Hummer H3 Review
18 May 2009|32,095 views
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The Terminator is currently, and has been for the last five years, the Governor of California. The United States of America has seen its first admittance of an African American to the presidency, and citing the current economic situation, the Hummer brand has been put up for sale by parent General Motors(GM).
Not the most ideal condition to be bringing in the newest member of the Hummer line, but aren't we glad it's here.
Introducing the Hummer H3. It's now smaller, less powerful, less thirsty and most importantly, approved for local consumption by the Land Transport Authority.
The initial confrontation
Downplaying the H3's authenticity just because it's dimensions are somewhat less gargantuan than it's elder siblings, is forgivable. Although it's almost like saying a mandarin orange is not an orange because of its size, no one can deny the expectation for a Hummer to be huge.
But boy, is this baby every bit the Hummer. Starting with those no-nonsense military design cues.
Threatening, round headlamps? Check. Massive slotted, chrome grills? Check. Steeply-raked windscreen? Check. Dramatic, flared wheel-arches? Quadruple check.
Then you have the over-sized chrome side-view mirrors that give the driver extensive coverage of what's happening around him. Go past them and you're met with one of the meatiest chrome door handles in the business.
If these elements don't overwhelm you and hint at the pedigree of the H3, then the 16 inch rims wrapped in 32 inch all-terrain rubber, coupled with the front and rear recovery hooks, are a dead giveaway.
My big concern however, were the plastics. It skirted the arches and was the rear bumper's excess lip. "Here we go, cheap plastics the yanks are famous for™", I made sure not to blurt out as I circled the car with the marketing staff on pick up.
Naturally, I felt compelled to point out the H3's poor build quality.
So when I had the car to myself, I opened the rear door and hauled my 74 kg frame on to the bumper lip. Not a squeak. Some intensive jumping and squatting combos couldn't quite deform the bumper even.
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Truth be told, I took the H3 as something Hummer derived under pressure for a more urban friendly vehicle. That, to me, meant cheap plastics, poor fit and finish and light handling.
Not the case so far.
The H3 looks like nothing on our roads. But some actually have a problem identifying it. Case in point?
While walking back to the H3 after dinner, I actually overheard a guy telling his girlfriend (they were holding hands) that he had planned to buy it some time back, mentioning the Honda Crossroad. This, while pointing at the Hummer which I parked 50 metres away from where the genius was standing.
So, for the clueless couple, and anyone else who might be having trouble differentiating the two, I've taken a picture with a Crossroad.
The H3 looks like a lengthy bodybuilder who just walked out of the gym, furiously shaking his vanilla-flavoured, weight-gainer concoction, brimful in a translucent bottle.
And you know how you're standing in the lift next to someone like that? Yeah™ Poor Crossroad.
How's it like on the inside?
Pull yourself up into the Hummer and you're greeted by the H3 insignia staring right back at you from the steering.
Then you work your way to the very clean centre console that houses all the knobs and buttons. No fancy tech like dual climate control here, just the essential audio, aircon, temperature and circulation controls. No wobbling with the knobs and buttons either, all of them have a nice firm, tact feel to it.
In addition to the normal features like power windows, power-adjustable side view mirrors and power door locks, you get a very impressive list of extras that come standard with this tank.
Most impressive being the eight-way, power-adjustable driver and front passenger seat that even includes adjustable lumbar support.
Also present, electrochromic rearview mirror that has a small directional and temperature display. Safety wise, airbags for the driver and front passenger, roof rail airbags with rollover sensors, child safety seat anchors, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and rear brake proportioning come standard.
And for the cruises through town in the evening, don't forget to retract that glass sunroof. Need some music? The impressive bass-biased, seven-speaker Monsoon system is more than capable in handling genres ranging from death metal rock to ABBA, so I doubt you'll be upgrading it.
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As big as its exterior might seem, interior space is somewhat of a letdown with only two full-sized adults sitting comfortably behind. Boot space is nothing to scream about either, but that's alleviated by the 60/40 rear-row split.
It's so heavy. Does it even move? How does it drive?
The H3 comes in at about 2.3 tonnes. That's three Lotus Elise's.
Thankfully, the burden to move this mammoth falls on the 3.7-litre Vortex engine, that manages to peak it's torque at 328 Nm at 4,600 rpm. The engine's rated for 242 hp at 5,600 rpm. So don't expect some exciting off the lights acceleration, it's more of a dignified occasion when moving off.
With a low-ranging four-speeder, driving the H3 on the expressway gets it through the gears pretty quickly, cruising at 100 km/h in fourth at a comfortable 2,000 rpm.
