine. I'm not entirely sure... but I'd say there were also a few more differences other than just fuel injection.