So, sell me on the H3....

[trebor]

We drove every vehicle available in a 150 mile radius of home. My wife wanted to buy a new car, her first ever, and I told her if she was going to buy new and I was going to take a hit on the depressiation then she better like it alot because we were going to have it a long time. When we drove the GC it had a very stiff ride and the back seat had very little room. We drove full size pickups and all of the suvs you can think of. About that time Truck Trend came out with their article and we read it and decided to do our own test of each vehicle. Needless to say we bought the H3.

If you need conviencing then the H3 is not for you.(that just means ours are a little more unique with one less person driving one)

Oh, about towing, I flat towed my Wrangler to a dry lake about 60 miles away and hardly knew the thing was back there. In the past I have pulled with an Expidition and you know it is there.

[H3Shopper]

Okay, actually some thoughtful responses there, and thanks for those. The "if you're hesitating, then its not for you" responses were worthless. I don't drive a car based on what other people think of it....I drive it because it satisfies MY needs.

I admit, I'm looking for the perfect vehicle for me. I need some serious off-road capability (although not Moab serious), but I also practically live in the car during the week. So, yeah, the little things are important to me.

While the H3 seems like the best candidate so far, it is hardly perfect.

The 1999 GC was perfect for me, but they destroyed it over the years. I don't even like the 2004 models, because they made the seats too cushy, and the power steering over corrects and feels mushy. The 2005 is right out -- the cheap plastic they used on the dash and doors is an absolute no go.

I'm encouraged by the towing ability discussed above. If the H3 was available in a tubo diesel today, then I would already be signing the papers....

[HummerNewbie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DennisAJC:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HummerNewbie:
That would be a great addition. Wasn't your wife trying to talk you into getting rid of the H2 recently?
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Getting her an H3 will protect me of that.

Strangers, friends, enemies, wives,....They're all just jealous. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL, you have a point there

[H3Shopper]

Maybe not a great header, but I would like to hear some thoughts on what I consider to be minor drawbacks with the H3.

It is time to retire my 1999 Grand Cherokee, and I'm looking for a luxury ride that is capable of towing my boat to the mountains, and able to reach those remote camping spots I've grown accustomed to with the GC. I don't really like the interior of the new GC's so the H3 is an obvious candidate.

But, after my test drive, I'm a bit hesitant to pull the trigger....

I won't say the H3 is underpowered -- it is slow of the line but once it gets up to speed it performs fine. However, such a small engine should get better gas mileage. This engine is less powerful than my GC, AND it gets worse mileage?? Granted, the H3 weighs about 500 pounds more, but this doesn't sound like good tradeoff.

The cargo area is disappoiniing, but acceptable for my needs.

The driver's door controls are in exactly the wrong spot. Hard to reach with your fingers, and uncomfortable when you try to rest your elbow.

It doesn't have dual climate control? Or even single climate control? WTF, this thing costs $35,000. Its been so long since I've seen manual AC controls, I'm not even sure I know how they work!

Okay, obviously some of these complaints are nit-picky, but I hate to "settle" for a vehicle that is less than it should be, just because I can't find anything better. The Grand Cherokee was perfect, before they reconfigured it to please the soccer moms, and now I'm really stuck.

Perhaps I should wait until the H3 gets some upgrades in 2007 or 08? Problem is, the current ride probably won't last that long....

[H3 Hummer]

It's simple -

Find any other SUV with as much as the H3 for under $35,000.

Try to find any other SUV with as much (overall) as the H3 under $55,000.

I think it was Motor-Trend who ranked it second out of 6 top of the line SUV's. Like Tourag, Jeep, Toyota, etc. It was second to the Land Rover LR3 only because of less power.

With a roof rack you will have plenty of room for anything you need. With Auto you can tow another H3.

And I agree about the door controls (very dorky posistion in my opinion).

Just my 2 cents:

I'm a fairly serious (mostly road car) enthusiast with a Porsche Boxster S, Jag X-type and H3 (purchased 7/2/05) in the household. I traded a 2002 Highlander Limited V6 for the H3 and have no regrets. I tend to use an SUV as my daily driver which works fine for gonzo urban driving in Silicon Valley. This is the first GM vehicle that I have ever owned and I'm pleasantly surprised by the high level of engineering that went into the H3.

Here are some of my observations after 5500 miles:

Power/motor - adequate, but slower than the Highlander due to the weight differnce. The inline 5 motor revs well and has decent torque. I have yet to take it into the mountains at altitude, but I'm expecting it to strain a bit there. No oil burned at first 5000 mile change.

Gas mileage - 15 in suburbia-mixed, 18 highway, driven somewhat agressively. I check my mileage at every fillup (Chevron regular). Not bad considering the weight, blunt shape, etc. The reasonable mileage is the result of GM's engine choice. The Highlander got 18/21 under the same conditions on premium gas.

Handling/ride (road) - Handling as good as the Highlander, but sometimes ride is a little "trucky" which should be expected given the offroad capabilities (and solid axle and unsprung weight). Overall, nice ride/handling for a truck based SUV.

Interior (lux pkg.) - okay room for 4 max (not 5). Nice interior but fit and finish is still not up to Toyota standards. But I am satisfied overall and fit and finish is good. Obviously something like an Explorer is more practical for family-types, but too boring for me. Front seats are most important to me and they are comfortable. Killer stereo and XM radio beats the Toyota Highlander. AC is manual, but I tend to use auto climate control systems manually anyway so that's no problem. AC runs colder than any Japanese car that I've driven.

