History Main / HummerDinger

* The second ''DannyPhantom'' episode with Desiree has Danny and Tucker drooling over giant Hummer-esque [=SUVs=]. [[SoapboxSadie Sam]] talks about how bad for the environment they are, and tries to egg Danny into destroying them. He denies her on the grounds that he's a hero. But Desiree hears the wish and turns them into literal Monster Trucks.

Another big reason for the popularity of this kind of car is the quirks in the US' Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulation. After the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 caught domestic manufacturers completely flat-footed with [[CripplingOverspecialization nothing but big gas-guzzling cars to sell]] as fuel prices rose, the federal government saw the resulting economic damage and instituted CAFE standards to encourage the manufacture and sale of more fuel-efficient vehicles. While well-meaning, this system had a major loophole. CAFE had exemptions for "light trucks"[[note]]The government's definition: "Light-duty truck means any motor vehicle rated at 8,500 pounds GVWR or less which has a vehicle curb weight of 6,000 pounds or less and which has a basic vehicle frontal area of 45 square feet or less, which is: (1) Designed primarily for purposes of transportation of property or is a derivation of such a vehicle, or (2) Designed primarily for transportation of persons and has a capacity of more than 12 persons, or (3) Available with special features enabling off-street or off-highway operation and use."[[/note]] intended to allow working professionals who needed more heavily-built vehicles to still be able to purchase them. However, CAFE's definition of "utility" was very broad, allowing automakers to effectively build giant station wagons and [[LoopholeAbuse market them as light trucks]].[[note]]One of the most {{egregious}} examples was when Chrysler managed to get [[http://green.autoblog.com/2010/02/04/greenlings-whats-a-light-duty-truck-and-why-should-we-care/ its little PT Cruiser wagon]] (weight: 3,123 pounds) classified as a light truck, using a ''very'' stretched definition of such; notably, it was classified (by the government, no less) as a car for most other purposes aside from fuel economy.[[/note]] Closing this loophole and tightening the definition of "utility" has, needless to say, been a major goal of American environmentalists.

Another big reason for the popularity of this kind of car is the quirks in the US' Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulation. After the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 caught domestic manufacturers completely flat-footed with [[CripplingOverspecialization nothing but big gas-guzzling cars to sell]] as fuel prices rose, the federal government saw the resulting economic damage and instituted CAFE standards to encourage the manufacture and sale of more fuel-efficient vehicles. While well-meaning, this system had a major loophole. CAFE had exemptions for "light trucks" (utility vehicles weighing less than 8,500 pounds) intended to allow working professionals who needed more heavily-built vehicles to still be able to purchase them. However, CAFE's definition of "utility" was very broad, allowing automakers to effectively build giant station wagons on truck platforms and [[LoopholeAbuse market them as light trucks]] because they were based on vehicles like the Chevy Silverado and the Ford F-150. Closing this loophole and tightening the definition of "utility" has, needless to say, been a major goal of American environmentalists.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* ''Chicago Tribune'' auto writer Jim Mateja had [[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-08-16/travel/9808160333_1_hummer-hardtop-dennis-rodman this]] to say about Dennis Rodman's Hummer:
-->"The first thing we noticed when the Hummer arrived is that it filled the driveway. The second thing we noticed is that it fills the lane of the highway, too. The Hummer is 6 feet wide and 6 feet tall."
* Spen King, the architect of the Range Rover, would later [[CreatorBacklash turn against his creation]]:
-->"The 4x4 was never intended as a status symbol, but later incarnations of my design seem to be intended for that purpose. I find the people who use it as such deeply unattractive. Sadly, the 4x4 has become an alternative to a Mercedes or BMW for the pompous, self-important driver. To use the 4x4 for the school run, or even in cities or towns at all, is completely stupid."

Chiefly an American trope, as Europe and Japan's narrower roads, crowded city streets and pricier gas makes such vehicles uneconomical in those places. [=SUVs=] first became popular in [[TheEighties the late '80s]] and [[TheNineties early '90s]], when the success of the Jeep Cherokee and the Ford Explorer started an arms race to see who could make the largest possible SUV that they could get away with. By around the TurnOfTheMillennium it arguably became a self-fulfilling trope, with car buyers recommended to buy larger vehicles just so that they wouldn't get squashed if they got in a car accident. It rapidly became a DiscreditedTrope late in the Aughts due to the rise in gas prices and concerns over safety (specifically rollovers), though the 15-20 year lifespan of the typical motor vehicle means they're still not an uncommon sight on the road.

