2600 Mile Trip

[f5fstop]

I agree the luggage space is limited, but for a Vette owner, it is great and comparing to my Jeep that I take to Utah every year, the Hummer is fantastic. But it is just me and sometimes a friend or my kid. Next week, after I pack in two large camera bags, two duffles, misc. gear, and then my kids two camera bags and duffle bag, I might have a different opinion.
I found the cruising to be ok in all of TN and parts of NC; granted the grades aren't as steep, and it did some downshifting to 3rd a few times, but it is what I expected for an auto/220 hp engine moving 4800 lbs. Guess in two weeks I'll find out how it acts in I-70 through CO, but last year in my Jeep, fully loaded, in third gear (manual trans), I could only obtain 65 mph up a few of those long passes.
Seats to me are very confortable, but I do have the leather, and have only driven a cloth seated vehicle around town; not on long trips.
However, a vehicle with this HP to weight ratio is not for everyone, and not sure if it would be the vehicle for me if I still had three young boys and went on extended trips with them.

[Chip]

I've yet to go up the I-70 with the H-3 but I've driven it from PHX to Flagstaff, Only a couple of times it couldn't maintain 80. It suprised me as I thought it would slow down.

I would be interested how fast you can go up the Gorgetown hill west of Denver. When I lived in Denver that was the test. A Porsche will do a 130 while a Wrangler will be lucky to maintain 60.

[FutureBeachBum]

Having just completed a similar length trip have to agree and disagree on a couple of points.
I've got the cloth seats and did one 850 mile day with no more complaints from my butt than I would have gotten in my Infiniti.
Cargo space is not the best, but with just 2 of us wasn't an issue.
Engine seems to run out of steam above 65-70, punch it at those speeds or above and it's more noise than go.

All in all I enjoyed taking it on the trip...and a whole lot more fun walking up to it and climbing in that getting into a minivan, which lets be honest is more practical for road trips.

Life is too short to be practical !

[deserth3]

Just got back from a trip. Flew up to New england area (got tickets before buying H3) and ended up renting a Ford Explorer. What a dog... this thing would downshift on mild exceleration on a flat highway. Even my daughter was going through H3 withdrawl after 6 days.
I can't tell you how much I'm glad to be back driving my H3.

[FutureBeachBum]

Not to mention you're invisible in an Explorer! If I needed a get-a-way car I would use an Explorer.
Any eye witness would say, yeah the guy was driving a dark grey Ford Explorer [there would be twenty or thirty in a 1 mile radius]
(no offensense to the Explorer owners in the crowd)

[evldave]

I've got 11k on my hummer, about 60% DD, the rest on longer trips (500-750 miles/weekend). I'm coming off a BMW 325i and before that a '91 Cherokee. Not close to comfort of the 325i and 10x better than the Cherokee. I have the cloth seats, and in pretty good shape, so not back or sitting problems for 7+ hour drives, mostly at 35-55 country roads.

I am planning a much longer trip in the fall, likely a month of driving every day, around the western states (last time I went on a monthlong sabatical, it was 7500 miles in 28 days). I've been doing some medium trips and am pretty happy w/the cloth seats. I might go w/a back support for the longer trips. We'll see

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by Chip

I've yet to go up the I-70 with the H-3 but I've driven it from PHX to Flagstaff, Only a couple of times it couldn't maintain 80. It suprised me as I thought it would slow down.

I would be interested how fast you can go up the Gorgetown hill west of Denver. When I lived in Denver that was the test. A Porsche will do a 130 while a Wrangler will be lucky to maintain 60.

I'll post my trip info on the return. That hill sounds familiar, my biggest problems in the Jeep were the climb to Eisenhower tunnel and the next one; Vail I believe. Strange thing was, even though the Jeep was redlining, I was still passing other cars.