Sporty designer loves her Hummer H3 mobile locker

Ladies football player Lina Sami Sporty Lina Sami needs a vehicle substantial enough to carry her equipment as the action-packed lady is constantly on the move keeping her six-pack in shape and her Hummer H3 is the perfect powerhouse for the job. The Dubai-based 27-year-old graphic designer and group fitness instructor is a flurry of energy, as she explains she also plays weekly football in the Dubai ladies league. "I play a lot of football and take group fitness classes, so there are always balls, boots and other exercise equipment inside that I either store in the trunk or throw in between sessions," she explains.
However, the Hummer doesn't merely act as an equipment carrier, as Sami also favours it because of the elevated driving position. "I'm short and I like how people don't notice this fact until I step out of the car," she says.
"Even though I'm not necessarily so small I need to sit on a cushion, it makes me feel a bit more substantial on the road." Regardless of the fact that it's a fuel guzzler, Sami explains the automatic, four-wheel-drive H3 has great off-road potential: "The car has excellent traction control and is quite intimidating on the streets," she says.
"I bought it new at the end of 2007 from the Hummer showroom as myself and my twin sister, Dina, who I used to share the Hummer with, just think these cars are brilliant.
"When I first saw it I was ecstatic and loved it even more when I test drove it. It's massive but not too big to enjoy. We drive everywhere and are really active, so there's no surprise we've racked up more than 130,000km in under four years," she adds.
However, all's not well with Lina's beast of burden. "I'm very happy with it, other than always having the suspicion that there's something wrong with it. It always comes back from services not quite fully repaired and it doesn't always sound happy, which makes me a little sad.
"I drive my car everywhere, from my home to work, to restaurants, to work, sometimes to the beach, then somewhere to eat and then somewhere for dessert, before going back to work and back home again. The car knows the routine so well it could probably do it without me driving," lists the ravenous fitness fanatic, pointing out some food wrappers on the passenger seat to demonstrate her appetite.
Sami is currently on the look-out to trade in her Hummer for something a little sportier, so she can leave the house slightly later for meetings, and is currently in the process of finding a buyer.She says: "I'd let it go for around Dh60,000 - my friends will be gutted as they have plenty of room in the back of this beast, but I'll hopefully soon have something significantly smaller, but still with enough room for some equipment."
And while Sami's friends will miss the spacious transport, her pet rabbit, Sugar, won't miss driving in the H3. "When my nephew and niece were visiting, I decided to take them and Sugar on a little drive," she explains. "I even emptied the trunk for once and put fake grass down in the boot so Sugar could feel like he was in his natural habitat. However, he proceeded to demonstrate in no uncertain terms how scared senseless he really was to be driving around in a car for the first time," she says, holding her nose.
Sami's dream car is a Porsche Carrera, which she feels will fit her high-octane lifestyle even better, while still leaving enough space in the back seat and boot for her equipment. "I've test drove a Carrera and it's brilliant in so many ways. It's a luxury everyday car but also has awesome speed and precision driving. It's effortlessly fast and also, as a woman, I think the shapes and interior are very elegant," she says.
From / The National