* One reason for the popularity of this kind of car outside it's intended purpose in America is CAFE regulation. After the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 caught domestic manufactures completely flat-footed with nothing but big gas-guzzling cars to sell as fuel prices rose the federal government saw the resulting economic damage and instituted a Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard to encourage the manufacture and sale of more fuel-efficient vehicles. Two problems with this well-meaning legislation. One, Americans still wanted very large and spacious if fuel-inefficient vehicles even if CAFE meant they could no longer be produced and sold profitably; and Two, the Light-Truck Exemption intended to allow working professionals who needed more heavily built vehicles to still be able to purchase them left no stipulation that ordinary consumers couldn't purchase such vehicles for whatever reasons caught their fancy.

* The ''SaintsRow'' games have a giant pickup truck called the {{Compensat|ingForSomething}}or.

-->''TheSimpsons'', "The Last Temptation of Krust"

-->"The first thing we noticed when the Hummer arrived is that it filled the driveway. The second thing we noticed is that it fills the lane of the highway, too. The Hummer is 6 feet wide and 6 feet tall."

* The first ''DannyPhantom'' episode with Desiree has Danny and Tucker drooling over giant Hummer-esque [=SUVs=]. [[SoapboxSadie Sam]] talks about how bad for the environment they are, and tries to egg Danny into destroying them. He denies her on the grounds that he's a hero. But Desiree hears the wish and turns them into literal Monster Trucks.

* ''FoxTrot'' had a storyline where Roger went to a "Humbler" dealership. Said vehicle turns out to be comically huge, have a gas mileage of 25 METERS per gallon and is hinted to be so heavy that it ''affects the orbit of the Sun''.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' with [[GTARadio radio ads]] for the "Maibatsu Monstrosity", an SUV that can seat 12 and cross rivers... "though I've only crossed a couple of puddles. But it's good to know it's there!"

* In the rather silly FMV game ''Corpse Killer'' your stereotypical Jamaican sidekick repeatedly informs you of his desire to buy a Hummer and has a sidequest where both of you look for pirate treasure so he can buy one.

* ''{{Emogame}} 2'' featured a boss fight against Tim Allen driving one of these, complete with a [[WeaponizedCar mounted machine gun]] and an {{Eagleland}} Type 2 rant from Allen.

Chiefly an American trope, as Europe and Japan's narrower roads, crowded city streets and pricier gas makes such vehicles uneconomical in those places. [=SUVs=] first became popular in [[TheEighties the late '80s]], when the success of the Jeep Cherokee wagon started an arms race to see who could make the largest possible SUV that they could get away with. By around the TurnOfTheMillennium it arguably became a self-fulfilling trope, with car buyers recommended to buy larger vehicles just so that they wouldn't get squashed if they got in a car accident. It rapidly became a DiscreditedTrope late in the Aughts due to the rise in gas prices and concerns over safety (specifically rollovers), though the 15-20 year lifespan of the typical motor vehicle means they're still not an uncommon sight on the road.

** Within the games themselves, the Landstalker fills this role perfectly, complete with a tendency to roll over at the slightest provocation.
** Zig-zagged with the {{Patriot|icFervor}} in the ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV IV]]''-era games, which is specifically based on the Hummer [=H2=]. On one hand, the ''civilian'' version fits this trope perfectly, with a low speed, a large turning circle and a propensity for rolling over. However, [[LightningBruiser a faster, more agile version]] is used by [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction NOOSE]], the game's resident StateSec, and is a prime choice for one to use in the [[EmergencyServices Vigilante]] [[{{Sidequest}} missions]] due to its speed, mobility and resilience.\\
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It's subverted even harder in the ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII III]]''-era games, where it was based on the ''original'' Hummer. There, it was also used as a military truck, and even the civilian version was one of the best off-road vehicles in the game.
*** Lampshaded in ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV IV]]'', which has a "Player Image" stat which summarizes the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin player's image]] based on the vehicles he rides around in the most. Having any of the game's four-wheel-drive SUV's as your favorite car will grant you the title of "Soccer Mom".

** Ditto for the {{Patriot|icFervor}}, which, in the ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV IV]]''-era games, is specifically based on the Hummer [=H2=]. It was based on the original Hummer in the ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII III]]''-era games, but there [[SubvertedTrope it was also used as a military vehicle]].
*** Also subverted in the same ''IV''-era games. A [[LightningBruiser faster, more agile]] version of the Patriot serves as one of the service vehicles for [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction NOOSE]], the games' resident StateSec, and is a prime choice for one to use in the [[EmergencyServices Vigilante]] [[{{Sidequest}} Missions]] because of its speed, mobility and resilience.

** Ditto for the {{Patriot|icFervor}}, which, in the ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV IV]]''-era games, is specifically based on the Hummer [=H2=]. It was based on the original Hummer in the ''III''-era games, but there [[SubvertedTrope it was also used as a military vehicle]].

* An advert for the "6000 S.U.X." briefly seen on a TV screen in ''{{Robocop}}'' lampoons this.

