Desert Insanity: 1,000 Miles Through Baja in a Hummer

Though the 3.5-liter five-cylinder H3 remains in Hummer’s lineup, complaints about only 242 hp in a truck that weighs three tons with people on board have resulted in the 2008 H3 Alpha. It looks nearly the same, but has a 300-hp 5.3-liter V8 — basically the same unit used in the Chevrolet Silverado pickup — crammed into the truck’s tight engine compartment. With 320 pound-feet of torque, the Alpha’s towing capacity is increased by a third, to 6,000 pounds. We had no trouble briskly running ours up to the 98 mph speed limiter.

The Hummer H3 Alpha is available only with a simple four-speed automatic transmission; optional are a low-range transfer case and locking rear differential for serious rock-hopping, though a locking center differential for basic four-wheel drive is standard.

Off-road, the H3 has outstanding ground clearance and approach and departure angles. During extensive Baja off-roading, we never once heard the whack of rocks on skid plates and were unable to high-center the truck even when we intentionally took the wrong line through boggy silt beds, which meant following the deepest ruts.

One nice touch, particularly with a rear-vision-challenged truck like the H3, which has an external spare tire that blocks some of the view: a rear-facing camera that displays a view of what’s behind the vehicle on a small screen about the size of a thin pack of playing cards that slides out of the right side of the rearview mirror when the transmission is shifted into reverse.

This feature can come in handy when negotiating off-road trails and parking lots alike. Plus, the tiny camera is angled down at the towing ball, making it painless to back into a trailer hitch.

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