For all of its quirks and flaws, the Hummer H3 is a vehicle that somehow manages to endear itself to even the most jaded and cynical folk. The 3,7-litre H3, with its Tonka Toy styling, was a refreshing break from the norm but that engine was simply too wheezy to justify its place in a macho-looking SUV like the Hummer. Can the addition of a V8 powerplant turn the H3 into the car it was supposed to be?
Before I get to the engine, I have to recount an experience behind the wheel of the H3 V8 this morning that encompassed the Hummer and its appearance. Shortly after reversing out of my parking bay, I came up behind a Mom and her two 12-year old kids in a Sentra. Had I been driving any other car, the kids would have continued picking their noses and swapping Pokemon cards. When they caught sight of the H3, they literally scrambled over their bewildered mother and pressed their faces to the rear windscreen whilst mouthing “cool!” and “wow!”.
The H3 is big, brash, and the combination of its narrow glazing and armoured car proportions, it’s a guaranteed head-turner that makes you smile. Hell, it even made me do the uncharacteristic thing of revving the engine when they gestured to “crank it”. Now, had I done this in the 3,7-litre H3, the result would have been a pair of blank faces staring at me through the glass, probably followed by wailing laughter. Fortunately, this car’s 5,3-litre V8 emitted the snarl they were hoping for, and thumbs-up were the order of the day.
Crowd-pleasing aside, the V8 is the engine the Hummer H3 has been waiting for. The new engine develops 224 kW at 5 200 r/min and 434 N.m of torque at 4 000 r/min. It revs keenly and is well mated with the uprated four-speed auto ‘box. There is a hint of hesitancy from pullaway, as though the clutch is slipping as the engine note climbs, but then the H3 surges forward with an almost amusing turn of pace. Travelling at 100 km/h with the rev needle hovering just below 2 000 r/min is a stark contrast to the underpowered and strained nature of the old powerplant. The gearshifts are not entirely seamless, but at least the gearbox doesn’t feel as though it’s hunting for the correct ratio.
My time with the H3 didn’t include any greenlaning, but if the 3,7-litre’s ability is anything to go by this model should acquit itself very well offroad. Driving around town also wasn’t the challenge one would expect with a vehicle of the Hummer’s dimensions. The steering is light but accurate, and although the narrow glazing and thick pillars do hamper visibility, the H3 is easy to place where you want it. The brakes are quite grabby and the offroad-orientated suspension will see the nose dipping when you drop anchors at any pace, but the ride is supremely comfortable, soaking up bumps and ruts with little fuss.
The Hummer’s interior is actually quite restrained. That big slab of dash has a very intuitive and tidy layout. There are some suitably macho touches, such as the chunky gearlever, rubber-gripped rotary ventilation controls, and pull-back-and-twist parking brake mounted just below the steering column. Combine these with comfy leather seats, a commanding driving position in the clouds and that V8 burbling in the nose (not excessively resonating through the cabin, I must add) and you’ll begin to understand why this Hummer just feels right… It has a chunky, purposeful feel that will elicit a ghost of a smile even you’re trying to perfect your most lantern-jawed “thousand-yard stare”.
Is this the Hummer H3 we’ve been waiting for? In my opinion, it is… You could easily bemoan the city-block-on-wheels styling, the V8’s appetite for unleaded, the R531 887 sticker price, and the lack of sense this car makes in the cold light of day, but then, you don’t buy a Hummer with any modicum of sense in mind – you buy it for the way it makes you feel. And this one feels good…
