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Cars

Hummer look for less cash

By ANN M. JOB, Associated Press
Published September 23, 2005

It costs a lot less to buy a Hummer these days. New for the 2006 model year is a smaller-sized, five-passenger Hummer H3 whose starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $29,500.

This is $24,355 less than the base price for the previously lowest-priced Hummer - the full-size Hummer H2 SUV for 2006 - and about $111,000 less than the original, burly Hummer H1.

Hummer officials said the lower price, coupled with an authentic Hummer look on the outside, will likely make the five-passenger, mid-size H3 the most popular Hummer in showrooms, with sales of up to 50,000 a year projected. In comparison, last year's total Hummer sales were 29,345.

Competitors to the new Hummer include other mid-size SUVs such as the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $27,860 for a two-wheel-drive model and $29,830 for a four-wheel-drive model. Also competing in this segment is the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, which starts at $25,480 for a two-wheel-drive model and $27,480 for a four-wheel-drive model.

Certainly, no other mid-size SUVs bring the cache and attention of the new Hummer H3.

Though it's roughly based on the Chevrolet Colorado and its sibling GMC Canyon pickup trucks, the H3 looks like a genuine, military-styled Hummer. It has boxy-form wheel fenders, a Hummer vertical-bar grille and the smaller-than-expected windows. It's all built on a bit smaller scale.

For instance, the H3 is nearly 17 inches shorter than the Hummer H2 and nearly a foot narrower than the H1. But the H3 is only 2.1 inches longer and 2.8 inches wider than a Toyota Highlander. Notably, the H3 weighs less than its Hummer siblings - though at 4,700 pounds, it's still no lightweight.

All H3s come standard with permanently engaged four-wheel drive. There are no trim levels for the H3. Customers start with the base model and add options - everything from a cargo cover for the back storage area priced at $50 to an off-road suspension package at $925.

This off-road package isn't just for show. The H3 capably goes off-road, where its front coil springs, solid rear axle, four standard underbody skid plates, 9.1-inch ground clearance and clipped front and rear overhangs help manage tricky terrain well. A 37-foot turning circle comes in handy in off-road terrain as well as during U-turns on pavement. And the H3's power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering is well-suited to off-roading yet conveys an unexpectedly nice on-center feel on road.

With rear leaf springs, the H3 that I test-drove was truckish now and then. For example, there was some bounciness in rugged going and when driving over potholes. But overall, it was a pleasant SUV ride - much more pleasant than expected.

Note there's no V8 here, as there are in other Hummers. Instead, the H3's 3.5-liter, Vortec 3500 is a five-cylinder engine that's in the Colorado and Canyon and produces the same 220 horsepower.

But these pickups weigh at least 600 pounds less than the H3. I couldn't help feeling the engine is a bit taxed in this heavier vehicle, where maximum torque is 225 foot-pounds at 2,800 rpm.

Indeed, acceleration in the H3 with optional four-speed automatic transmission often felt sluggish, though there were surging engine noises when I slammed down the gas pedal. It just wasn't usually accompanied by quickly surging power.

I did notice, though, that once power began to be felt, it came on smoothly in the test H3. There was never any strange jerking or transmission noise.

Don't expect to save at the gas pump with this smaller Hummer. While the H3 with automatic transmission is rated at 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 19 mpg on the highway, this rating puts it in the bottom half of current SUVs in fuel economy. Indeed, a full-size Chevrolet Tahoe with four-wheel-drive and V8 is rated at a nearly identical 16/20 mpg.

I was impressed by how quiet the interior is, even at highway speed. Hummer officials say they have worked to improve the interior quiet of their vehicles after studies showed consumers complained about interior noise in other Hummers.

The H3 interior has easy-to-understand gauges and controls. There's nothing really military in style inside here, but the cabin has a clean, upscale appearance. Even the seats look good.

I just wish the front seats didn't sit quite so low to the floor. This positioning, and the smallish windows all around the H3, can make the front-seat area seem less roomy than expected.

This is not to say the H3 is cramped inside. To the contrary, front-seat legroom measures 41.9 inches and front-seat headroom is at least 40 inches, which is about the same as in the Nissan Pathfinder mid-size SUV. But the Pathfinder's larger windows make the interior feel larger.

Too bad that an SUV like this, priced around $30,000, makes safety equipment such as stability control and curtain airbags optional.

These items can be found as standard equipment on Hyundai Tucsons and Kia Sportages that are priced about $10,000 less.

The majority of H3 buyers are likely to be men, many of them married and with children and with household income between $75,000 and $100,000.

- Next car reviews, in this order: 2006 Chevrolet HHR, 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX, 2006 Mazda5, 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

BASE PRICE: $28,935.

AS TESTED: $35,325.

TYPE: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive, five-passenger, mid-size sport utility vehicle.

ENGINE: 3.5-liter, double overhead cam, Vortec 3500, inline, five-cylinder, gasoline engine.

MILEAGE: 16 (city), 19 (highway).

TOP SPEED: 97 mph.

LENGTH: 186.7 inches.

WHEELBASE: 111.9 inches.

CURB WT.: 4,700 pounds.

BUILT AT: Shreveport, La.

OPTIONS: Four-speed automatic transmission $1,695; chrome appearance package $850; Monsoon AM/FM audio with in-dash, six-CD player $845; power sunroof $800; chrome tubular assist steps $695; XM Satellite radio $325; trailer hitch and wiring $270; oversized cargo mat $145; oversized floor mats $200.

DESTINATION CHARGE: $565.

[Last modified September 22, 2005, 10:20:06]