Questions from a potential buyer..

[BEST 4x4xFAR]

Well, I want to start off by saying thank you for everyone’s responses. I can’t remember who said what, but wanted to ask some additional questions about responses. I’ll start with the manual transmission. Apparently an Aisin AR5 (I see through further research that GM also calls it an MA5 and uses it in the Solstice, Sky, Colorado (suprise, lol) etc.), with an input torque rating of 225 lb/ft. GM didn’t exactly over engineer this, given the engine’s 225 lb/ft of stock output. Makes me wonder what changes were made for ’07, since the ’07 engine now exceeds this input specification, and would make me worry about the idea of forced induction as well. Oh, and we want a manual transmission because both my wife and I hate driving automatics.

I’d like some additional input on the center differential if anyone has any more information. I saw some exploded views of the t-case (I assume it is a New Venture, anyone have the model number?) in another thread, and those with the poster’s explanation didn’t lead me to believe it was a limited slip differential of any kind. If someone could confirm or deny and share what type of differential it is, that would be helpful.

On the Car seat, a couple have noted that car seats fit, but they seam to be forward facing. I refuse to turn our daughter around until she reaches the Britax Boulevard’s weight limit (33 lbs), and the Boulevard is even larger than the Marathon, so I am still concerned about it fitting. On that note, can anyone confirm how many LATCH anchors there are in the back seat, and in what positions? The Seat will most likely fit in the center, and it is my preferred location anyway, if LATCH anchors are provided for the center (Many cars only provide them for the outboard positions it seems). Can anyone confirm with a large car seat in the center if passengers (not necessarily other car seats) can still use the outboard seating positions?

I am trying really hard to reserve judgment until I can spend some time with it, and drive it, but I have to tell you, I’m more than a bit disappointed to find out that the cargo area dimensions, square footage and capacity numbers I had previously found are correct. Seems hard to phantom that my wife’s Subaru Outback has more cargo capacity, a longer cargo area, and identical width cargo area and can carry all but 25 lbs of what an H3 is rated to. Kind of kills the “tough, heavy duty truck” image Hummer portrays, and it is making it harder to justify to my wife…