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Osiris -> RE: H3! (6/13/2005 9:43:40 PM)
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I drove one today as well, and I also loved it. The driver's seat and front passenger seat are plenty roomy. I'm over 6' tall and i weigh about 250 lbs and I was totally comfortable in the driver's seat. The cockpit of this vehicle was clearly designed to be comfortable for "typical" hummer owners, not just women.
The back seat is a different story. First of all, there is no way in hell 3 adults can fit comfortably in the back seat, unless of course they are adult midgets. The legroom back there is not so great, but I hear the H2 suffers from this same problem. Perhaps it is ok for kids and chicks, but no full grown man is going to be comfortable on a long trip in the back of the H3. However, since I have no kids and don't plan on hauling groups of adult men around with me, this was not a problem. The interior space feels like a 4 runner, but that's fine because I really don't like driving around in what feels like a school bus.
On the power issue. Well, it certainly isn't a 911 turbo. But the power was adequate for me. I do a lot of driving on the freeway, and i was able to merge, get up to speed, and pass with ease. I actually found myself going 90 without even knowing it...no shake, no loud street noise, nothing. At those speeds, pushing the gas pedal a little more doesnt really make your head hit the headrest, but I'll tell you, it was smooth and QUIET! That was really impressive to me. As far as city driving goes, well the vehicle seems decently quick...again, not a racecar nor a 5.7 ltr v8, but plenty adequate. I moderately gassed it when the light turned green and before i knew it I was going 45mph in a 35 zone(that smoothness issue again). True, not a V8, but very capable of getting its share of speeding tickets. But the most impressive driving we did today was on the hummer obstacle course. Doing the 60 degree ramp up and down was quite a thrill. That car performs like a champ...it definately deserves the HUMMER badge.
Overall, the car is beautifully designed inside and out, small enough to where you dont have to worry about manuevering in traffic, powerful enough to keep up on the highway and more than powerful enough in the city, and a true warrior offroad. People will say "ah, it's just a chevy colorado" or "yeah, hummer, right, it's a tame little kitten with a hummer logo for the ladies". No sir, this is a HUMMER. And I for one, find it perfect for me. First of all, I drive 60 miles round trip everyday for lawschool. So 20 mpg is a godsend in an SUV, considering that my current vehicle, a 92' toyota landcruiser(another offroading legend), gets 6-7 mpg and only has 155 hp. Second, it doesnt feel like driving an M1-Abrams battle tank around town. Still way up off the ground (you have to step UP into it...such a nice feeling) and you get to look DOWN at Jeep Cherokee owners at redlights...heh. And finally, the interior is one of the nicest I've seen in an SUV, or car for that matter. Black leather with dark red piping and seat inserts! Brushed aluminum dash pieces. GREAT sound system(monsoon) with powered subwoofer built in. How could you NOT love this H3?
I was thinking a year or so ago, If I could make a few mods to the H2 to better suit my needs, I would cut back the horsies a little so that I could get better gas mileage (60 mile daily commute again). 11mpg doesn't cut it. I was also thinking that I'd like to scale it down just a tad so that I wasn't wary of changing lanes for fear of crushing a passenger car or a small building. Also, pretty much always needing 2 parking spaces is inconvenient. But I would never dream of changing the offroad capabilities and looks that make this machine what it is. Well, my dreams were answered. And regardless of the inevitable scoffs from naysayers that this is a toy in hummer's clothing, I will be proud to drive what I know to be a superior machine at a fantastic cost. And all of those Chevy Tahoe owners that think they own more of an SUV than H3 owners
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