The new baby Hummer is authentic and affordable

written by Larry Edsall

The 2006 Hummer H3 is an all-new, mid-sized, five-passenger sport utility vehicle that carries the military-inspired design cues and amazing off-road capabilities of the Hummer H1 and H2, but puts them in a smaller, more affordable package. The H3 provides the level of equipment that luxury-vehicle buyers expect, even though this Hummer's base price is less than $30,000.

In an era of high gasoline prices, the appeal of the Hummer H3 is increased by its fuel-economy ratings. While its larger siblings average only 10 or 12 miles per gallon, the H3 is rated at 20 miles per gallon on the highway with its standard five-speed manual transmission or 19 mpg when equipped with an optional four-speed automatic. Both transmissions are rated at 16 mpg in city driving.

The H3 draws its power from a 3.5-liter, inline five-cylinder engine that generates 220 horsepower, which we found a sufficient output to accelerate this vehicle smartly up to freeway speeds.

The Hummer H3 delivers serious off-road capability. But it also offers comfortable and quiet performance on the highway and is as capable at squeezing into tight parking spaces as it is picking its way over boulders on The Rubicon Trail. It's an impressive balance. And the pricing is compelling. Many H3 buyers will want the Luxury Package with its leather seats and upgraded audio system, the automatic transmission, and electronic stability control technology. Even with side-curtain airbags and satellite radio you're looking at a vehicle that retails for less than $35,000.

Model Lineup

The 2006 Hummer H3 comes as one model ($29,500). Two major option packages are available that allow a buyer to focus on more luxury or on serious off-roading.

The base price includes cloth-covered seating for five with manual lumbar adjustment for the front seats and a second-row seat that is split 60/40 and can be folded down to expand the cargo floor. Also standard are a tilt-adjustable steering column, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, an audio system with a CD player, cruise control, air conditioning, an electronic rearview mirror with temperature and compass readings, and a year's subscription of the OnStar telematics system. Also standard: 265/75R16 Goodyear all-terrain tires mounted on 16-inch wheels, a full-size spare tire, daytime running lights, and fog lights.

Safety features that come standard include anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control, frontal and side-impact airbags (torso protection) for the driver and front-seat passenger, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. Side curtain-airbags ($395) are optional and we recommend them for the head protection they can provide to you and your passengers in the event of a side impact or rollover.

Leather seating with seat heaters and power adjustments for both front seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel are included in the Luxury package ($3,230), which also includes a Monsoon audio system with an in-dash six-CD changer, upgraded sun visors with extenders and special floor mats.

The Adventure package ($1,375) includes a rear-locking differential and high-ratio transfer case for enhanced off-road traction, unique 33-inch, 285/75 BFGoodrich off-road tires and special front and rear floor mats. The off-road suspension setup can be added to the Luxury package for $1,175.

Stand-alone options include a four-speed automatic transmission ($1,695) that comes with StabiliTrak anti-spin technology, a navigation system ($1,995), XM Satellite Radio ($325), the Monsoon audio system with single CD player ($695), a power sunroof ($950), a chrome appearance package ($400), towing equipment ($390), chromed wheels ($900), an underbody protection package ($385) and roof-mounted off-road lamps ($595). Hummer dealers offer many additional accessories, including a brush guard ($600) and chrome fuel door ($185).

Walkaround

The Hummer H3 applies the design cues that made the Hummer H1 and H2 so popular and so unlike anything else on the road. The difference is the more compact package.

The H3 has an extremely upright windshield and side windows that more closely resemble those in a turret than a typical family wagon, as well as the very short front and rear overhangs and increased ground clearance that are vital for negotiating the sort of extreme off-pavement environments Hummers have to be able to survive.

One area in which the H3 differs from other Hummers is in the blistered fenders that cover its widely set wheels and large tires. The standard tires are 32 inches in diameter; special off-road tires developed for the Hummer H3 by Bridgestone are 33 inches tall.

Large round headlamps are positioned on either side of an upright grille with seven vertical slots. Large fog lamps positioned below the headlamps underscore the vehicle's height. Its width is accentuated by amber signal lamps positioned outboard of the headlamps, up above the front tires at the front of bulging front fenders.

Lending even more strength to the H3's face is a wide black bumper with a pair of bolted-in D rings, each of which can support the vehicle's full weight. A visible reminder that Hummers are at home away from pavement, the H3 has a skid-plate, bright metallic underbody armor designed to protect its oil pan and other powertrain components from damage.

The hood has louvers that look like those on the Hummer H2 or H1 and a pair of air boxes at the base of the windshield supports. While the louvers are non-functional, one of the air boxes draws oxygen into the 3.5-liter five-cylinder engine.

Because of its military heritage as a Humvee, the wheels on the Hummer H1 have an integrated tire inflation system. The wheels on the H2 and H3 have a similar look, though they do not provide inflation on the go. However, the Hummer H3 does come with a standard tire-pressure monitoring system.

