Teresa’s View
Big is a relative term. I remember calling a boy’s house for the first time only to have his mom ask if I was looking for Big Ed or Little Ed. Considering the young man I wanted to talk to was 5-foot-10 and more than 200 pounds, the question stunned me.
I had the same experience when I was first introduced to the newest member of the HUMMER family. The H3 is significantly shorter and narrower than its beamy brothers. It’s also less boxy and, by extension, less formidable looking than the H1 or H2, but no less impressive. Like its siblings, the H3 is built on a fully welded steel frame and boasts complete undercarriage protection to handle extreme conditions.
The H3 is even a bit of a water baby. It’s more capable than either sibling at fording streams. Although if you’re really serious about stump jumping, you’ll want the off-road suspension package that adds a shorter-geared transfer case, locking rear differential, larger tires and firmer suspension tuning.
Beneath the H3’s distinctive physique beats a throaty 3.5-liter inline five-cylinder Vortec 3500 engine. Yep, you read that right. It’s got five cylinders. The engine produces 220 horsepower and 225 foot-pounds of torque at 2,800 rpm. Some complain about a lack of power, but with the balance shifting to better gas mileage, HUMMER may have sliced this one just right. Matched to either a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission, the H3 with the automatic tranny is said to get 16 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway.
Although the H3 is a bit slow off the line, acceleration is good and the ride is remarkably smooth. The rig’s smaller size is more comfortable in everyday driving, however rearward visibility is poor. Too bad HUMMERs don’t come with back-up cameras.
What Is It?: The five-passenger H3 is a midsize sport-ute offered in a single, full-time four-wheel drive trim. It retails for $29K, but after adding automatic transmission ($1,695), the luxury package ($3,125), sunroof ($800), XM radio ($325), chrome tubular assist steps ($695) and a trailer hitch and wiring ($270) our tester weighed in at a hefty $37K.
Gadget Rating: 7 out of 10. The controls are intuitive and sized to fit the stubbiest of digits. OnStar with one year of service is a standard feature, as are air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, mirrors and door locks and a stereo system with CD player.
Accessorize! Just in time for the holidays, the HUMMER catalogue offers everything from a night vision scope to HUMMER eau de toilette.
The Back Seat: A clever illusion creates a larger door opening that it seems initially. The rear wheel well fender is incorporated into the door itself instead of around it. But what’s this? A single cupholder, cramped space and windows that don’t roll down completely earn this back seat a thumbs-down.
Cheat Sheet: HUMMER is a member of the General Motors family.