Hummer H3 Luxury 2007 Review

Despite a minor delay, the 'baby' H3 model is now available in Australia, thanks to General Motors Holden and GM's factory in South Africa.

We won't get the bigger H2 and 'Big Daddy' H1 models in any great volume unless they're built with the steering wheel on our side -- which seems unlikely.

Which is probably just as well -- Hummer has become a bit of a target for environment-obsessed 4x4-bashers and so far, it seems the Hummer image in Australia needs a lot of work.

Unashamedly boxy, the H3 comes with a generous specification, considerable offroad credentials and all-terrain capability. It is impressively well-screwed together, the South African build quality far outstripping the home-grown, privately-owned, American-built H2 this tester sampled in Arizona last year.

The three-model range extends from the $51,990 basic H3 to the H3 Adventure (from $57,990) and the H3 Luxury, tested here, at $59,990.

All three models are powered by a fuel-injected DOHC five-cylinder inline 3.7-litre petrol engine with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The same engine is used in the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks in the US.

Most of the time the five is adequate but it can feel stressed and breathless when hurried. We wonder whether relatively high-revving multi-valve engines are appropriate in vehicles which need more creeping torque than thundering horsepower.

GM claims the engine develops 180kW at 5600rpm and 328Nm at 4600rpm but it's a little blunted by the H3 manual's 2198kg or the Adventure auto's 2303kg.

It also claims a 14.5L/100km fuel burn rate, which felt about right. The tank holds a generous 87 litres, but the Hummer's absence of a trip-computer to monitor range and consumption rate is a serious oversight in the 21st century.

The H3 Luxury comes with auto transmission, leather trim, two-stage heated eight-way electric front seats, acres of exterior 'bling' (read: chrome) and a vast glass sunroof -- big enough to double as a gun-turret. Perfect, in fact,  for Hummer aficionados who revel in the brand's unashamed militaristic roots and romper-stomper, go-anywhere capability. Sadly, these are exactly the traits that 4x4-phobes cite in their rants against offroad vehicles and SUVs in general.

In reality, there's not much military ordinance in the H3, although it does offer remarkable wading, climbing and descending clearance, thanks to having 16-inch wheels and chunky 265/75R tyres almost literally at each corner.

At under 8km/h, the H3 should easily trundle through water 610mm deep, at 32km/h, it'll gallop through 407mm puddles. Claimed front approach angle is 37 degrees, departure is 35 and the break-over angle is 23.5 degrees. These translate as the ability to tackle seemingly vertical slopes and scramble over forest ridges with confidence.

In fact, Hummer only claim it will conquer a 60 degree incline, safely negotiate a 40 degree side-slope and step up a 407mm obstacle -- but what is claimed and what can be achieved are often far apart. The 610mm fording depth is merely bumper-bar deep, but owners already report submerging the bonnet occasionally, with no ill effect.

With push-button selectable 4-High, 4-High Lock and 4-Low Lock modes and sundry electronic driving aids like Stabiltrak stability control, traction control and surface-sensing anti-dive ABS brakes, the H3 would appear to be the ultimate off-roader.

Certainly, aiming it obliquely at a sloping bank resulted in massive wheel articulation and when, eventually two diagonally-opposed wheels finally left the ground, the cabin was so far from the ground that jumping out would be unwise. If only because you'd need a ladder to get back in...

Yet in practice, the Hummer, perhaps unsurprisingly, seems to carry much of its mass between the axles rather than over them, resulting in rather less grip and more wheel-slip than we expected. One minor climb up a bank, which posed no obstacle for our longterm (and rather less uncompromising) Volkswagen Touareg, thwarted the H3 until the 4Low Lock ratio was engaged.

In essence, the H3 is probably closer to Land Rover's venerable Defender in many respects.

Conversely, pointing the Hummer at a steep dirt road and flooring the throttle saw the big bruiser sprinting enthusiastically up the one-in-two hill, satisfyingly revving right through to the redline before the auto transmission snatched the next cog.

Provoking the H3 to slide in gravel also suggests that the imported ESP system isn't a patch on the system fitted to some rivals -- for example, that fitted to Holden's Aussie-built Commodore ute. The H3's system is tardy to get involved and decidedly unsubtle in operation, belatedly grabbing individual brakes in its efforts to get the Hummer's boxy shape pointing where the steering's aimed. In contrast, the recently-introduced ute's ESP is imperceptible, making gentle corrections early and often.

Away from the obstacle-course, the Hummer's coarsely-calibrated and unrefined suspension was a disappointment, as it thumped on even minor imperfections. Constant jiggling proved tiring to the driver's arms on the bitumen.

The overly stiff and poorly damped suspension also permitted the vehicle to skitter around on corrugations on dirt roads and there was more kickback through the steering wheel than we needed too.

In a classic case of Form over Function, the H3's styling gets in the way of actually driving it -- the stubby windscreen and chunky A-pillars restrict forward view, while the B-pillar is right next to the driver, so head-checks are rendered futile. The heavily tinted windows will take some getting used to.

Conversely, the chromed exterior mirrors are excellent and the interior auto-dipping mirror also contains those vital Outback accessories: a digital compass and temperature indicator. Rearward parking sensors are a welcome feature -- but a camera would be better. GPS satellite navigation would be good too.

Surprisingly, there were no audio or cruise control buttons on the steering wheel -- and headlamp, windscreen wipers and cruise controls are all on one busy stalk. Wash and wipe controls for the rear window are buried down on the lower left of the centre console.

Beyond that, instrumentation is clear and concise. The auto-on headlamps seemed overly sensitive, but rather on than off -- which can't be said for the front foglamps, which once selected, stay on, irrespective of how often the headlamps are turned on or off.

There aren't any real interior map-reading lamps, which is an oversight -- a pair of spot-lamps in the central dome lamp just don't do it.

Rear seat legroom is good, but cargo space is limited -- with the 60/40 rear seat folded down, there's a claimed 1577 litres of space available.

Besides the twin front airbags, H3 wears curtain airbags -- and the front passenger seat is load sensing, so it won't deploy if the seat's unoccupied and will deploy more gently if a child's mass is detected. The H3 also contains the automotive equivalent of an aircraft's flight data recorders - so authorities can theoretically see how the vehicle was being driven in the moments leading up to any collision.

The test vehicle had the mountings for a towbar, but we weren't able to see how well it coped with a load, as two calls to Holden failed to elicit the errant tow-hitch, which is a pity. Nevertheless, the H3 comes with monster D-rings ("recovery loops" in Hummer-speak) -- two on the front, one at the back -- and with the aid of some nylon rope we satisfactorily tested the concept of stump-pulling torque by the simple expedient of pulling the stump of a fallen gum-tree to where it could be disposed of.

Oddly, this most American of vehicles short-changes its five occupants in providing that most American invention, the cupholder. According to specifications on Hummer's Australian website, there are just three for the entire vehicle.

We felt that the driver's token left footrest was too small and detracted from the limited available footspace to no advantage.