So, sell me on the H3....

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)