You hardly notice the engine noise until you decide to overtake, and the stomp of the pedal (you have to, since the H3's heavy) shoots the needle on the rev counter past 4,000 rpm. Turn your car's air-conditioning speed all the way to the maximum for a rough idea of what the engine sounds like.
The front independent torsion bars and a stabiliser bar and dual-stage leaf springs slapped on the rear manage the bumps and imperfections on the road with ease. Not as jarring as you might expect.
For those of us who haven't heard of the leaf spring, it's basically sheets of metal of differing lengths, slotted on each other and collectively connected to the frame of the vehicle. It helps to spread the weight over the vehicle's chassis, better than a conventional coil spring, thus is still employed in heavy weights like the H3.
Taking corners in the Hummer is stable but a steady grip on the wheel is recommended. It tends to transfer its weight to the outside of the turn and that's when the H3 understeers slightly.
Then we have the very impressive tight turning radius. I managed to make three-point turns with relative ease, easier than other SUV's I've tested in the past.
![]() |
Why buy this?
I've had cars and bikes pull up alongside me on expressways and at the lights, to get a better view of the car. I've also caused the gasping, pointing and the frantic efforts to grab a picture of the Hummer on camera phones by pedestrians.
With the H3 all rounded and softened up, not only were the guys giving me thumbs up, women now made up a considerable chunk of appreciators who weren't afraid of coming near the car to take a closer look, and to flash smiles at the car. My girlfriend made it clear that it wasn't my looks they were happy about.
Then there is the issue of parking. Simply put, the Hummer's too big for conventional reverse-parking lots. Reversing is another problem. The H3 needs a reverse-camera or a sensor at the very least, without which backing up is a regular act of faith.
After mixed driving styles on both urban roads and expressways, our test car clocked about 6 km to the litre.
If recycling alluminium cans put a smile on your face and making stationary holders out of plastic bottles is the highlight of your week, then the Hummer H3 is probably not for you.
At S$188,000, the Hummer H3 cuts a clear segment of buyers here, and awards the lucky person with an intangible slice of Hollywood action movies like no other vehicle on sale here can.
If you plain just want to see this beast in some off-road action, do check back for our exclusive off-road special. We promise it'll be worth your while.
sgCarMart.com would like to thank HUMMER Motors for providing the Hummer H3.
![]() |
The Terminator is currently, and has been for the last five years, the Governor of California. The United States of America has seen its first admittance of an African American to the presidency, and citing the current economic situation, the Hummer brand has been put up for sale by parent General Motors(GM).
Not the most ideal condition to be bringing in the newest member of the Hummer line, but aren't we glad it's here.
Introducing the Hummer H3. It's now smaller, less powerful, less thirsty and most importantly, approved for local consumption by the Land Transport Authority.
The initial confrontation
Downplaying the H3's authenticity just because it's dimensions are somewhat less gargantuan than it's elder siblings, is forgivable. Although it's almost like saying a mandarin orange is not an orange because of its size, no one can deny the expectation for a Hummer to be huge.
But boy, is this baby every bit the Hummer. Starting with those no-nonsense military design cues.
Threatening, round headlamps? Check. Massive slotted, chrome grills? Check. Steeply-raked windscreen? Check. Dramatic, flared wheel-arches? Quadruple check.
Then you have the over-sized chrome side-view mirrors that give the driver extensive coverage of what's happening around him. Go past them and you're met with one of the meatiest chrome door handles in the business.
If these elements don't overwhelm you and hint at the pedigree of the H3, then the 16 inch rims wrapped in 32 inch all-terrain rubber, coupled with the front and rear recovery hooks, are a dead giveaway.
My big concern however, were the plastics. It skirted the arches and was the rear bumper's excess lip. "Here we go, cheap plastics the yanks are famous for™", I made sure not to blurt out as I circled the car with the marketing staff on pick up.
Naturally, I felt compelled to point out the H3's poor build quality.
So when I had the car to myself, I opened the rear door and hauled my 74 kg frame on to the bumper lip. Not a squeak. Some intensive jumping and squatting combos couldn't quite deform the bumper even.
![]() |
Truth be told, I took the H3 as something Hummer derived under pressure for a more urban friendly vehicle. That, to me, meant cheap plastics, poor fit and finish and light handling.
Not the case so far.
The H3 looks like nothing on our roads. But some actually have a problem identifying it. Case in point?
While walking back to the H3 after dinner, I actually overheard a guy telling his girlfriend (they were holding hands) that he had planned to buy it some time back, mentioning the Honda Crossroad. This, while pointing at the Hummer which I parked 50 metres away from where the genius was standing.
So, for the clueless couple, and anyone else who might be having trouble differentiating the two, I've taken a picture with a Crossroad.
