Warren Brown, Contributor
THIS ONE can move into the neighbourhood.
It is the 2006 Hummer H3, a smaller, more fuel-economical Hummer. It stretches no longer than a midsize family sedan or station wagon, stands no taller than the average minivan.
Yet it is every bit a Hummer. That means it can climb rocks, traverse ruts and ford 16 inches of water at 20 miles per hour, or 24 inches of water at 5 miles per hour. That means -- with standard underbody skid plates protecting its front axle, oil pan, four-wheel-drive transfer case and fuel tank--it is built for abuse. But, mostly, it means the H3 has attitude.
Attitude aids self-definition, which is vital to success. If you don't know who you are, you're likely to be equally as ignorant about where you are. If you don't know where you are, you most likely won't know where you are going.
ON AND OFF THE ROAD
The Hummer H3 is a midsize, fully capable sport-utility vehicle expressly designed for use off-road and for drives along city streets and that means, with a turning radius of 37 feet, it can do a U-turn as easily as it can run through the bush.
In short, despite current national concern about rising fuel prices and peak oil production, the H3 is likely to sell and sell well.
Hummers are automotive icons. They are loved and hated; but opposition and opprobrium seem to make Hummer owners more devoted to the brand.
More enthusiastic Hummer fans, those with bank accounts as big as their self-esteem, own models such as the large 2006 Hummer H1 Alpha, priced from US$128,374 to US$139,771. Others buy the Hummer H2, which shares much of the structure and many of the components of the Chevrolet Suburban SUV. H2 base prices range from US$52,430 to US$56,670. There also is the H2 SUT (sport-utility truck) a crew-cab pickup priced from US$52,485 to US$56,225.
The H1 Alpha and H2 models come with 300-plus-horsepower engines. They are heavy machines that swallow regular unleaded gasoline at the rate of about 10 miles per gallon.
The purchase and operating costs of the H1 and H2 put them out of reach of many consumers who love the rugged looks and admire the off-road capabilities of those vehicles. But the 3.5-litre, 220-horsepower, inline five-cylinder H3 with a base price under US$30,000 and a top highway fuel-economy
rating of 20 miles per gallon could bring more of those
people into the Hummer family.
EXPAND MARKET
Initial sales indicate that the H3, made in Shreveport, Louisiana, will expand Hummer family membership. The H3 went to market in June. It has been selling at the rate of 5,000 monthly for the past two
months and that at a time when pump prices for regular unleaded gasoline averaged US$2.64 a gallon in Los Angeles, according to gasolene-pricing figures provided by the American Automobile Association.
That means General Motors Corp., the H3's maker, is on track to sell 35,000 of those models in calendar year 2005. Things happen; and whether GM can sell 60,000 to 70,000 H3 models in a full calendar year remains to be seen.
But it's a good start for a midsize SUV in a tough market; and from the perspective of the men and women who make and sell the H3, that's a very good thing.
Washington Post
The Hummer H3, a smaller, more fuel-economical Hummer, is a mid-size, fully capable sport-utility vehicle expressly designed for use off-road and for drives along city streets.