The rear view of the H3 is dominated by the full-size spare tire mounted on the back of the rear door. A hydraulic strut eases opening and closing this tire-carrying door, which is hinged on the driver's side and thus can be loaded from curbside in parallel parking situations.

As at the front of the H3, a metallic skid plate protects the fuel tank and other underbody components at the rear of the vehicle's chassis.

Sport utility vehicles traditionally are built on pick-up truck platforms, and the Hummer H3 chassis is based on the platform of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pick-ups. However, only 10 percent of the pick-up trucks' components carry over in the H3, and the engine and transmissions account for most of that commonality. The other thing the H3 has in common with its pick-up truck cousins is that it is built on the same assembly line in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Interior Features

While the Hummer H3 is capable of extreme off-road driving, its passenger compartment was designed and equipped for extreme on-pavement comfort.

Care was taken in designing the exterior to create nuances, such as the shape of the structure around the very upright windshield, to enhance both exterior aerodynamics and help keep the interior quiet at Interstate speeds. Special sound insulation materials and window sealing enable H3 occupants to carry on conversations without raising their voices even though the H3 we drove wore off-road tires, which have more aggressive and noise generating tread.

The leather seating surfaces in our test vehicle were comfortable for highway driving yet supportive for the severe off-road conditions we encountered. Lumbar support is good and headrests are properly positioned close to the back of the driver and passengers' heads. In addition to the standard front and side airbags in the front seats, our Hummer H3 had the optional side-curtain airbags, which enhance occupant protection in broadside crashes.

Color-contrast piping around the edges of the leather seats enhances the luxurious look and feel of the H3 interior. The interior can be ordered in all black (ebony) or with contrasting ebony and cashmere (a beige tone) or ebony and Morocco (terra cotta) colors for the seats and door panel trim.

Metallic-colored trim finishes highlight the dashboard and center console.

Switchgear is easy to find and intuitive in its use. Knobs for the HVAC (heat/ventilation/air conditioning) system are large enough to be easily turned by gloved hands. Gauges are large and easy to read. Our test car was equipped with sun visors with pull-out extensions, a terrific feature for folks living in sunbelt states where the sunrise and sunset coming through the driver or front passenger's windows can be brutal.

The care that went into designing the interior might best be seen in the details of the vents in the dashboard for the HVAC system. Designers and engineers worked closely to create louvered vents that provide ample airflow but close flush with the surface of the dashboard when not being used.

Positioning the spare tire on the rear door provides extra room for cargo inside the Hummer H3. Even with the second row occupied, there's room for nearly 30 cubic feet of gear. Capacity nearly doubles with second-row seats flipped forward.

Driving Impressions

Some might think 220 horsepower isn't enough for a mid-size sport utility vehicle that weighs 4700 pounds, but we did two stints at the wheel of the Hummer H3, one in increasingly inclement and icy weather, and found the powertrain more than adequate whether we were just driving around town, cruising at speed with left-lane traffic on the Interstate or crawling our way over big boulders on a very difficult off-road trail.

Like other Hummers, the H3 was built not for its zero-to-60 mph acceleration time but for its ability to climb 60 percent (31-degree) grades, to handle 40 percent side slopes, and to ford 24 inches of water. But the Hummer H3 isn't at all sluggish when you enter a freeway on ramp and the engine emits a nice growl as you accelerate to the speed limit.

The capabilities engineered into the H3 for off-roading also are beneficial in city driving, and especially in parking, where the tight steering and 37-foot turning circle combine to make parking, even parallel parking, a simple maneuver.

We were concerned that the upright windshield might impede the view of stoplights that hang above an intersection, but we experienced no such problem. But we did like the secure feeling you get driving or riding in a vehicle that gives you the sensation of being in a rolling fortress.

A suspension system designed to deal with extreme hazards of off-road driving improves on-road performance as well, whether it's in the way the traction-control operates on slippery surfaces or the way the shock absorbers and secondary jounce bumpers make smooth work of potholes in the pavement.

Engaging low range readjusts the computer mapping to provide the slower throttle progression needed for safely stepping over boulders and other obstacles; low range also changes shift points in the automatic transmission to allow for higher torque in lower gears and linear rather than snappy shifts.

We were amazed how the stock Hummer H3 tackled a trail normally reserved for modified off-road vehicles. General Motors says its engineers and designers created the H3 to have best-in-class off-road ability. Our experience indicates that they achieved their goal. The H3 is an authentic Hummer.

Final Word

The all-new Hummer H3 offers outstanding off-road capabilities and, because of its smaller width, can fit into places where the bigger Hummers can't go. The H3 also is an affordable Hummer. Its base price is less than $30,000. You can equip one with leather and power seats and with an automatic transmission and stability control and you're still in the mid-$30,000 range, the heart of the mid-size SUV market. You're also spending nearly $10,000 less than you'd pay for the Land Rover LR3, perhaps the only vehicle in the category that might challenge the H3 off pavement.

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