Hummer H3

Curious to know if anyone owns an H3, looking at getting one for the wife. We test drove the Lexus RX 330, Mazda CX-7, Nissan Murano, Infiniti FX 35 and the Hummer H3. I was actually surprised at the Hummer, we both liked it and with some aftermarket wheels and tires they look pretty good. Any info would be great. Thanks. Post pics if available.

This will sound wierd... a friend of mine returned her BMW X5... test drove the Lexus... and ended up with the Hyundai Veracruz... she said it is amazing... I dont need a SUV.. but I am curious and going to arrange a test drive soon.

= Chevy Trailblazer with body cladding

You can say that about lots of the GM products, the H2 is on Suburban chassis, Escalade is a Yukon with fancier interior and body cladding, Buick Enclave is GMC Acadia. It goes to other brands as well, Nissan and Infiniti, Lincoln and Ford.

toyota = lexus

I rented one last week in SLC for snowboarding. Overall I liked the H3 but had a few complaints. The windshield always seemed to be dirty, literally every 20-30 seconds you had to use the washer fluid to clean it and the roads weren't even that wet. It also seemed to have lots of blind spots or at least it was difficult to see out of when backing up and navigating the canyon roads. It did handle the snow pretty good and was surprisingly comfortable and smooth to drive in.

If you get it with the Alpha package you will have a V8 under the hood.

You are comparing some very different vehicles there. Here are my thoughts on each one:
Lexus: Incredible service at the dealership, top of class attention to detail in the engineering of the Rx, car-like ride for an SUV, and luxurious. But this generation has been out for several years

Mazda: New, fresh design, and has received many accolades from the automotive press. Everyone raves about its performance and 'fun factor' while still being a practical vehicle capable of hauling people/gear.

Murano: Depends...did you look at the brand new one that is coming out, or the older vehicle? Good performance, but as is typical with Nissan, interior fit and finish is sub par in this class. Also, the D pillar leaves something to be desired for visibility. The brand new Murano is supposed to improve the interior and offer additional luxuries.

Infinti: Great exhaust note and performance, but this design has gotten very old as its been around for about 5 years. They are redesigning this vehicle to freshen it. Have you looked at the new EX? Slightly smaller version, brand new.

H3: I agree with sbt3 that visibility leaves a lot to be desired. The build quality is better than GMs in the past, but for me, still not comparable to most of the vehicles that you have listed. The H3 gets the nod in ground clearance and off road capability, but really, is this something your wife will use it for? The other alternatives will get better mileage, if that is a concern.

I haven't driven the Veracruz, but I will say that I saw one parked next to my car and I thought it was very nice looking, and luxurious inside. Might be worth checking out.

Also, consider that auto show season is upon us, and since most don't have salesmen at them, you can really examine each vehicle without the pressure of a dealer looking over your shoulder.

m13, I agree with everything you said. The Veracruz is a really nice vehicle, a lot like the Lexus as far as styling, interior, exterior and ride.

I just went through the same thing with my wife. She is 5 months pregnant and we needed something a little more practical than her '05 Audi S4 sedan. We looked for a couple of weeks and ended up with a '08 4Runner limited with the V8. She decided that if she was going to go with an SUV it should be an SUV, not something that was dreaming of being like what her old car was. I own a boat dealership, so we have plenty of big diesels and don't have a need for a personal tow vehicle but it does not hurt that the Toyota can tow 7,300 lbs. I guess what I am saying is that if you are going for a truck style SUV check out the 4Runner.

I hear ya on that Alan. The 4Runner was a great car for me and surprisingly good gas mileage. Ultimately, I needed a truck and got rid of it. No complaints on that one and great resale/trade-in value.

Personaly I dont like Hummers, especially an H3, one of my friends has one and they are small and all they are are a subruban chasis with a hummer body basically. If you reallly want a hummer i say get an H2 or just go for a tahoe

Go with a Lexus or Toyota unless you plan on buying preowned. You are looking at a HUGE curb crunch on any Hummer. I would suggest you dont get an H3. I base this off of:
very poor resale
terrible inline 5 motor that gets crap gas mileage and is way underpowered
did I mention poor resale?

