Downsizing comes in many forms, like outsourcing, job discontinuance and plant closings. In the automotive world, the trend mostly goes the other way. Any new cars or trucks are usually bigger than the last model and have more features and safety measures as well.
If you make one of the biggest vehicles out there, the only way up is to make a smaller model that costs less yet still has the same aura, at least attempts to have, as the original.
The newest HUMMER on the road, the H3, follows the latter principle to the tee. It's smaller, lighter and more stylish then either the original H1 or the H2, with bulging fenders and a (dare we say it) cute face the seems counterintuitive to the dirty nature that the H3 portends.
With a tall, imposing stature and a wide stance, the H3 looks more like a Jeep Wrangler on a banned substance than a HUMMER offspring at first glance. After a careful look inside and out, you see that no Jeep has ever been appointed with such niceties and luxurious touches.
We loved the two-tone color scheme in the cabin of the H3. With dark on top and lighter on the bottom, it gave the trucklet an ultra-classy feel that you just don't find in a vehicle that can take on the Rubicon Trail and embarrass a lot of others who try. Coupled with that the quality feel of all the controls and clean dash design and you have one highfalutin machine.
We found good quality materials everywhere we looked. The seats weren't leather but a nice material suited for rugged terrain and the mess that comes with it. The controls were well placed and easily found.
Like a colander that needs more holes, our tester came equipped with an off-road suspension to go with the huge 16 by 7.5-inch aluminum wheels and P265/75R-16 tires, which don't sound like much but give the H3 a tall, bouncy ride, with a capable off-road air.
The drivetrain in the H3 is quite remarkable in that it is new to the GM fleet and not your typical SUV propellant.
For starters, the engine, the only one offered in the H3, is a 3.5-liter, inline five-cylinder from the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon pickups. When's the last time you heard of any vehicle with five cylinders?? We think it's a great powerplant (220 horsepower and 225 lb.-ft. of torque) with plenty of passing power on the highway and enough grunt to make city driving less of a chore. We remarked early in 2005 that we found the I5 to have a distinct growl with pleasant overtones in the Chevy/GMC twins, which carried over to the H3 with abandon.
Then there's the transmission choices - a five-speed manual (the first in a HUMMER) and a four-speed automatic round out the offerings and give a broader appeal to the HUMMER brand because of the manual trans and the sporty nature it portends.
The only downside to all this "HUMMER-ness" is the dismal mileage such an SUV is expected to get. On the upside, we observed approximately 18 miles per gallon, which is great for a full-size truck or SUV...too bad the H3 is in the mid-size category where that figure isn't bad but is bested by such vehicles as the Jeep Liberty and Ford Escape.
Whilst driving the H3, we noticed that seeing behind the vehicle was a bit difficult due partly to the big spare tire hanging on the rear door and the height at which the H3 stands, which is quite tall for a mid-size SUV. Otherwise, we felt comfortable on the highways and byways, never feeling tippy in moderate maneuvers and only the occasional wobbling over freeway bumps at speed.
We also had trouble with the pedals…they felt solid and gave us confidence in braking and acceleration, but the go pedal was too close to the Stop pedal for an average shoe size of 10. We ended up getting used to it and never had any "oops" moments, but it was strange us because everything else seemed so well thought out.
Another small issue we found was the plastic trim on outside bottom areas. It looks cool (the dimple-theme flows into the inside as well) but scuffs easily from shoes and such.
Rear seats are comfy but do not fold ANYWHERE near flat, even though the brochures and press materials say otherwise, making hauling large items difficult because the load floor has a giant cliff you need to move things over to get them into the cargo hold - the rear doors are useful in this regard.
On the price front, the H3 ain't half bad, as they say. Starting at $28,935.00, with plenty of standard equipment, our H3 had an as-tested price of $34,284.00.
That added girth to the sticker came as a handful of options: Adventure package (off road suspension, oversized carpeted floormats front and rear - $1025.), Four-speed automatic transmission with StabiliTrak stability control - $1595, power sunroof - $800, trailer hitch and wiring harness - $270, and the obligatory destination charge of $565.
The math-conscience people out there have already noticed that those numbers just don't add up. And they would be right. Our test H3 also had a few "dealer installed" accessories: Black tubular step bars - $595 and roof rack cross members - $399. There are myriad add-on items for the HUMMER, leading us to believe that our tester was on the lower end of the price spectrum.
Add it all up and you have a comfortable, well-appointed vehicle that will take you almost anyplace in the country, road or not.