H3?

[toyrunner95]

so i have been looking down the road and i was wondering what you guys think of the H3 as an expedition truck. i know that they are getting a bigger and bigger in the off road aftermarket. its seems to be a pretty decent platform. what do you guys think.

here are some pics of a show truck but its the best example i could find.

 

[Scott Brady]

Go for it... They are quite good, with the exception of outward visibility. With the adventure package, they will more than impress on the trail. Some dog their HP/highway performance, but it felt just like a Toyota to me (power wise).

The one in you pictures looks pretty nice

 

[evldave]

I think there might be some other discussion on the forums about it, but here's my 2 cents (after owning an H3 for 2 years and seriously asking myself that question)

Pros: Very nice ride, comfortable interior, well laid out. Lots of dash space for accessories, plenty of useable connections in the fuse box. Parts available at any GM dealer (orderable, not necessarily in-stock). Very capable off-road out-of-the box. Can fit 35" tires stock, get the adventure package and you get rear locker and low gearing. Wait a year and you'll get a front locker too Decent gas mileage for its size. Tows a trailer very nicely. Very noticeable and fashionable truck (lots of attention and compliments)

Cons: Limited aftermarket parts for expeditions. Those that are available are expensive. Not enough history to determine long-term reliability of the truck yet, non-alpha versions are underpowered, limited experience on service anywhere but hummer dealers in the US (bring a service manual), rear seats don't fold flat (still a huge pet peave of mine), front difs are known to explode under certain static-load conditions (ie front tires on step, then press on gas and BOOM) - can be fixed by going w/an Alpha that includes CI front dif. Not a lot of internal space. Very noticeable and fashionable truck (lots of attention and haters)

After driving mine on lots of backroads and numerous long trips (2500+ miles), I'd say it's great for local US/Canada, but I'm not so sure I can recommend it for true international expeditions. It's too new, has limited lifespan so far (for reliability), and would be a PIA to get fixed if you had major mechanical malfuction. Also, you'd be in Hummer, which means even in the middle of nowhere you'll get noticed, for good and bad

 

[evldave]

I don't have a lot of pictures at work, here's the only one I had of mine set up one of my trips last year. There's so little space inside everything has to go up top Maybe someday I'll buy an AT

 

[PNWColorado]

Same platform and drivetrain as the Colorado/Canyon. As for the capabilities of the vehicle and longevity should be good. Not too familiar with the layout of the inside though...

 

[Ivan]

Just an opinion, and just my two cents, so take this however you want:

If it's the frame and drivertrain as the Colorado, wouldn't it be better to just take what you need from the H3, and put it on the Colorado? Or start off with a Colorado? Seems to me it would be cheaper (in initial cost anyway), and probably handier.

Maybe a 5 speed Colorado extra cab with the H3 4:1 TC, 4" lift, and a camper top to keep everything well organized and covered?

Either way, it would be cool to watch an H3 build up geared towards expedition travel :beer:

 

[maximumrob]

They're awesome little trucks. A little short on space like my Wrangler, a little short on power like my Wrangler, but long on off-road capability.

I'd have a hard time, though, going places so pretty to see and having such limited outward visibility. Nothing compares to an open top Wrangler without doors when it comes to sightseeing or critter watching.

To be fair, my lifted Rubicon sucks on the street, and is even worse on the highway.



.

 

[evldave]

Just an opinion, and just my two cents, so take this however you want:

If it's the frame and drivertrain as the Colorado, wouldn't it be better to just take what you need from the H3, and put it on the Colorado? Or start off with a Colorado? Seems to me it would be cheaper (in initial cost anyway), and probably handier.

Maybe a 5 speed Colorado extra cab with the H3 4:1 TC, 4" lift, and a camper top to keep everything well organized and covered?

Either way, it would be cool to watch an H3 build up geared towards expedition travel :beer:

To provide some clarification, the H3 has the same frame rails as the colorado, and the same I5 as the colorado, but after that, there's quite a few differences.

