3 Hummer H2007 Review: Road Test

Boxy, squat and functional in a no-nonsense and no-nonsense manner, the H3 approaches the road next to you.

GM doesn't live up to the Hummer styling; no soft lines, no friendly curves and no compromises.

“I don't think people need it; or have to apologize for driving this car,” says Parveen Batish, director of GM Premium Brands in Australia.

“It's a very controversial brand and you either love it or hate it and that's fine with us. We prefer people to be polarized than unsure."

Although the H3 is a descendant of the original Gulf War-era Humvee military transport, it has not only shrunk in size, but has also become more civilized.

It retains the hallmarks of Hummer design, but at 2.2 tons, it's no heavier than most and lighter than some of the more "mainstream" SUVs that have made it into mom's taxi.

Scheduled for release in Australia about five months ago, the H3 is now sold at 22 dealerships.

GM is reticent about the reasons for the delay, but, in fact, the company had to work through many mostly minor modifications to the Australian Design Rules.

Hummer's 3.7-liter inline-five-cylinder petrol engine runs with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.

The entry-level H3 starts at $51,990 (add $2000 for automatic) and comes standard with stability control, traction control, ABS, dual front airbags, side curtain airbags, cruise control, fog lights, halogen headlights, five 16 inch alloy wheels with 265/75 inch diameter road rubber, one CD in dash and cloth trim.

The H3 Luxury ($59,990) comes with an automatic transmission, leather-only seat inserts, heated front seats, an exterior chrome package, a six-disc CD in the dash, and a sunroof. For a more hardcore SUV, the H3 Adventure is offered with a manual transmission priced at $57,990 or an automatic transmission ($59,990) and has the same trim; except for the hatch; with luxury.

It also adds additional underbody protection, an electronically locking rear differential and a heavy duty transfer case with a 4.03:1 reduction ratio.

Unfortunately, neither car comes standard with a rear beacon, a glaring omission in a car with as little rear visibility as the H3 boasts. Instead, GM included a $455 set of rear parking sensors (plus installation) in the extensive accessory list.

“We understand how important this is for safety, but unfortunately it is not available at the factory,” Batish says. "We're talking to GM about this and there might be a move for 2008 vehicles, but for now we've done our best to make it available as a local accessory."

GM says it has 400 orders for the H3 but did not say how many cars it plans to sell next year. The H3 for Australia will be sourced from South Africa, where RHD vehicles are made.

It's likely that a turbodiesel engine will be available in 2009, and a decision on a 5.3-litre V8 model has yet to be made.

Producing 180kW at 5600rpm and 328Nm of torque at a relatively high 4600rpm (although Hummer claims 90% of peak torque is reached at 2000rpm), the 3.7-litre engine handles the H3's highway travel quite well. and country roads.

When you press the gas pedal at speeds above 80 km/h, there is not much activity, but be patient and plan for overtaking, and the engine will eventually respond.

The driver's seat is surprisingly comfortable after climbing considerable heights to get to the cabin. As for getting in and out of the H3, a word of warning: if you're going to be racing through the mud, it would be wise to choose a car with side steps, as it's almost impossible to get out of the car without wiping the door. clean window sills.

The interior offers a fairly high level of materials and overall atmosphere. It is also good in terms of ergonomics, all controls are at hand.

Behind it is less attractive. The doorways are small, entry and exit compromised by flared boxy wheel arches, stadium seating and slightly claustrophobic small windows.

As a road car, the H3 is not without merit. Relatively small windows interfere with external visibility, but large side mirrors, when well adjusted, compensate for this.

The steering isn't as heavy as you'd expect given the size of the tires, but it's vague. Overall maneuverability is excellent thanks to the H3's surprisingly nimble 11.3m turning radius.

The H3 may have some urban flair, but it does have some serious off-road ability.

All models feature permanent all-wheel drive with two high-range settings; open and locked center differential; and low range is locked. Even without the extra-low gear option and the Adventure model's rear differential lock, it's hard to imagine what kind of terrain would stop this thing.

The launch track, which will put a few more popular off-roaders in front of the sword, hardly knocked the H3 out of a trot. Weak climbs on the rocks, heavily broken roads and mud swamps were a trifle for the Hammer.

You can be pretty sure you won't break the H3 with anything other than off-road craziness.

The body of the Hummer is largely welded (eliminating squeaky parts where screwed-on and bolted panels rub) mounted on an old-school rugged ladder frame chassis. It all relies on a simple independent torsion bar front suspension and leaf spring rear suspension.

See this car at the Australian International Motor Show