Sponsored

6th Gen Bronco to Succeed where the Hummer h3 Failed.

Pilot321

Active Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Threads
0
Messages
26
Reaction score
25
Location
PA
Vehicle(s)
2003 Jeep Wrangler TJ Sport
Your Bronco Model
Undecided
I test drove an H3 around 2004 or 2005 as my then wife wanted one to replace her 2003 Toyota Celica GT which was a great car. I talked her out of it, fortunately. The H3 was OK, but just a Chevy Colorado pickup with a different body.
Sponsored

 

wordstew

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2020
Threads
25
Messages
203
Reaction score
360
Location
Mass
Vehicle(s)
H3 Hummer, Explorer Sport, BMW R1200C
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I test drove an H3 around 2004 or 2005 as my then wife wanted one to replace her 2003 Toyota Celica GT which was a great car. I talked her out of it, fortunately. The H3 was OK, but just a Chevy Colorado pickup with a different body.
The H3 was released in 2006
 

AZMikeL

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Aug 12, 2020
Threads
11
Messages
363
Reaction score
795
Location
AZ
Vehicle(s)
2022 Bronco Badlands 4dr, 2016 BMW 435i
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I bet ya it wasn't the Adventure series H3 Hummer. The vast majority of H3s are the mall crawler grocery getter versions, all bling no zing.....
Hey but at least he gave it a try
Don't think lockers would have helped him as all 4 tires were in the air!
 

BlueBronco

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2020
Threads
19
Messages
5,743
Reaction score
20,369
Location
DFW
Vehicle(s)
'16 F150 KR - '21 BL - 23' OBX
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I always assumed that GM was forced to kill off Hummer as part of their "to big to fail" government bail out agreement. I actually liked the looks of the H3T and was considering buying one except for, well, GM.
 

Sponsored

YEGDriver

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Threads
1
Messages
58
Reaction score
100
Location
Edmonton, AB
Vehicle(s)
2017 Wrangler
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Clubs
 
My memories of the Hummers were that aside from some water leaks the H1 was good, but generally people found it too big. Parking it was a pain. And the interior was cramped. Otherwise it was fairly good. The H2 was somewhat blah, and I don't have any specific memories of it, either good or bad. The H3 was...plastic. It looked nice I suppose, but things broke on it very easily.
 

BroncoTRDPro

Wildtrak
Well-Known Member
First Name
Eric
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
66
Reaction score
236
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
4Runner TRD Pro, Grand Cherokee, H3, DMC-12
Your Bronco Model
Wildtrak
Full disclosure: One of my vehicles is a rare 2008 H3 Alpha (5.3L V8) with the Off Road Package. It has 304,000 miles on original motor and has been a great vehicle that has held up really well. Transmission and diffs have been replaced but outside of other routine maintenance, no other major problems. The body and interior have held up as well despite Midwest salt. People cannot believe it looks so good after all those miles. It is also not garage kept. Try that in a 2008 Wrangler...

The H3 went wrong mainly because of timing. It debuted at height of housing bubble in 2006, so it initially was a success and helped expand the brand towards a smaller more affordable Hummer. The main criticism was the 3.5L 5 cylinder engine in the first year models was underpowered. GM began to address this in 2007 with a 3.7L 5 cylinder that had slightly more power. I would also like to point out that both 5 cylinders still had more horsepower than the 3.8 L V6 in the Wranglers at the time. However, the H3 did not have removable roofs and doors, which GM planned to address with the HX Concept... GM then added the 5.3L V8 aka the Alpha Package to the H3 in 2008 just as the housing bubble exploded and gas prices soared. The H3T pick up (a Gladiator a decade early) debuted in 2009... GM then went bankrupt and killed the entire brand off in mid 2010. GM is trying to rectify this decision with Hummer as a model under GMC rather than a brand, which was one of the original plans way back when before the H2 debuted in 2003. GM now has the exact opposite problem it did over a decade ago. They will now try to market an expensive electric vehicle when gas prices are cheap...

Ford Bronco 6th Gen Bronco to Succeed where the Hummer h3 Failed. DFF5C06B-F344-4881-8530-81E222E3FE3E
 
  • Like
Reactions: Axe

BroncoTRDPro

Wildtrak
Well-Known Member
First Name
Eric
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
66
Reaction score
236
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
4Runner TRD Pro, Grand Cherokee, H3, DMC-12
Your Bronco Model
Wildtrak
Full disclosure: One of my vehicles is a rare 2008 H3 Alpha (5.3L V8) with the Off Road Package. It has 304,000 miles on original motor and has been a great vehicle that has held up really well. Transmission and diffs have been replaced but outside of other routine maintenance, no other major problems. The body and interior have held up as well despite Midwest salt. People cannot believe it looks so good after all those miles. It is also not garage kept. Try that in a 2008 Wrangler...

