Questions from a potential buyer..

[BEST 4x4xFAR]

Morning All,

Hope I don?t get branded a troll here, but I?ve been looking at possibly purchasing an H3 as an everyday driver/vacation vehicle. I want it to be capable, but ultimate off-road ability is not a concern (have a dedicated vehicle for this). I?m looking for something safe, capable and with ample room in the backseat for car seats, and in the cargo area for a family of ? to take vacation needs with them. Being a dedicated gear head of sorts, the mechanicals and specs are more important to me than they probably should be, and information seems a bit hard to come by. Though I am sure I?d be looking for the locking rear diff and manual transmission. For my better half, concerns are ride quality of the rear leaf sprung suspension, cargo capacity, car seat fitment and safety. So here are our questions if anyone can throw answers back for them that would be great?

~> What make and model is the manual transmission?
~> Does the transfer case have an open, or a limited slip center differential?
~> Is the 8.5? of ground clearance listed to the rear axles diff, or frame?

~> Anyone fitted a large, rear facing car seat like a Britax Boulevard in the back seat?
~> Will it fit in any of the three positions, and are their LATCH anchors for all three seating positions?
~> If the car seat is center mounted, is there still room for a passenger on either side?
~> How much cargo space/capacity is there? MSN auto?s comparison tool numbers don?t seem right. If they are, the cargo area of the H3 is actually smaller than my wife?s current Subaru Outback, has less cargo volume seats up/seats down, and the is only rated to carry 25 lbs more cargo than her Outback? Doesn?t seem quite right.

~> How comfortable do the ladies find the H3 to drive? Quiet and smooth enough for most? We realize it is a truck, but we want to make sure it is reasonably comfortable.
~> I?m gathering that real world fuel mileage doesn?t exactly match the EPA numbers, they seem awfully optimistic given the H3?s weight, small engine or not?
~> And just how lacking In power is the H3? I read a magazine review that said 5th gear was unusable on anything but dead level highway travel?

Thanks in advance. We are of course planning to go and test drive one, but we are having trouble finding an area dealer with a manual transmission to drive. Area dealers list over a 100 H3s in stock, but all autos?!?!?

[TomV]

Well, I only have the truck for 10 days now, and I?ll let the experts here answer your technical questions - I?d just comment on the last issue:

I have the manual trans and I was glad to find out that the power
IS ABSOLUTELY ADEQUATE - and I had V8 WJ Jeep before H3...
I can imagine that with auto trans the power could feel marginal at times.
Also,the engine is quite torquey - it has 90% of tq as low as 1600 rpm..

IMHO you don?t have to worry about the power - but it woun?t hurt to have some other car for going FAST

[TomV]

BTW - as you probably know: for 2007 MY the engine will be bored to 3,7 L

[usetosellhummer]

big bang for the money and nice ride off road, solid

[Michael1]

Originally Posted by BEST 4x4xFAR

Morning All,

Hope I don?t get branded a troll here, but I?ve been looking at possibly purchasing an H3 as an everyday driver/vacation vehicle. I want it to be capable, but ultimate off-road ability is not a concern (have a dedicated vehicle for this). I?m looking for something safe, capable and with ample room in the backseat for car seats, and in the cargo area for a family of ? to take vacation needs with them. Being a dedicated gear head of sorts, the mechanicals and specs are more important to me than they probably should be, and information seems a bit hard to come by. Though I am sure I?d be looking for the locking rear diff and manual transmission. For my better half, concerns are ride quality of the rear leaf sprung suspension, cargo capacity, car seat fitment and safety. So here are our questions if anyone can throw answers back for them that would be great?

~> What make and model is the manual transmission?
~> Does the transfer case have an open, or a limited slip center differential?
~> Is the 8.5? of ground clearance listed to the rear axles diff, or frame?

~> Anyone fitted a large, rear facing car seat like a Britax Boulevard in the back seat?
~> Will it fit in any of the three positions, and are their LATCH anchors for all three seating positions?
~> If the car seat is center mounted, is there still room for a passenger on either side?
~> How much cargo space/capacity is there? MSN auto?s comparison tool numbers don?t seem right. If they are, the cargo area of the H3 is actually smaller than my wife?s current Subaru Outback, has less cargo volume seats up/seats down, and the is only rated to carry 25 lbs more cargo than her Outback? Doesn?t seem quite right.

