LMT_Apr_10_2022_Vol_116_issue_16

10 lmtimes.ca • Last Mountain Times • Monday, April 10, 2023
Did Toyota Build A Better Humvee?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an actual military Humvee out in the wild. I haven’t a clue if they
decommission them and sell them off or if they haven’t worn one out yet, and all are still in service.
Tthe military might even
scrap them. No idea. What
I do know is it’s been forever
since I’ve even seen a civilian
Hummer. I see the odd H2 or H3,
but those are mostly just normal
GM vehicles with a re-brand.
Cousins, like the Camaro and the
Firebird. There was that yellow one
that sat outside that body shop
on Albert Street in Regina
for years. There
was a black one I
Camshaft periodically saw out
Corner and about, as well.
KELLY KIRK
That’s all of them.
There’s no mistaking
an H1 Hummer.
They look like absolutely
nothing else on the
road, and they maintain that title
around three decades later. It’s
like seeing the results of building
a vehicle from the parts and pieces
of four Jeeps and a tank. They were
pretty capable, but they were also
quite underpowered in the early
years. The weight and aerodynamics
also made them horrible on
fuel, not uncommonly under ten
miles per gallon. The first Humvee
debuted in the US in 1984, and
eleven years later, the first vehicle
that could even compare to it, the
Toyota Mega Cruiser, debuted in
1995 in Japan.
First off, what a name! The Toyota
Land Cruiser is renowned as an
ultra-capable, off-road vehicle that
can conquer any land. How do
you raise the bar on that? You go
It almost looks like a Humvee, but some of the lengths and angles are tweaked a bit. If I had to pick, the Humvee looks beefier and tougher,
but not by much. - Photo from the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum.
bigger, way bigger, MEGA bigger.
The Mega Cruiser, much like the
Humvee, was built for the military,
however, like the Humvee, they
made civilian models, too. There
were about 3,000 military-grade
units produced and less than 300
for the general public to purchase.
How capable are they? As you
may have already guessed, they’re
incredible. They have a lot of the
same features that the American
Humvee has, such as portal axles
with inboard brake hardware and
an underpowered diesel engine.
Want to win a race? Forget it. Want
to keep up with the flow of traffic
on the freeway? Forget it. Want to
climb a mountain or cross a river?
Game on. The 4.1-litre four-cylinder
turbo diesel may get you there
slowly, but it’ll get you there. Not
only that, it apparently uses around
half the fuel that the Humvee
does. Going through the specs, it’s
almost identical to the Humvee in
every way, except for the fact that
it also has rear-wheel steering. Remember
those GM trucks that had
the “Quadrasteer” option a couple
of decades ago? It has something
very similar to that, making the
turning radius tight for its size. The
only other vehicle I can think of
that has that feature to compare to
is the upcoming Hummer EV. Was
GM motivated by their past pickup
experiment, or did the influence
come from overseas?
Regardless, much like the Hummer
H1, the Mega Cruiser was also
cut from production years ago, so
if you want one, you’ve got to pay
a premium, not to mention some
serious shipping and handling.
Silton
Silhouettes
March 30 th to April 2nd marked
the first competition for the Silton
Silhouettes in 2023.
-SUBMITTED BY, Lacey Evanochko
April 8th, 2023
Dancers worked hard to prepare to compete against clubs
from southern Saskatchewan. Solos, duets, small and
large groups danced throughout the weekend, keeping the
instructors busy and the crowd entertained during the
long days. The Silhouettes will also participate in competitions
in Saskatoon and again in Regina in April.
Arianna C. was awarded Most Promising Ballet Solo.
The senior tap group also earned a spot in the dance off
performing “I ain’t worried” with precision. Back to front-
Jayna H., Kennidy D., Emily W., Colbie W.
The beginner tap group performed “Venus” and earned a top mark that placed them in Sunday’s Dance off. Pictured below is (L to R) Addison B., Holly C., Delaney E., Riley I., Kenna L.,
Scarlett K., Claire D.