The H3 uses a fully boxed frame (much stiffer) with additional cross members for rigidity (I think 3 more than the colorado). This adds a ton of stiffness, making less chassis flex. For the Alpha, you can get the 5.3L and Cast Iron front differential. Next year, you'll be able to get front lockers as well. You can also fit 35's on a stock H3, something you can't do with a colorado without a lift/cutting.

So while you could start w/a colorado, you wouldn't get the things that set the H3 apart - stiffer frame, beefier drivetrain (get the Alpha!), etc. There is a huge price difference between the two, so it's a tradeoff.

There aren't a lot of true adventure build-ups for H3s. You can check Hummerforums, hummerxforums, a elcova for threads. There are a few adventure types, but most are rock/mud/sand/camping/mallcrawlers - not much in the way of 'How would I outfit my H3 to drive around the world twice' kind of folks.

 

[evldave]

They're awesome little trucks. A little short on space like my Wrangler, a little short on power like my Wrangler, but long on off-road capability.

I'd have a hard time, though, going places so pretty to see and having such limited outward visibility. Nothing compares to an open top Wrangler without doors when it comes to sightseeing or critter watching.

To be fair, my lifted Rubicon sucks on the street, and is even worse on the highway.



.

Had they had the new 4 door Rubi when I bought my H3, I would have probably bought one. Lucky for me, my wife liked the JK so when time came to upgrade her car, we got her a JK (non-Rubi ), now I have the best of both worlds!

 

[toyrunner95]

i have been lookin at the interiors, if i was to do it, i would most deffinatly take out the back seats. they seem kinda worthless. also i would build a level platform and my own roof rack for a tent and whatnot. electronics will fit just about anywhere so i dont have to deal with alot of random hillbilly fixes like i had on my last truck.

the rear hatch is kinda akward for me. it opens an odd direction but i think it could be used as a wind break for cooking if you use the tent as a roof. the rear cargo area seems really small. i mean really small. i am wondering what is in the back besides a side compartment and a sub woofer. i could take both those out if need be for more space. also if i was to have a fride it would probably be in the rear passanger area not the back.

i would definatly wait about 4 or 5 years and get a generation one used. then go from there. i dont have the funds to start a new one.

can some one take some interior shots? rear cargo and rear seats. i cant find a decent pic.
yes the h3 is on a colorado boxed frame and thats about it. all the mounts are different as well as the handeling. just like the tahoe and h2 they arent the same truck. they just started on the same frame.

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

Go for it... They are quite good, with the exception of outward visibility. With the adventure package, they will more than impress on the trail. Some dog their HP/highway performance, but it felt just like a Toyota to me (power wise).

x2

I went out in January with some friends and one of the guys that came with us was a H3 owner. His truck had the adventure package and A/T tires and was way better than I expected. To say I was pleasantly surprised by both the truck and its owner is an understatement.

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

I feel the H3 is what Hummer should have built in the first place. It would have started them on the right foot instead of the hostility the H2 met (rightly so, imo).

However, I have a tough time with the H3 over a Jeep Unlimited. The Jeep has 4 doors, great visiblity, hard/soft tops, solid front axle, full lockers, coil sprung suspension, a HUGE aftermarket including bolt-in D60 axle kits... really, your wallet is the only limit w/ the Jeep.

 

[Ron B]

I feel the H3 is what Hummer should have built in the first place.

Hummer (AM-General) has nothing to do with the h3 and is only contracted to assemble the h2 (all GM parts) through '09. GM leased the name "Hummer" to stick on their vehicles.

I totally agree with what you said about cost/aftermarket parts availability for the JK 4 door. If I was starting over, I'd probably get one.

rb

 

[nugget]

I know this is extremely late after the last post but I only just came across it, so if anyone is still interested, i reckon that the H3 is a great expidition car and have set mine up as a dedicated 2 person tourer

I took out the back seats and made a drawer system with cooking facilities etc

There is also room between the back of the drawers system and the seats for our clothes bags and swag which we use when we dont put up the tent, and a 55l water tank.

 

[xracer9]

pics of mine

38K miles and lot of adventures on it. no problems at all.....