~> How comfortable do the ladies find the H3 to drive? Quiet and smooth enough for most? We realize it is a truck, but we want to make sure it is reasonably comfortable.
~> I?m gathering that real world fuel mileage doesn?t exactly match the EPA numbers, they seem awfully optimistic given the H3?s weight, small engine or not?
~> And just how lacking In power is the H3? I read a magazine review that said 5th gear was unusable on anything but dead level highway travel?

Thanks in advance. We are of course planning to go and test drive one, but we are having trouble finding an area dealer with a manual transmission to drive. Area dealers list over a 100 H3s in stock, but all autos?!?!?

You do know that your options for a family size (read decent back seat) off-road capable SUV with a manual transmission have dwindled down to exactly three. Sadly, most Americans are more interested in having cars which are a combination kitchen-phone booth-powder room-entertainment room which happens to have a steering wheel and gas pedal, and doesn't leave a free hand for shifting. So for the rest of us interested in actually driving your options are:

Hummer H3
Nissan Xterra
2007 Jeep Unlimited

The FJ Cruiser's back seat is really too small for family use, and has inconvenient rear hinged doors.

To answer a few of your questions. The center diff is limited slip, all wheel drive, which is lockable. I'm not sure if it is torsen or viscous, or what the standard torque split is.

I think ladies find it reasonably comfortable to drive, because 40% of buyers are women from what I have heard. I think the around town ride is very good. The freeway ride I would characterize as "busy", and my personal belief this is because the frame is less stiff than it should be. It is certainly not jarring like the Xterra is, but it is not Lexus GX 470 smooth either. With 33" tires and 75% aspect ratio, potholes don't affect the H3 much.

Noise level in the H3 is excellent. Road noise is almost non-existent. You will get some wind noise around the A-pillar when driving into a headwind, but it is not too loud. We're talking about only 69-70 dBA at 70 mph, which is very good.

Cargo volume with the seat up is 29.5 cu. ft. That's smaller than most, but again bigger than the FJ Cruiser (27.9 cu. ft.). With the back seat down, cargo volume expands to 55.7 cu. ft., and the rear seat does not fold flat The H3 is not a big cargo hauler, but the length of the cargo space is almost 6 ft, which is longer than most, which can be helpful to hauling long items. Payload is 1150 pounds which is slightly better than average.

I asked about the 5th gear usability in another thread, so keep your eyes open for that. I think the press may be exagerating the issue, because I didn't notice any problem on my test drive. GM usually puts very tall high gears in their cars for fuel economy. My Corvette won't even pull 6th gear on a really steep grade. We'll let others with more experience voice their opinions.

By the way, ground clearance is 9.1" with the Adventure Package. Looking at the vehicle, I would guess the low point is the rear diff.

Hope this helps!

Michael

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Originally Posted by BEST 4x4xFAR

~> What make and model is the manual transmission?
Manual tranny is the Aisin AR5

~> I?m gathering that real world fuel mileage doesn?t exactly match the EPA numbers, they seem awfully optimistic given the H3?s weight, small engine or not?
The mpg numbers are real on the base model with manual tranny, a light foot, no passengers and no vehicle options, after the engine has broken in ... yeah, it's optimistic, but no more than other vehicles.

~> And just how lacking In power is the H3? I read a magazine review that said 5th gear was unusable on anything but dead level highway travel?
Others may know better from owning one, but based on my 5-spd test drive on I-70 west of Denver, 5th gear was ok in the foothills because of all the low end torque. But to keep up with traffic on the steeper grades, I liked 4th better, and needed 3rd on Floyd Hill. No big surprise there. It does as well as my 5spd Blazer ZR2 (4.3L V6 - 190 HP, 250 Tq, NP233 tranny).

.