Twitch only the H2 is built on a suburban chassis... The H3 is built on the Colorado pickup chassis

(Message edited by tyboarder03 on February 06, 2008)

the H3 is a nice SUV, I don't car what chasis it is on

do get the alpha is you can swing it

I am a professional Valet driver, and out of the vehicles listed, i would go for the Infiniti. Best ride, has nice options and looks real clean. I hate the H3's, they look bad and don't drive great, also terrible visibility(mentioned earlier)

"The Veracruz is a really nice vehicle, a lot like the Lexus as far as styling, interior, exterior and ride."

That's because Hyundai's styling is generally a blatant copy of whatever Lexus is doing. Go look inside an Elantra and then look inside and older Lexus. It's the same thing, only a bit cheaper feeling. That being said, I like Hyundais for the most part. Unfortunately, their circa-2001 Accent was the best vehicle they ever produced.

I'd go with the CX-7 but mainly because my Mazda dealership has great service and pricing. If yours doesn't, I don't see it being ahead of the pack. But Mazdas in general are really fun to drive. Do yourself a favor and test drive one before you buy anything. I didn't even want a G6, Accord, or Altima after driving the Mazda 6. (I still liked the Camry though. Too bad it cost so much.)

We like the Hummer for its more ruggedness than the others, here in Alberta we have terrible winters. The others are lower and more car like. We were happy with all the vehicles it just comes down to price. 2006 used Lexus RX 330 everything but DVD, 20,000kms, $46,000 CDN, Brand new 2008 Mazda CX-7 every option $43,000 CDN, 2006 Infiniti FX 35 every option, 20,000kms $40-45,000 CDN. 2007 Hummer H3 every option 20,000kms $32,000 CDN. We don't want to break the bank, we are going to building a house this year. The wife is nurse and makes really good money, the only bad thing is she travels 55km one way to work.

If you want a real SUV, then get a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Commander.

Or a Land Rover. Mine is pretty much unstoppable on the trails and in deep snow, especially with good tires. In Canada, I think you could get a used diesel, (stupid anti-diesel US!) for your price range. Beats the H3 in fit/finish, luxury, and in my opinion, capabilities. The chassis is much stronger than the Blazer/H3 chassis.

M13 I agree with the Land/Range Rover as well as the Jeep SUV's

Yeah if you are wiling to shed the doe, go for a Rover, we have a 95 classic, 04 HSE, and an 07 HSE sc, and they all do amazing in every cond. Nothing beats a range rover off road, watch the videos on youtube of even the Brand spankin new ones. They out do hummers in a second, and they even out do a tank!

H3 is built on a colorado chassis. If you buy one get a V8, if you plan on doing any towing, otherwise you won't be happy.

Don't plan on doing any towing just a commuter vehicle, I have a Dodge Mega Cab Dually for all the towing. Our vehicles are a lot more money here in Canada so our options our limited. If she just drove around town and did not put on lots of kms we would spend more, she will put 40,000kms a year on or more.

I can sell you a 4wd highlander for invoice but you gotta get it to Canada. Mostly kidding. I would really consider any Lexus or Acura vehicles especially if you plan on putting alot of miles on them. Check out consumer reports, edmunds, etc and see how the vehicles you are looking at compare on reliability, resale, maintnence, cost of ownership, etc and make a judgement off of that.

Thanks for the info everyone, spent some time on Consumer Reports and read just about every SUV review. We have decided to go with the Infiniti FX 35 in Autumn Copper with the red brick interior, something a little different for these parts in Alberta. We will be buying the vehicle in the States and driving it home.

Just bought an Acura MDX, it was the last SUV I thought I would buy but it is awesome. Reasons I bought it, every option available, AWD, bluetooth, safety rating & resale. Many other reasons but those were must haves!!!