H3 underpowered?

[Corinne]

Hi, I am thinking about purchasing a H3, but have heard alot of stories about them being very underpowered.Love the the look of the H3 but have a heavy foot and need the power.Can anyone give me the real story?
Thanks Corinne

Corinne - Did you test drive an H3 yet?

[Corinne]

Hi, no we have to travel a distance to try one, but will do so shortly.
Corinne

[blindzebra]

I have a manual trans and I have never had a power problem merging. It's not a sprinter on the road, but not an RV either. I think with the auto trans, the shiftpoints don't make use of the HP/torque range of the I5 to it's greatest potential.

Honestly I think that most of the people who say that it's underpowered are forgetting what they're buying. If you want an want a 4X4 suv that acts like a sports car I guess there's always the Carrera.

Off the road I've never had a problem with HP and Torque. It could use a little more balls in super soft deep sand, but that's about it. In my opinion the H3 is amply powered for what it is. With that being said, I will be trading in my 06 for the V8 in 08.

[Xotik H3]

I have had my H3 for about a week. It has all the power it needs IMHO. It is an automatic. It is powerful - no, is it underpowered - no. If you want more power, buy a Jeep with a hemi, or a H2. As long as you fill it up.

What do I know about power... well, we recently sold our Magnacharged, 2003 ZO6 corvette, 469 RWHP. I would say I am critcal of HP/ to wieght ratio. And before you ask, I have pictures to back it up.

Speed costs, how fast do you want to go?

[HummBebe]

Originally Posted by Corinne

Hi, I am thinking about purchasing a H3, but have heard alot of stories about them being very underpowered.Love the the look of the H3 but have a heavy foot and need the power.Can anyone give me the real story?
Thanks Corinne

If you have a heavy foot you won't have any problems...

Corrine,

HB is right, you kind of need a heavy foot to stay in the powerband with the H3. For onroad use, there are plenty of quicker SUV's. I think that those who frequently drive at high altitude and carry or tow heavy loads feel it's underpowered. I personally have 2 much faster cars in the garage and have very demanding automotive requirements. But I use the H3 as a daily driver and find the power to be adequate.

[K9sH3]

Damn, I am going to get poo for this, But I think it is underpowered
Yes, I miss the power and speed of my previous truck. I hate getting passed up by most of the other SUV's out there.

Each time I am on the Hwy I get pissed at it for being so damn slow....BUT EACH TIME I GO IN THE WOODS I LOVE IT FOR BEING SO DAMN SLOW.

You have to ask yourself, Why are you buying it? if you want speed to satisfy your heavy foot, Then buy something else (H2). But if you want one of the best offroad SUV's on the market then you would be making a great choice.

And if you want support, you are in the right place. Everyone here will be willing to help you if needed. I personally consider everyone here a friend and I am sure you will to.

[GotSandH3]

I have the 5 speed manual and I think its a lot faster then the Auto. I drove an Auto rental when mine was in the shop and I hated it... I thought mine was under powered when I first got it, but its kinda grown on me and now i know how to drive it... It beats my gf's 1996 Acura Integra LS....So it cant be that slow..

An H2 will not satisfy the need for speed either. H2 and H3 road performance is very similar to many cheap economy cars and 4 cylinder SUV's (such as CRV, Element, Xb, Rav4, etc.), who's performance is also considered to be only adequate.

If you want fast SUV's (and don't care about offroad ability), there are plenty to choose from including Cayene, Range Rover Sport, FX, Rav4 V-6, new MDX, etc.

[3Hummer]

If your buying an SUV you cant really expect to go fast unless you buy the ML63 AMG or the Cayenne Turbo, it doesnt feel underpowered it obviosuly is not for the race car driver but i drive it daily and dont have any complaints i keep up with the traffic and a lot of times actually am faster. and off the start of course its not fast but whos floring it on a daily basis anyway. Make sure you test drive one cause your the only one who can ultimatly make this decision and if your considering buying an '06 and power is the issue for you go with the '07 becuse it has 22 more HP.