[humma_H3]

Go test drive, let the wife drive- "insta-sale" My wife is now commenting on wanting to upgrade to an H2 for our next car.... i'll stick with the 3.

matt
cincy oh

[phantom2]

If your looking for a comfortable "everday" driver, you should definitely try a different vehicle.I myself would not recommend an H3 for long trips.I recently took mine on a 2600 mile trip and I found the seats to be very uncomfortable and the engine lacking in power for safe highway driving.Acceleration on highway on ramps and passing another vehicle is a true adventure and requires planning in advance.As far as luggage space is concerned,there is very little for the size of this vehicle.The H3 is an "outstanding" off road vehicle and that is it's strength.I can also say that the H3 has been absolutely trouble free from the day I bought it,it's just not the vehicle for me.

[f5fstop]

T/cases are two-speed full time 4WD, with a 40F/60R split in 4HI unlocked mode. The front and rear shafts are constantly driven. A plantary differential splits the torque between front and rear during unlock mode. When locked in either hi or lo, a lockup collar bypasses the planatary assembly, and locks the mainshaft to the drive sprocket and the output shaft. Rear and front are now driven by equal rpm.

I have an auto and I do not feel it lacks power, until you get up around 70 mph. It is not a Vette off the line, but it is not a VW diesel either. You can pass on an interstate, but on two-lane roads, as someone else said you have to plan ahead. (Actually, when driving a Vette you need to plan ahead too). Do not agree that it is unsafe, and if someone thinks so, it is time to sell, if they feel that way. You cannot power your way onto the freeway like I do in a vette, you have to scare the oncoming vehicles with the size of the vehicle. So far, no problems merging on any freeway, and that includes MI, where it is like a game to allow someone to merge.

I can only speak for the leather seating, but it is comfortable in a 11 hour drive from MI to middle TN. I had absolutly no problems, but I cannot speak for the cloth seats.

My mileage around town is the summer is 15, winter is 13.5-14; and this is solid stop and go, with NO interstate. It is basically drive a mile, stop for a red (sometimes two reds at the same intersection), then go again.
Highway last year with only 2K on the engine was 18.9 average for the trip. From MI to TN, basically half flat, half rolling hills. A/C on, no cruise, and average speed through KY and TN was 80 mph.

I know quite a few woman who love the H3, so let the wife drive and make the decision.

[Sewie]

Originally Posted by phantom2

If your looking for a comfortable "everday" driver, you should definitely try a different vehicle.I myself would not recommend an H3 for long trips.I recently took mine on a 2600 mile trip and I found the seats to be very uncomfortable and the engine lacking in power for safe highway driving.Acceleration on highway on ramps and passing another vehicle is a true adventure and requires planning in advance.As far as luggage space is concerned,there is very little for the size of this vehicle.The H3 is an "outstanding" off road vehicle and that is it's strength.I can also say that the H3 has been absolutely trouble free from the day I bought it,it's just not the vehicle for me.

You're obviously entitled to your opinion, but I'm gonna have to disagree with almost everything you said.

My H3 is my DD (17K+ miles) and it is great on the highway, in traffic, and around town. I've also done some 1000+ mile trips and have been quite comfortable. And I don't even have the leather seats. I wouldn't mind having more cargo space but I've been able to use what is available quite effectively.

Not trying to bash you, but it sounds like you should have been in the market for a different type of vehicle. Everything you complained about should have been evident on the first test drive.

[nafs]

i'll chime in on the car seat.

i have a britax marathon, which is huge and you can place it at any of the three positions. currently I have it in the middle. The britax will not fit side by side with another britax (will fit on both ends) but i have fitted a britax with a booster seat side by side.

The H3 is definately not a minivan, thankfully.

[NM H3]

Originally Posted by nafs

i'll chime in on the car seat.

i have a britax marathon, which is huge and you can place it at any of the three positions. currently I have it in the middle. The britax will not fit side by side with another britax (will fit on both ends) but i have fitted a britax with a booster seat side by side.

The H3 is definately not a minivan, thankfully.

Are you using the LATCH hooks in the center? My marathon should be here Wednesday, and was wondering about this too.
Is yours rear facing?

[evldave]

My 2 cents:

Now at 12k miles, it's my DD. Coming from a 325i and before that a Cherokee (plus I have a suburban for extended expeditions). I've had it on 4 long weekends (~1000k miles). , It's an auto and cloth seats. I live in the NW, which means anywhere you go, you are climbing a mountain.