The H3 looks like a lengthy bodybuilder who just walked out of the gym, furiously shaking his vanilla-flavoured, weight-gainer concoction, brimful in a translucent bottle.
And you know how you're standing in the lift next to someone like that? Yeah™ Poor Crossroad.
How's it like on the inside?
Pull yourself up into the Hummer and you're greeted by the H3 insignia staring right back at you from the steering.
Then you work your way to the very clean centre console that houses all the knobs and buttons. No fancy tech like dual climate control here, just the essential audio, aircon, temperature and circulation controls. No wobbling with the knobs and buttons either, all of them have a nice firm, tact feel to it.
In addition to the normal features like power windows, power-adjustable side view mirrors and power door locks, you get a very impressive list of extras that come standard with this tank.
Most impressive being the eight-way, power-adjustable driver and front passenger seat that even includes adjustable lumbar support.
Also present, electrochromic rearview mirror that has a small directional and temperature display. Safety wise, airbags for the driver and front passenger, roof rail airbags with rollover sensors, child safety seat anchors, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and rear brake proportioning come standard.
And for the cruises through town in the evening, don't forget to retract that glass sunroof. Need some music? The impressive bass-biased, seven-speaker Monsoon system is more than capable in handling genres ranging from death metal rock to ABBA, so I doubt you'll be upgrading it.
![]() |
As big as its exterior might seem, interior space is somewhat of a letdown with only two full-sized adults sitting comfortably behind. Boot space is nothing to scream about either, but that's alleviated by the 60/40 rear-row split.
It's so heavy. Does it even move? How does it drive?
The H3 comes in at about 2.3 tonnes. That's three Lotus Elise's.
Thankfully, the burden to move this mammoth falls on the 3.7-litre Vortex engine, that manages to peak it's torque at 328 Nm at 4,600 rpm. The engine's rated for 242 hp at 5,600 rpm. So don't expect some exciting off the lights acceleration, it's more of a dignified occasion when moving off.
With a low-ranging four-speeder, driving the H3 on the expressway gets it through the gears pretty quickly, cruising at 100 km/h in fourth at a comfortable 2,000 rpm.
You hardly notice the engine noise until you decide to overtake, and the stomp of the pedal (you have to, since the H3's heavy) shoots the needle on the rev counter past 4,000 rpm. Turn your car's air-conditioning speed all the way to the maximum for a rough idea of what the engine sounds like.
The front independent torsion bars and a stabiliser bar and dual-stage leaf springs slapped on the rear manage the bumps and imperfections on the road with ease. Not as jarring as you might expect.
For those of us who haven't heard of the leaf spring, it's basically sheets of metal of differing lengths, slotted on each other and collectively connected to the frame of the vehicle. It helps to spread the weight over the vehicle's chassis, better than a conventional coil spring, thus is still employed in heavy weights like the H3.
Taking corners in the Hummer is stable but a steady grip on the wheel is recommended. It tends to transfer its weight to the outside of the turn and that's when the H3 understeers slightly.
Then we have the very impressive tight turning radius. I managed to make three-point turns with relative ease, easier than other SUV's I've tested in the past.
![]() |
Why buy this?
I've had cars and bikes pull up alongside me on expressways and at the lights, to get a better view of the car. I've also caused the gasping, pointing and the frantic efforts to grab a picture of the Hummer on camera phones by pedestrians.
With the H3 all rounded and softened up, not only were the guys giving me thumbs up, women now made up a considerable chunk of appreciators who weren't afraid of coming near the car to take a closer look, and to flash smiles at the car. My girlfriend made it clear that it wasn't my looks they were happy about.
Then there is the issue of parking. Simply put, the Hummer's too big for conventional reverse-parking lots. Reversing is another problem. The H3 needs a reverse-camera or a sensor at the very least, without which backing up is a regular act of faith.
After mixed driving styles on both urban roads and expressways, our test car clocked about 6 km to the litre.
If recycling alluminium cans put a smile on your face and making stationary holders out of plastic bottles is the highlight of your week, then the Hummer H3 is probably not for you.
At S$188,000, the Hummer H3 cuts a clear segment of buyers here, and awards the lucky person with an intangible slice of Hollywood action movies like no other vehicle on sale here can.
If you plain just want to see this beast in some off-road action, do check back for our exclusive off-road special. We promise it'll be worth your while.
sgCarMart.com would like to thank HUMMER Motors for providing the Hummer H3.
Car Information
Hummer H3 3.7 Luxury (A)
CAT B|Petrol|6.8km/L
Horsepower
180kW (242 bhp)
Torque
328 Nm
Acceleration
10.5sec (0-100km /hr)
This model is no longer being sold by local distributor
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