Inline engines, IMO have always been a little deceiving....

You take a 4.9 I-6 and put it against a 5.4 V-8 and the difference really doesn't feel that great.... but you take my old 4.2 V-6 and compare it to my 4.6 V-8 and the difference is huge....

But at the end of the day as long as you get where you are going in the style and comfort of a Hummer what else could you need...

 

Paul,
I admire the honest review you gave of the comparison,stand up guy for sure.

 

I'm gonna do a re-vamped fun version of this thread topic, got a little more work to do first. Good stuff people!

My 3 w/ maganflow cat back; pcmforless and K & N Filter is no slouch.Before the mods, ugh............

 

My wife and I are happy with both our H3 I5's. The V8 was tempting, but we both agreed we didn't need it.

 

Actually, my '07 H3 was an Adventure Package so had the lower (numerically higher) crawl ratio. I also had BFG 315/75-16 MT tires on from the beginning so had nearly 36,000 miles (in about 7 months - uugghh) of experience onhighways, streets and some off-road. My "butt dyno" is decent(my sig pic might give you an idea of one of the things I do for fun - that's turn 6 at NHIS) and I am not saying there isn't a difference, just that the difference isn't all that great. I don't think anyone should feel they have the short end of the stick if they have an I5. Oh, yeah, I did have the PCMforless upgrade, so maybe that played a role, but no other performance mods.

Why did I get the Alpha? Well, I tow my Esprit to the track sometimes (depends on the track and weather). The rig and car combo was nearly at the I5 towing limit and that of the Alpha give me a little more of a margin.

 

My brothers both had I5 H3s. I drove one and drove the Alpha and I noticed a big difference in power. 20% is a big jump. I went with the Alpha. Have only been off road in it twice and nothing very taxing so can"t say how the off road performance really compares. So far my brothers have gotten everywhere I have.

 

I'm so glad I read this thread. I just made the decision to go with the I5 YESTERDAY rather than spend the extra $$ on the Alpha. I've been agonizing wondering if I made the right decision. The only consideration I had for more power was for possible towing but the reality is that we're probably only going to get a couple of SeaDoo's next year and I could tow those with a go-cart. If money is so good in the next 3 years that we wind up buying the boat we want, then upgrading to an Alpha will just have to happen at the same time.

 

Sounds like a plan to me! Debating over the motor is one thing but remember.....The important thing is you're getting a HUMMER.

 

People seeing you driving a Hummer is good enough!

 

you can tow a boat with the i5...mine comes in at over 4000lbs loaded and I tow it up through the mountains with no problems at all.