2007 Hummer H3

Bulking Up a Bit

The Hummer H3 adds power and a new, custom-look model.

The Hummer H3 SUV looks just like the larger H2 but gives Hummer an entry in the crowded-but-profitable midsize SUV segment. Hummer introduced the smaller H3 for the 2006 model year with a lot of marketing about the virtues of being smaller. However, product updates since then appear to be aimed at making the H3 look and feel a bit bigger and stronger.

The vehicle added a new version, called the H3 X, for the 2007 model year. The H3 X has a customized look, with features like chrome door handles, a gigantic chrome brush guard on the front, chrome rearview mirrors, extra Hummer logos in several places and an angular, hard-shell spare-tire cover. Even more so than other Hummers, the H3 X is not for shrinking violets. One of the two exclusive color choices is an unsubtle Desert Orange Metallic. (Another H3 color choice available across the lineup is called Victory Red.)

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Underneath all that “show,” there’s not much “go” to back it up. True, all Hummer H3 models have an updated, 3.7-liter five-cylinder engine that is about 10 percent more powerful than the 3.5-liter version it replaced. However, it is still no substitute for a V6 or an optional V8.

The standard-issue Hummer H3 is about as long as the typical family sedan. By comparison, the H2 is 17 inches longer, 6.5 inches wider and half a foot taller than the H3. Therefore, the H3 can run rings around its larger and clumsier siblings. Just as the H2 is derived from the Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL, the H3 is based on the same platform and powertrain as the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon midsize pickup truck.

Notably, the H3 is the first (civilian) Hummer to offer a manual transmission — a standard five-speed. That fact should appeal to off-road purists. Most Americans will likely favor the optional four-speed automatic.

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Full-time, electronically controlled four-wheel drive is standard. An optional, upgraded 4WD system has more-aggressive low-range gearing to tackle the toughest off-road obstacles. It allows the driver to lock the rear differential in low-range mode so it can climb boulders and crawl over other rugged terrain.

Hummer H3 Vehicle Summary

Off-road enthusiasts will be glad to know the Hummer H3’s maximum uphill angle is 40 degrees (also called the approach angle) and the maximum downhill angle is 37 degrees (also called the departure angle). That means the H3 can negotiate 16-inch vertical steps without bottoming out. Hummer says the H3 can ford 16 inches of water at 20 mph or 24 inches at 5 mph. For the rest of us who never leave the pavement, these capabilities are little more than bragging rights.

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The Hummer H3’s pickup-derived platform is a sturdy ladder frame, so called because it looks like a ladder, with an independent front suspension and a leaf-spring rear suspension. Handling is nimble compared to the larger Hummers, but there’s no disguising the fact that this is a truck that lacks the taut handling of a car.

Four-wheel disc antilock brakes have Dynamic Rear Proportioning, which is a traction control system that works in both on- and off-road drive modes. The H3’s standard stability control decreases throttle and selectively applies the brakes when wheel slippage is detected, such as when taking a turn too quickly.