So those are just some of my observations so far. What's lacking is mileage off road, in snow during ski season, and over high passes to Lake Tahoe, which will come later.

But what the heck, it's a Hummer, it's fun! Even my wife likes the H3 a lot!

Steve

H3 white/lux pkg./chrome pkg./chrome wheels/hitch/chrome side steps/XM/sunroof/RW locking chrome cap (yeah plenty of bling to offset the Euro cars in the garage)

[Crisco]

I think HIHUMMER said it best.

For what it's worth, there are two things that I really dislike, the armrest controls\comfort thing and the e-brake pedal. For some reason I have a great deal of trouble banging the side of my leg on the stupid thing. Does anyone else have this trouble or am I on crack?

[Sharkster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">-brakes are pretty good, 4 piston calipers on front-impressive for a truck
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>Wow... is that true? That's like a "Brembo Porsche brake". Didn't even know that before you posted it.

A 4 piston brake is pretty impressive indeed. GM should point that out in their advertisment a little more.

[Kid Shyleen]

When I first saw the H3 and the manual climate controls I thought the same thing, "WTF?" Then I started realizing that I have dual climate control in my Avalanche NFE and am always trying to override the crappy control system. Specifically, I am manually controlling my auto system! My wife, who is always opposite of me on climate (and most other things) never touches the auto controls for her side. She just closes all the vents...manually. I never thought I would say this, but I can't wait for the manual control. Unfortunately I have to because my H3 won't arrive until the end of October. Anyone want a clean 03 Avalanche?

[DennisAJC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HummerNewbie:
That would be a great addition. Wasn't your wife trying to talk you into getting rid of the H2 recently?
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Getting her an H3 will protect me of that.

Strangers, friends, enemies, wives,....They're all just jealous.

[DWPC]

H3 is not for you. The H3 is more what SUVs started as 20 years ago; rugged, moderate power, serious offroad capability, with reasonable comfort. The closest thing to the H3 I can think of is a Jeep Cherokee which, like all the other "real" SUVs, has been "luxurified" out of existance.

Its clear that auto climate control is more important to you than risk of high-centering. This isn't a slam; everyone has their own needs. You'll hate an H3 'cuz it doesn't do what you need and it doesn't have the luxuries you want. Go look at a GC, a new Commander or a 4Runner.

[gc2488]

Any drawbacks? I suppose you can always delve into
luxury features (like those of the loaded VW Touareg),
but here's one problem with the current H3 design:

Marker light installation is currently done by dealers,
not at the factory, and this is prone to problems.
Sometimes a lot of wind noise results.
That's what I've gathered. One dealer told me last week
that marker lights are "on constraint" and he cannot order
an H3 with them. We'll see if/when/how this is fixed...

[H3OwnerDiz]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SteveRH:
...using my right hand as a cross over for the window and lock switches works fairly well... </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, I've adapted to using my right hand as well.
As for being slow off the line, I got a stick so I would have more control over that. But now that I'm addicted to this site, I want to go crawlin' and wish I had gotten the adventure package and auto trans. For some reason, I'm more interested in getting into the world of off-road than hubby is.

[Ipedog]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I think it's like when Luis Armstrong was asked to define Jazz Music: "If you have to ask, you'll never know" </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

x2

[HummerNewbie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DennisAJC:
We've been watching the H3 for some time. Looking to replace wifey's(Ex Range Rover, Ex RAV4) vehicle in the next few.

It'll be a formitable addition to the family. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That would be a great addition. Wasn't your wife trying to talk you into getting rid of the H2 recently?

BTW, though not as bad as Ken's, your new avatar just isn't the same after the pic of that girl got photochopped recently.

Trebor - that's an interesting observation about towing. I noticed when I had 3 hefty passengers in the H3, I could barely feel the difference in handling/ride/acceleration. In my previous Toyota Highlander, extra weight was much more noticeable.


Other observations:

-the driver's armrest/window controls setup is lame but not too bothersome.
-I would like a 5th gear and closer gear spacing on the automatic tranny.
-brakes are pretty good, 4 piston calipers on front-impressive for a truck
-love that huge sunroof
-backing up requires a lot of extra attention, I'm considering electronic aids later.
(fyi-Jag X-type back sensors work great)
-cargo space is only adequate with rear seat up
-space in general is only adequate due to all that heavy duty hardware and ground clearance underneath
(of course a front-wheel derived crossover SUV will have better space utilization)
-Even in the trendy Bay Area, H3's are still somewhat rare. I've only seen about a dozen on the road so far.


Steve

[TorontoJeff]

I think it's like when Luis Armstrong was asked to define Jazz Music: "If you have to ask, you'll never know"

[TomCat]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I admit, I'm looking for the perfect vehicle for me. I need some serious off-road capability (although not Moab serious), but I also practically live in the car during the week. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Looked at a LWB Rubi?

If you want serious off-road capability and user-friendly manners as a DD, check it out.

And for a lot less than an H3.

It's all good, no matter which way you go.

Enjoy!

[HummerNewbie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KenP:
[quote]Originally posted by H3Shopper:
I bet you'll find even better places with the H3.

But it doesn't sound like the vehicle for you. While it is an awesome rig, you'll be complaining about it all the time. Come on, you're already complaining about the location of switches. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Ken, I just hurled

Now you have all those pic rotating in your avatar.

[H3 Hummer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I think it was Motor-Trend who ranked it second out of 6 top of the line SUV's. Like Tourag, Jeep, Toyota, etc. It was second to the Land Rover LR3 only because of less power. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry it was actually Truck Trend Magazine.