That said, it's easily the best balance between being able to drive there in comfort and drive offroad in security in stock form (and it's not hard to make it even better on the cheap). My whole family is GM now (after being Ford for a few decades) and it's much better build quality than either a Tahoe or 1500/2500 pickup. It suffers on the interior storage, but get a roof rack and you've got enough space for 4 people, 2 dogs, and all the camping equipment you need.

As far as power, I don't think it's even underpowered on the freeway. Sure, compared to a vette or a BMW it's a dog, but I cruise @ 80 on the freeway and have no problem with power. It will downshift to speed up, and the cruise control sucks (it appears to be an on-off, instead of incremental, which means when you go up a hill, it floors the throttle and drops down a gear every time).

You can crank the torsion bars to get more clearance. Add 35's (they will fit in stock trim) and you'll get another 1". On road manners won't be an issue, and it's better offroad.

And one thing you didn't ask about. You'll likely get exceptional service. Hummer dealers bend over backwards for their customers, and the brand prides itself on setting a higher standard (regular hummer happenings, etc). Get it through a 5 star dealer and you'll have the best customer service you can get anywhere (including German or Japanese brands). The build quality on a 1st year vehicle seems great, so that's another benefit.

[deserth3]

My previous vehicle was a 2 door Chevy Blazer (I've owned 3 over the years). I find after driving the H3 I don't miss the Blazer.

When I went to test drive one I was leary because of all the negative comments. Personally I find them not true. You are pushing almost 5000 lb down the road and the 3.5 liter does it's job well. I can get up to 75 by the end of the on ramp if no one is in front of me. So far that's the only drawback I've had. Other drivers. Nothing like merging with traffic going 75 when doing 45.

The H3 excells in parking lots. Turn the wheel and it goes straight in.

I haven't had a chance to take a long road trip but I would not hesitate to do so. I've done 5 to 6 hour offroad trips and findit very comfortable.

Drive one yourself.

[Michael1]

Originally Posted by BEST 4x4xFAR

Morning All,

Thanks in advance. We are of course planning to go and test drive one, but we are having trouble finding an area dealer with a manual transmission to drive. Area dealers list over a 100 H3s in stock, but all autos?!?!?[/font]

You really have to call around to find one with a manual transmission. I finally found one and was impressed. I'm pretty picky, too. The clutch effort was light, and the modulation was fantastic. The shifter works well, and is in a comfortable position.

I had heard the reports of lacking power in 5th gear, and purposely took it out on the freeway to find out. I got it up to 75, and it was still pulling, even in 5th. I came away perplexed about what the magazines were talking about. I think they may be use to many vehicles, which really don't have an economy top gear. I like the tall gears GM uses. It cuts engine wear, engine noise, and boosts fuel economy.

Everybody's bodies are different. Here is a nice thing. Hummer thoughtfully put lumbar adjustments even in the standard cloth driver's seat. Many companies don't. It's a real back saver. If you still think you may have trouble getting comfortable in the cloth seats, get the Luxury Package with the leather seats. It comes with 6 way power adjustment for the base, and power lumbar, plus manual adjustment for backrest angle, for both driver and passenger. After a couple of minutes of adjusting, I was able to get just the right amount of thigh support, and lumbar support for those long trips.

Every woman I know loves heated seats. The Luxury Package includes those.

Do you like a nice sounding stereo? The Monsoon system blew away every other SUV I looked at.

Although the price went up $150 this year , the navigation system is still reasonably priced compared to the competition. That's something to keep in mind if you want navigation.

It is also one vehicle you can take off-road without worrying about it getting torn up (I'm talking family outings here). You can also add rock rails (factory accessory) to protect the rocker panels from rocks, and a full underbody cage (also factory accessory) to provide additional protection for the transfer case and transmission.

Another nice thing about the manual, is, if you get the Off-road package with its 4 to 1 transfer case, you get an industry leading crawl ratio of 68.9 to 1. That's 1.7 mph per 1000 rpm. Great to crawling right over those boulders, that could be troublesome otherwise.

I drove the Standard and Adventure Package back to back over the same route, and neither I nor the salesman could detect any difference in the ride. I think many off-road packages have a negative effect on ride, and it's nice this one doesn't appear to.