* An advert for the "6000 S.U.X." briefly seen on a TV screen in {{Robocop}} lampoons this.

** Ditto for the {{Patriot|icFervor}}, which, in the ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV IV]]''-era games, is specifically based on the Hummer [=H2=]. It was based on the original Hummer in the ''III''-era games, but there [[SubvertedTrope it only appeared as a military vehicle]].

* The TropeNamer is a website (now dead) formerly run by the Sierra Club called "Hummer Dinger" that criticized these vehicles. It specifically focused on the Hummer [=H2=], which it saw as the most {{egregious}} real-life example of this trope.

* Parodied in ''GrandTheftAutoIII'' with [[GTARadio radio ads]] for the "Maibatsu Monstrosity", an SUV that can seat 12 and cross rivers... "though I've only crossed a couple of puddles. But it's good to know it's there!"

* The Treer Saltair in ''SouthlandTales''. One [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P37CBLDHMgo (in)famous scene]] featured two of these vehicles [[UnusualEuphemism conjoining]].

A gigantic sport-utility vehicle, built under the philosophy that BiggerIsBetter. Smaller cars, or at least their drivers, tremble in fear at its presence on the highway -- or maybe it's because the road itself is shaking under its weight. The name will be something bold and authoritative, like "Crusader" or "Kilimanjaro". It's filled with all sorts of equipment to help it tow trailers, climb mountains, and get through the rain, snow, sleet, hail, mud, and whatever else Mother Nature can throw at it... very little of which will be used by 90% of the people who buy it. Instead, it will most likely serve as a mall crawler in {{suburbia}} (or a "[[FunWithAcronyms suburban utility vehicle]]"), shuttling tots to soccer games and groceries back to the house. Fuel economy will be measured in either the single digits or in gallons per mile. The driver will be either a very tiny woman, or a man [[CompensatingForSomething in his midlife crisis]]. When it comes time for Junior to get his or her license, expect the kid to shudder at the thought of having to maneuver the thing.

Chiefly an American trope, as Europe and Japan's narrower roads, crowded city streets and pricier gas makes such vehicles uneconomical in those places. [=SUVs=] first became popular in [[TheEighties the late '80s]], when the success of the Jeep Cherokee wagon started an arms race to see who could make the largest possible SUV that they could get away with. By around the TurnOfTheMillennium it arguably became a self-fulfilling trope, with car buyers recommended to buy larger vehicles just so that they wouldn't get squashed if they got in a car accident. It rapidly became a DiscreditedTrope late in the Aughts due to the rise in gas prices and concerns over safety (specifically rollovers), though they're still not an uncommon sight on the road.

A gigantic sport-utility vehicle, built under the philosophy that BiggerIsBetter. Smaller cars, or at least their drivers, tremble in fear at its presence on the highway -- or maybe it's because the road itself is shaking under its weight. The name will be something bold and authoritative, like "Crusader" or "Kilimanjaro". It's filled with all sorts of equipment to help it tow trailers, climb mountains, and get through the rain, snow, sleet, hail, mud, and whatever else Mother Nature can throw at it... very little of which will be used by 90% of the people who buy it. Instead, it will most likely serve as a mall crawler in {{suburbia}} (or a "[[FunWithAcronyms suburban utility vehicle]]"), shuttling tots to soccer games and groceries back to the house. Fuel economy will be measured in either the single digits or in gallons per mile. The driver will be either a very tiny woman, or a man who is CompensatingForSomething. When it comes time for Junior to get his or her license, expect the kid to shudder at the thought of having to maneuver the thing.

Chiefly an American trope, as Europe and Japan's narrower roads, crowded city streets and pricier gas makes such vehicles uneconomical in those places. [=SUVs=] first became popular in [[TheEighties the late '80s]], when the Jeep Cherokee wagon became popular and started an arms race to see who could make the largest possible SUV that they could get away with. By around the TurnOfTheMillennium it arguably became a self-fulfilling trope, with car buyers recommended to buy larger vehicles just so that they wouldn't get squashed if they got in a car accident. It rapidly became a DiscreditedTrope late in the Aughts due to the rise in gas prices and concerns over safety (specifically rollovers), though they're still not an uncommon sight on the road.

--->'''Wolfcastle:''' One highway, zero city.

--->''Homer:'' What kind of gas milage do you get?\\

-->Now once a month pay half your rent to make sure your body's covered\\
Feel the freedom of the road, with suspension like no other\\
As long as we get paid you can drive it off a cliff\\

Canyonero! Canyonero!\

->Can you name the truck with four-wheel-drive, smells like a steak, and seats thirty-five?\\
Canyonero! Canyonero!\\
Twelve yards long, two lanes wide, sixty-five tons of American pride!\\