Now there's the H3, which has the requisite martial look but, unlike its big brothers, is quite maneuverable, relatively frugal at the pump, and not that expensive. A sensible Hummer--what an oxymoron.
The mini-Hummer's cockpit has a touch of upscale, unlike the explosion of plastic inside the H2. The smaller H3 steers sharply and hustles through turns when necessary. Drag racers don't buy Hummers, so the weak engine doesn't bother me, and the fuel savings however small are welcome. I can even forgive the bouncy ride as a byproduct of off-road prowess. Amusingly, driving an H3 in L. For me, playing GI Joe in a pseudo Jeep is just uncomfortable while real soldiers are dying in the real thing.
What happened? This wide-tracker is six inches wider than the pickup, had a brush guard around the grille, step bars under the sills, a few pieces of underbody armor, five bigger wheels and tires, 3.
And it further burdens an already overworked powerplant. As Newton used to say, "same F, more m, is gonna kill your a. The extra weight includes a number of NVH refinements, which serve to take the harsh-sounding edge off the five-cylinder engine as it strains in the upper rev ranges. As a result, all the hammer-down hurrying necessary to keep up with traffic is less painful than our Colorado experience would have led us to expect.
Off-road, where gradual and precise throttle response is usually far more important than power particularly when a low crawl ratio is included , the H3 is just right.
In our morning of arduous rock climbing in the desert just east of Apache Junction, Arizona, our only complaint was a poor view ahead due to the low driver seat. Even the optional power adjuster didn't put us as high as we'd like. Back on pavement, grip measured 0. Braking from 70 mph consumed feet, a poorer result than the best-performing SUVs typically muster.
On the freeway drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles, we found that the big tires soften steering response noticeably, leading to more corrections against desert gusts than you'd make in a car-based SUV.
Wind noise and drivetrain racket are much subdued compared with the crude H2. The jaunt's only panic came deep in the Mojave when a glance at the gas gauge revealed exactly E. Twenty minutes before, it had been nearly half-full. After we sat lightly on the seat for the dozen miles to Chiriaco Summit, the tank swallowed only Unlike Mommy's typical SUV, which opens the cargo hold with a hatch hinged at the top, Hummer tailgates swing from the side.
In , General Motors choose to retire the Hummer. The biggest problem facing the Hummer H3 was the engine. It was plagued with issues. Owners reported that it ran roughly, had leaky valves, cylinder heads failed, had low compression, and the engine failed. To say that owners were extremely frustrated is an understatement. I am so ready to blow this car up. Owners reported replacing the head gasket and the leaking valves in the engine helped fix the problem. The second biggest problem facing the Hummer H3 was electrical problems.
The Passlock, which was designed to prevent thieves from using a false key to start the Hummer, would come on randomly.
This, in turn, prevented the Hummer from starting for at least 10 minutes. There's a lot of travel in the suspension, the approach angles are generous, the steering is precise but doesn't buck much when pounding into rocks, the five-cylinder engine's throttle is progressive just off idle, and the four-wheel-drive and traction-control systems work seamlessly together under most conditions. The structure of the H3 is impressively stiff, which is particularly evident as the truck slides off rocks to slam down hard on the skid plates with solid thunks and few shudders.
Even in its incomplete and unfinished state, the H3's five-passenger interior is a big step forward from that of the H2 in that it's cleanly styled, with straightforward controls, and lacks the H2's frippery and overwhelming self-consciousness.
The squat window line and long hood limit visibility a bit, but on the Rubicon all that really matters is that you can see your spotter's hands. For most Hummer buyers, off-road ability means something like easily trudging out of the muddy parking lot at a horse show; that the H3 can conquer the Rubicon is impressive, reassuring, and ego swelling but ultimately academic.
There's nothing on the Rubicon that simulates parallel parking, commuting along I-5, or climbing the speed bumps at Target. In fact, the trail doesn't even offer a chance to rev the H3's engine much beyond its torque peak of pound-feet at rpm or get the transmission out of first gear.
Nor can we tell you how the truck rides on fully inflated tires. So the big test for the Hummer H3 still lies ahead when it confronts the everyday world of its potential buyers, a world in which the appeal of overall competence never fades. New Cars. Buyer's Guide. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. View Photos.
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