PreviewsAfter two years of lion styling with housecat horsepower, Hummer’s runt of the litter finally gets a V-8 variant, dubbed the H3 Alpha. With 300 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque, the Alpha’s 5.3-liter V-8 is the mill the H3 should have had all along. Surprise, surprise—we like it better even though we still don’t love it.
Not Enough Power?When Hummer introduced the H3, it was steadfast that its new baby had plenty of grunt, although we certainly wouldn’t have used that word to characterize the 220 horsepower of the original inline-five. Still, without admitting fault, the 3.5-liter was hastily bored to 3.7 liters for 2007—and horsepower rose to a still-not-enough 242. We kept bitching.
Why were we being so hard on it, GM wondered? Man, had anyone at the company driven it? On the road? Sorry for being so demanding, but we’ve never found 0-to-60 times in the mid-10-second range to be terribly stirring, especially in this day and age when there are SUVs that can be going a mile a minute from a dead stop in half that time. Granted, most of ’em aren’t worth much off-road, but still….
Is More Enough?Turns out, even 300 horsepower under the H3’s chunky hood may not be enough. Sure, we were doing our on-road driving at more than a mile above sea level, on high-speed two-lanes between northern New Mexico’s noted (but fabulously unspoiled) Rock Garden off-road area and Durango, Colorado. But even with two aboard and no luggage, the Alpha’s 4900 pounds asked more of the wheezing OHV V-8 than it seemed willing to give. Backing that up is Hummer’s claim that the Alpha hits 60 mph in a just-okay 8.0 seconds. That’s slower than the much larger (albeit much more powerful) 2008 H2, which can hustle its 6650 pounds to 60 in a reasonably impressive 7.8 seconds with a 393-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 and six-speed automatic.
Much of the blame for the H3’s lackadaisical thrust can be attributed to the modest gear spread of the H3’s four-speed automatic, which was retained on account of insurmountable underhood packaging constraints. Hummer engineers admit—begrudgingly—that we’re going to be stuck with it until the next all-new H3 comes along, which won’t be happening any time this decade.
Making RoomEngineers Were BusyCertainly, said engineers already had enough to do in their efforts to squeeze the longer, wider, and heavier small-block V-8 into the tight engine bay of the H3, designed as it was for the narrower inline-five. Thus, according to H3 chief engineer Lee Visci, parts of the front-of-dash panel had to be moved rearward, and the frame had to be modified so the engine mounting points could be accommodated and a new, heavier-duty cooling system could be installed. The transmission was modified to accommodate a larger-diameter torque converter, and the front anti-roll bar was beefed up to handle the 100 pounds of additional weight.
Packaging of the exhaust system and the application of 2009 emissions controls made it impossible for Visci’s team to achieve the same horsepower and torque figures for their version of the 5.3 as, say, those in other GM applications, such as the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado, where it makes 315 horsepower, or even the ’07 Hummer H2, where it produces 325. “We had to work very hard for that 300 figure,” Visci said. But she added that the team is very satisfied with the results of its efforts, which included a one-third increase in towing capacity to a now-credible 6000 pounds, as well as meeting the same safety standards (specifically for cabin intrusion in severe frontal collisions) as the inline-five model’s.
Off-Road StrengthThe Good Part: Even Better Off-RoadWhere the H3 Alpha proves nothing short of brilliant is where Hummers usually prove themselves: off-road. Indeed, off-road is where the Alpha’s combination of reasonable size; spectacular wheel articulation; uncanny approach, departure, and break-over angles; and, alas, effortless torque—multiplied by the 4.10 final drive and low-range transfer case—makes a strong case for itself. Climbing up and down the ancient mesas and ravines of the Rock Garden (some seriously gnarly stuff) was so easy a caveman—or even an automotive journalist, for that matter—could do it. Credit must also be issued to the traction enhancement provided by the locking rear differential, without which we might never have gotten out of some of the holes in which we found ourselves. That and the fact that we let most of the air out of our tires.
On the Right Track, but Not Quite There YetThere on the bluffs, we noted the numerous bones thrown at comfort and style for the $39,260. (That’s $8565 more than a base H3, and the total rises to $43,730 with the H3X bling package.) The window switches are relocated to the door panels (standard across the H3 line), “Alpha” badges and embossments are applied here and there, and all the goodies that come with the normal H3’s Luxury and Chrome packages were made standard. Also added is a silver front bumper that meets new car-to-car crash standards.
Back on the highway, however, we yearned for something more. Yes, the revised steering system adds some much-needed precision to the H3’s straight-line demeanor. But we hoped for less road rumble and more exhaust burble at speed, and the on-road ride remains as brittle as ever, with no changes made to the rear leaf springs. And then there’s that pesky fuel-consumption problem.
We believe Hummer is on the right track with the H3 Alpha, but it would be much better with more gears and less weight. Perhaps when the smaller and potentially more nimble H4 hits the market in 2009 or so, Hummer will finally have a product that makes its drivers just as happy on the road as off.
BY STEVE SILER
caranddriver.com