If you have a family, I would be thinking about safety, too. There are side curtain air bags available as an option, which have rollover activation. Rollover is a leading cause of death in SUVs. The manual transmission models come with Stability Control in '07 which can help prevent rollovers in the first place. The headlights are better than most, too.

Michael

Just my 2 cents after 11 months and 19k miles in my H3-lux/auto. Used mostly on the road with some light offroad and snow usage.

Space inside is so-so, many smaller crossover utility vehicles will have more room. The H3 is a real truck with serious offroad capability, not a station wagon on stilts. Actual mpg vs EPA mpg is lower like a vast majority of vehicles. I get 14-15 in town and 16-17 on the freeway (and we drive fast on the freeways here). Yea the H3 is somewhat slow on the road, but if you keep your foot into it and keep the revs up the rig will move. Hopefully the folks with manual trannys will give more feedback. I have 2 much faster cars in the garage but I use the H3 daily. For a truck, the ride and level of refinement is very good. I'm still enjoying it.

S.

[JeffW]

I just went out and measured my ground clearance (on level garage floor) with off-road package. I got 10" under the rear transfer case, and 9.5" under each rear shock. The latter seems to be the lowest point on the vehicle.

[nafs]

On the car seat....

The center latches work fine. I have the britax facing foward beacuse my daughter is 2 yrs old. I really see no problem with the rear facing position because the latch straps are on the metal rods on the side of the chair and the strap can slide foward and back to accomodate both foward and rear facing. remember to hook up the rear tether that is on the back of the chair. If it is rear facing, try to calmp it to some metal at the seats. When foward facing, there is a nice latch on the back of the center seat to accomodate a hook up. The britax becomes super secure. If you have leather seats then a seat protector is a must. I got the prince lionheart seat protector. it is a great combination with the britax.

hope this helps. good luck.

[NM H3]

Originally Posted by nafs

On the car seat....

The center latches work fine. I have the britax facing foward beacuse my daughter is 2 yrs old. I really see no problem with the rear facing position because the latch straps are on the metal rods on the side of the chair and the strap can slide foward and back to accomodate both foward and rear facing. remember to hook up the rear tether that is on the back of the chair. If it is rear facing, try to calmp it to some metal at the seats. When foward facing, there is a nice latch on the back of the center seat to accomodate a hook up. The britax becomes super secure. If you have leather seats then a seat protector is a must. I got the prince lionheart seat protector. it is a great combination with the britax.

hope this helps. good luck.

Good info. Thank you.

[CLAYDOG]

Originally Posted by evldave

My 2 cents:

Now at 12k miles, it's my DD. Coming from a 325i and before that a Cherokee (plus I have a suburban for extended expeditions). I've had it on 4 long weekends (~1000k miles). , It's an auto and cloth seats. I live in the NW, which means anywhere you go, you are climbing a mountain.

That said, it's easily the best balance between being able to drive there in comfort and drive offroad in security in stock form (and it's not hard to make it even better on the cheap). My whole family is GM now (after being Ford for a few decades) and it's much better build quality than either a Tahoe or 1500/2500 pickup. It suffers on the interior storage, but get a roof rack and you've got enough space for 4 people, 2 dogs, and all the camping equipment you need.

As far as power, I don't think it's even underpowered on the freeway. Sure, compared to a vette or a BMW it's a dog, but I cruise @ 80 on the freeway and have no problem with power. It will downshift to speed up, and the cruise control sucks (it appears to be an on-off, instead of incremental, which means when you go up a hill, it floors the throttle and drops down a gear every time).

You can crank the torsion bars to get more clearance. Add 35's (they will fit in stock trim) and you'll get another 1". On road manners won't be an issue, and it's better offroad.

And one thing you didn't ask about. You'll likely get exceptional service. Hummer dealers bend over backwards for their customers, and the brand prides itself on setting a higher standard (regular hummer happenings, etc). Get it through a 5 star dealer and you'll have the best customer service you can get anywhere (including German or Japanese brands). The build quality on a 1st year vehicle seems great, so that's another benefit.

Not sure if this is what your talking about, but the cruise is incremental. A single tap on the set button slows 1mph, a tap on the on/off/resume switch 1mph faster.