H3 review by Colorado owner

[funpilot]

Got this review from the Colorado Fans site....

Just returned from a test drive of a H3 w/ auto and offroad pkg. First, they did a great job of making our interior feel much more substancial. The controls for HVAC look more upscale and the steering wheel is thick and and felt better in my hand. The cloth bucket seats are more comfortable than those in the Colorado. You actually sit in them instead of on top of them. I think that they provide adiquate support if you were to actually take it off road. Overall the interior gives the impression that it is more upscale even though some of the hard plastics are still used. I would rate the interior a solid B+. The uplevel stereo is a Monsoon and sounds very good. The available sunroof is huge.
I beleive the Offroad pkg comes w/33's and the exterior looks muscular. Unlike the H1, the H3 accessories ie grill gaurd are for looks and not purpose. Getting into the front seat is easy compared to other high riding trucks, but getting in and out of the back seat is tricky. When you open the back door, a portion of the fender flare is attached to the door and it is a good 4" thick and the opening is small. To fold down the rear seat, the seat bottom kind of rotates forward and then the seat back folds down close to being level w/ the rear storage area. The hood opens from the front just like the Colorado. Driving the H3 is cool because of the sensation you feel from driving while looking through the "slats" or windows like it were an armored car. Overall, your vision is very good and the large mirrors work very well.
Now for the performance, I would not consider purchasing it as it is now. I drove an auto w/4.56's and it had no get up and go in any situation I could put it in during the test drive. As a side note, I am satisfied with the performance of my Colorado. After the test drive, I was convinced that the H3 is just too much for the I5. Pulling away from a light at a regular pace and then punch it, it down shifts and makes all kind of noise but gos nowhere. When I was on I81 and attempted to pull out pass at seventy, it accelerated but you have better made reservations in advance for the passing lane.
The ride on the highway was quite good w/ a little more wind roar then I was used to but was suprised that tire noise was not present. The H3 is "jiggly" over rough pavement and the steering is a little numb and slow off center.
The salesman would not allow me to take it on their offroad coarse because they only had the one demo and all others on the lot (approx 6 others) were sold. He said that he would call when they recv'd more H3 that were not already pre-sold.
According to the salesman the 5 speed does not come w/ 4.56's but 4.10's. However, the 5 speed w/ o/r pkg will have a better crawl ratio then the auto w/ 4.56's which he said was 4:1.
I think it is a grat pkg and even sharper looking w/leather seating, which they let me see and sit in. The only down fall is the powertrain's performance. They did state that a turbo was in the works but was only going to increase HP by 40-60 and did not know when it would be avail. He stated that a diesel was planned but not for 2-3 years.
As for pricing, this dealership will be selling them at full sticker and an order will take approx 6-8 weeks. The dealership I visited was Sutliff Hummer in Mechanicsburg, PA
I suggest a test ride just to see what our interiors could have been considering that the H3 is not that much more expensive and that some Colrados are in the low 30's and a fully loaded H3 is just below 40K.

[funpilot]

Got this review from the Colorado Fans site....

Just returned from a test drive of a H3 w/ auto and offroad pkg. First, they did a great job of making our interior feel much more substancial. The controls for HVAC look more upscale and the steering wheel is thick and and felt better in my hand. The cloth bucket seats are more comfortable than those in the Colorado. You actually sit in them instead of on top of them. I think that they provide adiquate support if you were to actually take it off road. Overall the interior gives the impression that it is more upscale even though some of the hard plastics are still used. I would rate the interior a solid B+. The uplevel stereo is a Monsoon and sounds very good. The available sunroof is huge.
I beleive the Offroad pkg comes w/33's and the exterior looks muscular. Unlike the H1, the H3 accessories ie grill gaurd are for looks and not purpose. Getting into the front seat is easy compared to other high riding trucks, but getting in and out of the back seat is tricky. When you open the back door, a portion of the fender flare is attached to the door and it is a good 4" thick and the opening is small. To fold down the rear seat, the seat bottom kind of rotates forward and then the seat back folds down close to being level w/ the rear storage area. The hood opens from the front just like the Colorado. Driving the H3 is cool because of the sensation you feel from driving while looking through the "slats" or windows like it were an armored car. Overall, your vision is very good and the large mirrors work very well.
Now for the performance, I would not consider purchasing it as it is now. I drove an auto w/4.56's and it had no get up and go in any situation I could put it in during the test drive. As a side note, I am satisfied with the performance of my Colorado. After the test drive, I was convinced that the H3 is just too much for the I5. Pulling away from a light at a regular pace and then punch it, it down shifts and makes all kind of noise but gos nowhere. When I was on I81 and attempted to pull out pass at seventy, it accelerated but you have better made reservations in advance for the passing lane.
The ride on the highway was quite good w/ a little more wind roar then I was used to but was suprised that tire noise was not present. The H3 is "jiggly" over rough pavement and the steering is a little numb and slow off center.
The salesman would not allow me to take it on their offroad coarse because they only had the one demo and all others on the lot (approx 6 others) were sold. He said that he would call when they recv'd more H3 that were not already pre-sold.
According to the salesman the 5 speed does not come w/ 4.56's but 4.10's. However, the 5 speed w/ o/r pkg will have a better crawl ratio then the auto w/ 4.56's which he said was 4:1.
I think it is a grat pkg and even sharper looking w/leather seating, which they let me see and sit in. The only down fall is the powertrain's performance. They did state that a turbo was in the works but was only going to increase HP by 40-60 and did not know when it would be avail. He stated that a diesel was planned but not for 2-3 years.
As for pricing, this dealership will be selling them at full sticker and an order will take approx 6-8 weeks. The dealership I visited was Sutliff Hummer in Mechanicsburg, PA
I suggest a test ride just to see what our interiors could have been considering that the H3 is not that much more expensive and that some Colrados are in the low 30's and a fully loaded H3 is just below 40K.

[XM DUDE]

I think it is a nice vehicle dispite the seeningly under powered engine as I think it is the gearing that makes it seem slow.
I have a Jetta that is pretty fast for a 115HP 4 cylinder, and the Hummer is hevy and at 220HP and low gearing, yah it is going to be slow, so do you want a rock crawler or fast 0 to 60 times?

[timgco]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by XM DUDE:
so do you want a rock crawler or fast 0 to 60 times? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'll take both please.