Since I have about 1200 miles on the 05, I thought I would post my thoughts on the differences.

Improvements:
Ebony Interior
More leather surfaces
Black trim finish nicer on pieces that were painted silver
Gauges are clearer
Express open and close sunroof (finally)
Middle seat shoulder strap (good for kids)
XM radio
Fit and finish on interior marginally better
Side step bar seems less prone to rusting like the black painted ones do
Not speed limited to 92 mph
We have clothes hooks!
Door sills have a nice protective plate on them

Disappointments
Still has the slip yoke thump when starting from a stop (this really bugs the crap out of me)
Many functions on the trip computer are gone such as the ability to record MPG on a trip.
Key in seat recall is gone (this may have left in 04)
05's use a cheap Bose amp. Hummers used to have the Cadillac systems now they have the Tahoe/Suburban systems. There is a noticeable difference between the two.
Wipers still suck in the snow
Frame still has rapid corrosion

I have not taken it wheeling yet. I did pull a Suburban that my brother drove over a hill in snow if that counts.

All in all I like the 05 better than the 03 but wish there were more improvements on the quality of the interior materials. WTF is so hard about it? Aside from some cheap looking bumpers, the fit and finish (alignment of panels, etc.) of the H2's is excellent IMO. The biggest drawback is the crappy interior pieces. My suggestion is newly designed door panels, as I feel this is where most of the problems lie, and a shifter make from real aluminum that has a positive and quality feel to it. Go drive a BMW, Benz or even a new Cadillac for that matter and you will see what I mean.

Maybe they will get it right when I get the 07.

Since I have about 1200 miles on the 05, I thought I would post my thoughts on the differences.

Improvements:
Ebony Interior
More leather surfaces
Black trim finish nicer on pieces that were painted silver
Gauges are clearer
Express open and close sunroof (finally)
Middle seat shoulder strap (good for kids)
XM radio
Fit and finish on interior marginally better
Side step bar seems less prone to rusting like the black painted ones do
Not speed limited to 92 mph
We have clothes hooks!
Door sills have a nice protective plate on them

Disappointments
Still has the slip yoke thump when starting from a stop (this really bugs the crap out of me)
Many functions on the trip computer are gone such as the ability to record MPG on a trip.
Key in seat recall is gone (this may have left in 04)
05's use a cheap Bose amp. Hummers used to have the Cadillac systems now they have the Tahoe/Suburban systems. There is a noticeable difference between the two.
Wipers still suck in the snow
Frame still has rapid corrosion

I have not taken it wheeling yet. I did pull a Suburban that my brother drove over a hill in snow if that counts.

All in all I like the 05 better than the 03 but wish there were more improvements on the quality of the interior materials. WTF is so hard about it? Aside from some cheap looking bumpers, the fit and finish (alignment of panels, etc.) of the H2's is excellent IMO. The biggest drawback is the crappy interior pieces. My suggestion is newly designed door panels, as I feel this is where most of the problems lie, and a shifter make from real aluminum that has a positive and quality feel to it. Go drive a BMW, Benz or even a new Cadillac for that matter and you will see what I mean.

Maybe they will get it right when I get the 07.

Thanks for the write up.

Thanks for the detailed write up 89. I've been thinking about trading for an '05 just for the XM, the express windows & sunroof and the dual piston compressor.

Still has the slip yoke thump when starting from a stop (this really bugs the crap out of me)



SAme here!

Your 05 sounds really great.

Heated wiper blades will take care of your snow problem. There is a thread on this in the "Technical Discussion" part of the H2 site. The title of the thread is "Cure for ice in center of windshield," with the last post being on 1-25-05. Start reading from the latest posts going backwards since some of the early stuff was just us floundering around until we became focused on the heated wiper blades.

Congrats on your new ride,

George

Thank you for that information on the wiper blades.

89 - <Still has the slip yoke thump when starting from a stop [this really bugs the crap out of me)>

Pardon my newbie numbness, but whats the slip yoke thump. Doug

The yoke that comes out of the back of the transfer case that is connects to the drive shaft sticks. When you start moving, the back of the truck squats a little and the yoke slides on the splines of the output shaft as the driveshaft pushes in. It binds up on the splines and thumps when it moves. If you grease it, it will be quiet for a little bit but if comes right back.

