Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-62
Cd changer failed.
The Hummer H3 rides very very smooth. Its much better than the H2.I went from Maryland to Canada, and put gas in the tank one time going there.
You must own your own oil company to consider this thing good on gas.
Either that, or you were towed all the way to Canada- after breaking down just outside of Maryland.
"Perfect on gas"...surely this thing is a gas station's best friend...
Hmmm the EPA rates this at 16/20 which is optimistic if you have read the latest articles on EPA ratings or watched 20/20 lately, so unless you have a 75 gallon tank there is NO WAY you made it from Maryland to Canada on two tanks.
Driving on the highway I get 17 1/2 MPG. So far no mechanical problems.
You get 17mpg with a 5 cylinder? That's pretty bad. I heard the thing was pretty unstoppable offroad like its bretheren, but had lousy mpg ratings and was underpowered for such a big vehicle.
The H3 must be totally underpowered with the straight 5 cylinder power plant. Why did GM go with this motor? They should have made the straight 6 cylinder motor from the Trailblazer the standard choice, with a small V-8 an option. You really have to question this decision. The towing ability must be poor next to the other suv's in its class.
If they built the H3 with a 6 or 8 cylinder motor the MPG would be worse and more people would whine. The truck is underpowered if your expecting a diesel truck or a sports car. Good thing that's not what the car is built for. I regularly tow my 4000lb boat with mine and it does quite well. Offroad, no other stock truck can beat it.
In my opinion, the H3 is a nice looking product. I simply do not understand how anyone can defend this choice in motors! A 6 or 8 cylinder motor would not have made the mpg necessarily worse at all. Look at how hard your 5 cylinder motor is working to move that suv down the road! Let's face it, the 5 cylinder motor was a bad decision, and one that GM will regret. The Colorado and Canyon that share the H3 platform are also equiped with this poor choice of motor. Check out Consumer Reports some time and see how well they rated this motor (poor). GM had better wake up and realize that the competition is pulling away in a hurry.
I agree, the inline six would have made a more appropriate engine. However, don't put much stock in what "Consumer Reports" has to say. I have trouble taking seriously an organization that also "rates" health insurance providers and toasters.
I have been driving my H3 for 1500 miles now averaging 17 mpg. GM made a valid decision with the 5 cylinder engine. It is adequate for most towing and truck applications. The naysayers will complain and consumer reports will typically bash anything made in USA.
There are OEM performance products out there for folks who feel the the need for speed. Lets be honest and say that the H3 for 30k is a better machine than those station wagon looking overpriced imports. Go test drive one and see for yourself! The competition cant touch the off road capability. On Star system is another unbeatable feature.
I agree with the pessimist. The little five banger probably has to work harder to move the h3 down the road compared to a six that would have more usuable power and about the same mileage.
IMO, GM should have offered three engine choices:
5 banger
6 banger
small 4.7 v8.
I am a certified GM sales associate and I agree that the 5 cylinder isn't the fastest, but that's not the intent of the H3. Face it, if you buy a Hummer, you are not a street racer. Now it sounds bad to have the 5 cylinder in the truck for the fear of being underpowered. The H3 is designed to be an off road vehicle, not a street rocket. There is talk from GM to release the H3 in 07 with the HEMI 5.7 V8 and then bring in the 4.3 straight six Trailblazer engine, but that is just talk from the factory. The 5 cylinder is likely to be dropped all together which would certainly make me happy. I admit, I don't like that engine at all either. It's too coarse and sounds unrefined. I think that even though it's adequate for off road use, it's not enough to please the crowd.
Just to be clear here.
99% of any Hummer's (H1, H2, H3) given life WILL be spent on highways, in parking lots, and taking kids to soccer practice, yet now you are saying they are designed to only go offroad?
Thank you for admitting Hummers are not valid transport for American roads.
Did the GM sales associate that responded mention a 5.7 Hemi, in a Hummer H3? That is a trademark of Daimler-Chrysler, how can GM use that motor in the future? You can currently get the Hemi in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I do not think people are saying the Hummer H3 should be a street racer, they are just complaing about the obvious lack of power and performance with the straight 5, especially when the competition offers so many options that are better. In fact, I recently saw a test of suv's (maybe Motor Trend?) and the new Nissan XTerra was the favorite. The article said the new XTerra offers an impressive bang for the buck. The test included the Hummer H3.