H3 Source > Unveiled in Miami
 

Miami Focus Group:
The 2005 HUMMER H3 Unveiled
 

On Wednesday, May 5th, 2004.  A couple of us H2 owners, from the Elcova Forums, had the opportunity to check out the upcoming Hummer H3 while participating in a focus group. 

The night began in one of South Beach's typical posh hotels, drinks and food were served to those who participated.  They began by asking us a couple of questions about ourselves and how we thought those traits were tied to the vehicles we drove.  Questions went on about what we liked about the Hummer H2 and what we disliked (easily the shortest part of the conversation, being that we were all H2 owners).

The questions continued for about the first hour, other typical stuff that you would expect to get in such a group.  Then it was time to go see the H3.  We were told that the vehicle that we were going to see was likely to be the production vehicle, but there was a good chance of minor tweaks before it was going to be seen on the street.

We were walked across the street, down a couple of blocks and into a somewhat deserted parking garage.  Up to the SECURED sixth floor, where there was just one vehicle  ...

A PEWTER 2005 HUMMER H3.

My first impression: it was much cooler than I had expected.  The H3 had definite HUMMER lines.  It was considerably smaller than the H2, but by no means a small SUV.  In my opinion it would fit into the "mid size SUV" category, but probably larger (at least, at first glance) than all other SUVs in that class.

THOUGHTS ON THE EXTERIOR

• The flared fenders were one of the features that jumped out at me, they were painted to match the rest of the vehicles exterior (very little cladding, if any, was used). 

• The spare tire was mounted to the exterior-rear of the vehicle and the rear cargo area was accessed by a swing-out-door.

• The H3 was not as intimidating as the H2, seemed to have a considerably lower profile and smaller tires.  Still, it had a tough look, just a bit more subtle.

• The hood opened from the front towards the windshield.  There were no hood handles (like the H2) or helicopter hooks (like the H1).

• The H3 looked like it comes equipped with a front brushguard.

• The grille of the H3 was very similar to the H2's, but did not have the word H-U-M-M-E-R on each of the louvers

• I did not get a real good look at the front of the H3, as it was parked very close to the wall of the parking garage.  Further, I did not notice if there was a skid plate nor did I get a good look at the undercarriage (there was too much to digest in too little time).

• The H3 did not have the marker lights on the roof, one of my favorite details about the H2.

• The H3 was without side steps, rear light guards, and only had one d-ring on the rear (license plate holder was on the other side of the bumper)

• The rims had a similar look to those of the H2, but a bit more open.  One of the guys we were with got up close to one of the rims and thought the center cap looked a "bit too much like cheap plastic."  Before he got the word "plastic" out of his mouth, he pried the center cap off with his pinky finger without much force at all, and it crashed to the floor. Everyone got a good laugh out of that.

• The antenna was fixed, and in the same location as it is on the H2.  However, there were no side vents on the H3.

• Besides the front grille and the H3 logo there was no exterior chrome on the H3.

THOUGHTS ON THE INTERIOR

• The tan leather seats, with dark piping was the first thing I noticed and thought they looked great.  Far better than the seats in the H2, a lot more classy.

• The dash was considerably more modern than the H2, with much brushed aluminum accents. Actually, the entire center area of the dash had a brushed aluminum background - very nice.

• The H3 was equipped with a very large sunroof; like the H2, when opened you feel like you might be in a convertible.

• The shift handle was not like the H2's airplane-like-throttle, it was in the same location however, but a bulkier, leather wrapped handle.

• There was only seating for five.  The rear cargo space did not appear to have a spot for a third row seat.

• On the same note, the cargo area did seem pretty roomy, especially with the spare mounted on the exterior as mentioned earlier.

• The dash lit up with an orange tone, as did the radio and the other controls.  The stereo was nice, but did not get me too excited.

• The buttons/controls seemed exact to those of the H2, but in different locations.

• There were a few options missing, including homelink and memory seats.

• The center console compartment was a bit small.

• We did get a chance to it start up, from the interior it did not make my toes tingle like the H2's V-8, but it was very quiet on the inside.

• The steering wheel was nice and thick, but was lacking all of the controls on it, like the H2.

• We did notice that there were no grab handles in the front seat.

• The rear seat was roomy once inside, but a bit small to get into and out of.

• One feature that I thought was ridiculous was the rear seat cup holder.  It was actually located in the part of the seat that you sit on, where if there was three in the back, the person in the center would have it between his/her legs.  It did fold away, but a weak attempt to add an additional cup holder.

OTHER FACTS

• The H3 runs on an inline-5 (yes, five).  We were told it would give us the power of a V-6 with the economy of a V-4.

• Expected gas mileage is around 17 in the city, "probably a little better on the highway."

• We were told that it had the same off-road capabilities as the H2, possibly better (probably because of it's smaller size)

• We were not allowed to drive the H3, insurance reasons.

• Photos were not permitted - but we were able to get some secretly

 

In the end, it was a fun couple of hours.  Good people.  Free drinks.  Got paid a couple of dollars.  Now that it is over, I could now say without any regrets, I would have paid them to be a part of the H3's launch.  And most importantly, the H3 was better than I could of expected.  In my opinion, HUMMER has another winner in the works.