89- huh? Never heard any thump from my 03 h2 . Is yours air suspension in rear or spring? Doug

I do not have the air suspension. I have talked to several other owners that complian of the thump. The service manager at my dealer also know about the problem.

There may be some odd occasion where someone gets a GM product particuly talking about trucks and suv's that do not do it. I have not been fortunante enough to own a GM that did not have the Yolk noise. It drove Me and dealer nuts first time I had one as I just kept going back and back and back. My 05 H2 probably is the lowest on the noise scale I have owned.
89vette is correct on the noise issue and You would think as many warranty hours GM has paid dealers for first time GM owner to look at this they would do something about it.
Go figure

TAZ (Rick)

I've got it big time...the dealer won't even write it up on the warranty servic slip, cause they can't fix the problem.

"Still has the slip yoke thump when starting from a stop (this really bugs the crap out of me)"

Ditto!!!!!

Ric

My thought exactly. My wife drive an Escalade and there has never been an issue. It has 30000 miles on it and the drivetrain is quiet and smooth. I used to have an 01 Silverado Z71 extended cab with the noise. The dealer installed an updated nickel plated yoke and worked. No such solution is offered on H2's.

Nice write up & comparison 89vette. I don't need an '05 (only have 14K miles on the '03) but in some ways I think I'd be taking a step backwards. I've never had a problem with my '03 except the cd changer quit & I used that opportunity to upgrade to the TNR Nav & factory XM & really like it so those are nice options in the '05. But the cheaper sound system and other frills they've eliminated would bug me for $55k or so. Just my thoughts.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 89vette:
Since I have about 1200 miles on the 05, I thought I would post my thoughts on the differences.

Improvements:
Ebony Interior
More leather surfaces
Black trim finish nicer on pieces that were painted silver
Gauges are clearer
Express open and close sunroof (finally)
Middle seat shoulder strap (good for kids)
XM radio
Fit and finish on interior marginally better
Side step bar seems less prone to rusting like the black painted ones do
Not speed limited to 92 mph
We have clothes hooks!
Door sills have a nice protective plate on them

Disappointments
Still has the slip yoke thump when starting from a stop (this really bugs the crap out of me)
Many functions on the trip computer are gone such as the ability to record MPG on a trip.
Key in seat recall is gone (this may have left in 04)
05's use a cheap Bose amp. Hummers used to have the Cadillac systems now they have the Tahoe/Suburban systems. There is a noticeable difference between the two.
Wipers still suck in the snow
Frame still has rapid corrosion



Maybe they will get it right when I get the 07. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am going to aggree with 69 I mean 89. The 05 was a rust bucket under the frame. the Bose blows and the trip counter sucks ass. But on the other hand smoother shifting and corners like its on rails. the MPG around gthe same.

I upgraded for tax reasons and the bonus GM card points. I have not notice any difference in handling. Did they strengthen the sway bars or something? Also I should mention that I do not mind the antenna as much as others. It does meake washing the windshield a little more difficult. For me the black interior is the biggest improvement.

On the slip yoke thump, I did some research and spoke the the Borg Warner engineer that helped design the case. He said he is not aware of the problem with the 44-84 Tcase but will look into it. He is going to bring it up at a meeting with GM engineers next week. Let's see where it goes.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Albie:
I am going to aggree with 69 I mean 89. The 05 was a rust bucket under the frame. the Bose blows and the trip counter sucks ass. But on the other hand smoother shifting and corners like its on rails. the MPG around gthe same. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Humph...I just paid for firmer shifting (Hypertech III)

Not all 05's have the express sunroof feature. It's not in the manual and the dealer informed me only a few had them. It seems later '05 models (mine is October) had the feature removed. I do not know why.

RI

Mine was built in October also. It has express open and close. Very nice. The express windows down is something that people in the warmer climates will enjoy more that we do in the East.