[marin8703]

im kinda with what most people are saying. Underpowered no, slow yes. Its a good kind of slow . One thing i dont get is why people keep recommending the H2 for speed. I just drove one a couple of days ago, and it certainly does pack quite a bit more punch than the H3, but under no circumstances is it fast. Most other suv would pass it too. just my opinion

[K9sH3]

Originally Posted by marin8703

im kinda with what most people are saying. Underpowered no, slow yes. Its a good kind of slow . One thing i dont get is why people keep recommending the H2 for speed. I just drove one a couple of days ago, and it certainly does pack quite a bit more punch than the H3, but under no circumstances is it fast. Most other suv would pass it too. just my opinion

What did you like about the 2 if anything? I have not driven one and was led to think that they have much more speed, I am mostly looking at hwy driving and the occasional offroading.
And do you honestly think that there is a noticeable differnce from the 06 to the 07 H3's.

Anyone's input would help, I buy a new truck just about every 18 months and I am about there. I was thinking of a 2 for more room and speed.

Thanks this may help Connie in her decision as well as mine

[lennyrebel]

Originally Posted by Corinne

Hi, I am thinking about purchasing a H3, but have heard alot of stories about them being very underpowered.Love the the look of the H3 but have a heavy foot and need the power.Can anyone give me the real story?
Thanks Corinne

Story is you belong on the jeep forum---if you drive it and can't make up your own mind how can we do it.

[stagger_lee]

Originally Posted by lennyrebel

Story is you belong on the jeep forum---if you drive it and can't make up your own mind how can we do it.

Read the the thread first before you run your mouth. She hasn't driven it and is test driving it this weekend and wanted a little insight. I almost didn't buy an H3 because I didn't want to be associated with a crowd that was so touchy and edgy. Take it easy on the poor girl. Dont we want to recruit drivers? Not turn them away? Dont be such a rebel, lenny.

[justforfun]

Underpowered?... No!

I'll give a slightly different perspective on this one... maybe!

Now, I'm from the UK and in Europe and UK, cars with big blocks like the V8 are not that common as fuel has always been expensive - try $2 per LITER nowadays and you get the picture. Don't get me wrong the V8's have been there but only for the wealthy, as they were the only people that could afford to run them.

In the USA, you guys have had V8's for what seems like forever and as such you will compare the H3 to what you have been used to. Bear in mind that 15-20mpg in Europe/UK is still a showstopper for people looking to buy a car - if I had to go back the UK tomorrow, there is no way I could run the H3 (going to rub it in here a bit - in Bahrain, fuel is cheaper than bottled WATER - that's a fact!!)

If I compare the H3 to the Jap and European stuff, it comes out either the same or better on power for an equivalent car. I have no issues with the H3 - I love it - well, should've bought an adventure, but hey, there you go - I ran a Porsche before I bought this car, and true the H3 won't scream away from the lights, but then again, it's not supposed to is it... its an SUV, if you want power, buy a fast car, if you want something "different", capable and nice to drive, go for the H3!

If a V8 came out, I'd buy one... why? purely because I couldn't run it anywhere except here and that is the ONLY reason. For me, given the choice between going for a V8 or a 3 with Adventure package, I'd go with the Adventure package every time... If they don't do a V8, well, no biggy there... for me anyway!

The moral here is don't get bogged down on the power issue (or should I say the "no issue" as that's what it is. The H3 is a supremely capable car in every respect, it's the No.1 off road and can run with the best of them on road... GM have a new customer for life here as a result of my H3 alone!

Here's a sad fact - if BMW built the H3, the power issue would probably never be mentioned - I refer you back to my comments that you guys (luckily) have had V8's as pretty much the standard fare forever...

Look at the Land Rover Discovery, or LR3 as it's now called - you think that's any better on power than the H3?.. nope, and at how many times the price?

Buy an H3... or at the least, go rent one.. they are truly brilliant cars!!!

Cheers
JFF

[Corinne]

I,m hooked,test drive was great.More than enough power, test vehicle was a black 06 with chrome pkg and towing pkg.Now all I have to do is get a good trade in for Ltd Durango and I will be a H3 owner.Thank you everyone for your help!

[stagger_lee]

Glad to hear you liked it. If you like it that much on the road, just wait till you get her in the dirt where she belongs. Let me be the first to say, even though you dont quite own one yet...Welcome aboard!