Dukes of Hazard Inspires HUMMER H3T, Nissan GTR Contest

At first glance, a comparison between the new 2009 HUMMER H3T and Nissan’s new super-fast GT-R may seem a bit odd, but that didn’t stop the team at Automobile Magazine from putting the two head-to-head. The challenge was to get from point A to point B, with the GT-R taking the longer, smoother, paved route and the H3T taking the shorter, rougher, unpaved route a la Dukes of Hazard.

Here’s how they described picking the HUMMER H3T as their off-road competitor.

For the four-by-four, we settle on the new Hummer H3T Alpha. Before you begin formulating your anti-Hummer letter to the editor, allow me to remind you that the object of this exercise is to traverse 50 miles of rugged mountain trails without getting stuck, breaking down, or puncturing a tire, all while driving as fast as possible. And the H3T Alpha has available 33-inch off-road tires, underbody skid plates as thick as manhole covers, and locking differentials front and rear. Also, the Alpha packs a 300-hp V-8, which means that the H3 finally has something in common with hundreds of thousands of other trucks and SUVs that somehow don’t incite the same radical-conservationist urge to firebomb dealerships.

Be sure to check out the entire amusing adventure over at Automobile Magazine. As for who won, the GT-R reportedly averaged 70mph, and the H3T driver claims it was his photographer’s numerous stops along the trail that helped edge the Nissan to victory. However, the HUMMER H3T recorded at least one small victory at the gas station following the race:

I pull to the opposite side of the pumps and begin filling the H3T alongside the GT-R. My pump stops at 6.5 gallons, but Jason’s keeps running until it clicks off at 9.7 gallons. So there is an upshot to my performance, after all. “You may have gotten here first,” I tell Jason, “but if you cared about the environment, you’d have driven a Hummer.”

Source: Automobile Magazine