The H3 went wrong mainly because of timing. It debuted at height of housing bubble in 2006, so it initially was a success and helped expand the brand towards a smaller more affordable Hummer. The main criticism was the 3.5L 5 cylinder engine in the first year models was underpowered. GM began to address this in 2007 with a 3.7L 5 cylinder that had slightly more power. I would also like to point out that both 5 cylinders still had more horsepower than the 3.8 L V6 in the Wranglers at the time. However, the H3 did not have removable roofs and doors, which GM planned to address with the HX Concept... GM then added the 5.3L V8 aka the Alpha Package to the H3 in 2008 just as the housing bubble exploded and gas prices soared. The H3T pick up (a Gladiator a decade early) debuted in 2009... GM then went bankrupt and killed the entire brand off in mid 2010. GM is trying to rectify this decision with Hummer as a model under GMC rather than a brand, which was one of the original plans way back when before the H2 debuted in 2003. GM now has the exact opposite problem it did over a decade ago. They will now try to market an expensive electric vehicle when gas prices are cheap...

Ford Bronco 6th Gen Bronco to Succeed where the Hummer h3 Failed. DFF5C06B-F344-4881-8530-81E222E3FE3E
I also used to view the H3 as a poser. Then I took a second look, body on frame and if equipped correctly (Adventure Package aka Off Road Package on Alpha), it can give a Wrangler a run for its money and has a better interior, better on road manners, more horsepower etc. than the Wranglers of that era especially with the V8. I honestly think they will one day be appreciated more and may become somewhat collectible. Check out H3T Alpha prices...
 

rkj__

Well-Known Member
First Name
Ryan
Joined
Nov 5, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
434
Reaction score
851
Location
Ontario, Canada
Vehicle(s)
Sierra, Countryman, RZR
Your Bronco Model
Undecided
Lots of good points have been brought up in this thread. My answer would be as follows:

1. Timing & Economics. The well equipped models were not cheap. Even 10 years old, the most well equipped H3 and H3T models with lockers and/or V8s were still very expensive. GM was trying to sell these new in the midst of a terrible recession.

2. Symbolism. The H2 very quickly became a status symbol when it was released. It was driven by big and tall rich men, like NBA players. They were often bought by companies and wrapped in branding for advertising purposes. They were head turners. But, much of the public turned up their nose at them, and made them a symbol of gas guzzling and environmental destruction.

Even though the H3 was smaller, cheaper, and a little more efficient than the H2, the brand already had a bad reputation. The media did not love the GM quality interior, or the 5 cylinder engine.

Personally, I drove a 2008 GMC Canyon, which is mechanically very similar to many of the H3s. I liked it a lot. I commuted in it. I took it off road. I towed with it. I owned it up to about 225,000 km. I was doing a lot of long distance travelling / towing the last years I had it, and the repairs were getting too frequent for my liking. I had a lift in it, and up-sized tires, so it got about the same fuel economy as the stock V8 Sierra I replaced it with.
 

Sponsored

wordstew

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2020
Threads
25
Messages
203
Reaction score
360
Location
Mass
Vehicle(s)
H3 Hummer, Explorer Sport, BMW R1200C
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Full disclosure: One of my vehicles is a rare 2008 H3 Alpha (5.3L V8) with the Off Road Package. It has 304,000 miles on original motor and has been a great vehicle that has held up really well. Transmission and diffs have been replaced but outside of other routine maintenance, no other major problems. The body and interior have held up as well despite Midwest salt. People cannot believe it looks so good after all those miles. It is also not garage kept. Try that in a 2008 Wrangler...

The H3 went wrong mainly because of timing. It debuted at height of housing bubble in 2006, so it initially was a success and helped expand the brand towards a smaller more affordable Hummer. The main criticism was the 3.5L 5 cylinder engine in the first year models was underpowered. GM began to address this in 2007 with a 3.7L 5 cylinder that had slightly more power. I would also like to point out that both 5 cylinders still had more horsepower than the 3.8 L V6 in the Wranglers at the time. However, the H3 did not have removable roofs and doors, which GM planned to address with the HX Concept... GM then added the 5.3L V8 aka the Alpha Package to the H3 in 2008 just as the housing bubble exploded and gas prices soared. The H3T pick up (a Gladiator a decade early) debuted in 2009... GM then went bankrupt and killed the entire brand off in mid 2010. GM is trying to rectify this decision with Hummer as a model under GMC rather than a brand, which was one of the original plans way back when before the H2 debuted in 2003. GM now has the exact opposite problem it did over a decade ago. They will now try to market an expensive electric vehicle when gas prices are cheap...

Ford Bronco 6th Gen Bronco to Succeed where the Hummer h3 Failed. DFF5C06B-F344-4881-8530-81E222E3FE3E
My H3 is an 06 Adventure... If they released a newer (non electric, non pickup) I would buy it in a heartbeat. It's never been garaged and has held up incredibly well. A few months ago I drove the Transamerica trail Boston to Vegas and back... Off-road it was fantastic.

Ford Bronco 6th Gen Bronco to Succeed where the Hummer h3 Failed. 1600958760884
 

BlueBronco

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2020
Threads
19
Messages
5,743
Reaction score
20,369
Location
DFW
Vehicle(s)
'16 F150 KR - '21 BL - 23' OBX
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I honestly think they will one day be appreciated more and may become somewhat collectible. Check out H3T Alpha prices...
WOW! It looks like people already appreciate them.
Ford Bronco 6th Gen Bronco to Succeed where the Hummer h3 Failed. 1600959195901
 
 


Top