We’re not about political correctness here in The Garage, but we try not to offend anybody. Let’s face it though, any time you combine the terms off roading and HUMMER, you are bound to offend a few greenies. Oh well. I have to admit that one of the trucks I most wanted to like on off road day was the brilliant orange HUMMER H3. I’m a pretty flamboyant guy and what could be more obnoxious than a dayglow HUMMER with honkin’ big off road tires & giant tow hooks?

This particular version of the baby HUMMER was actually a base model according to Nick Richards, the man from HUMMER. While this is a test of off road prowess, I couldn’t help but notice the smokin’ cool interior. Nice leather, lots of good quality dark grey surfaces and a good bunch of chrome thrown in for good measure make for a pretty tough looking interior to match the tough exterior.

Out on the trail, the H3 proved that it did indeed retain some of it’s inherited DNA. The little brother to the H1 doesn’t however feel like an ex military vehicle. It’s quiet and smooth and more than capable on the uphill climbs. The washed out water run offs were barely noticeable. This particular truck felt a little loose through the rock garden section, but that can be attributed to the base LT tires. The off road equipped version comes with more aggressive all terrain tires that would have made the H3 feel more at home. Through the articulation whoops, the H3 felt comfortable and made the transition from full droop to full compression with confidence. While I couldn’t find any signs of any sort of hill descent system, the H3 handled the drop in easily in 4 Lo with a bit of light braking.

As I’ve said, I came into this wanting to love the H3 and on the trail, it proved more than competent. Regular readers know that in the real world I have a thing about SUV’s that are light on Utility. This is a sore spot for me with the H3. For a biggish square box, the H3 had one of the smallest cargo areas on the hill. I seriously doubt that I could fit 3 hockey bags back there and in The Garage and many families that could be a real concern. Then again, this truck is just so damn cool!

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