Forgive my ignorance, but...
 

I've been out looking at Range Rovers and H3's of the '03-'06 and '06-'09 range respectively and have finally come to the conclusion that with children still in college, as much as I love the Range Rovers (and the H1's), our budget isn't quite ready to handle the things that I would not be able to resolve myself (programming electricals etc.) on the Rover.

So, I'm now serious about the H3 but I do have one question that most of the salespeople I've spoken with are unable to answer...or at least I'm not confident with their answers. The drive buttons, those to the right of the passenger air-bag control, what are the options there? I'm seeing some with only 1 button that appears to be traction control. Then I'm seeing other models with two buttons and what appear to be the front wheels turned?

Can someone provide a quick concise run-down of the options and the respective buttons...so I know what I'm looking at this weekend while I'm out test-driving some used H3's?

I apologize if this has been asked and answered before...I didn't find it with a search.

Thanx--tom

Early h3 rear locking diff. Later h3 rear n front lockers

What you need to know is that if there are two buttons on the upper right side of the center console (traction control on/off and 4 Lo Lock) then you are looking at the Adventure model. It has a lower xfer case ratio and front lockers as well as stiffer shocks (slightly longer too?) and the underbody skid protection. Oh yeah, tires are 33's as well (spare should be as well and if not covered by a tire cover it might be a tip off that it came as an Adventure or not depending on which tire is on there if not already swapped out when the original tires were changed out).

those 2 mean u have front and rear locker differentials, a very good feature,,that you may use rarely.
they work only in low lock mode so just verify that they are ok, then verify that hi lock is ok, then stay in hi,the first,left button.
if its all new to u,u need a owners book

btw,if the seller dont know what those buttons are,u are probably getting a good price!!

Thanx for the replies everyone. I was wondering what the two buttons shown in this photo were...and why I was not seeing these in most of the rigs I was looking at. Thanx for the info everyone.

If you plan on using the H3 for off road driving you want the locking diff. It makes it a much more capable vehicle and you will wish you had it after hitting the trail.

That's the '09/'10 Adventure package switches - one for front locker, one for rear locker. Notice the stability system button is moved down to the bottom of the center console.

All models have the same 4wd options and traction control, so every model is going to be pretty decent offroad, but Like Dirt Junkie says, if you plan to wheel it you probably want to get the Adventure package.

Thanx for the info guys. I hadn't noticed the relocated Stability Control button skeptic; thanx for pointing that out.

Well, we looked at 4 rigs and drove 3 today. The Alpha I was hoping to get to drive today, apparently sold yesterday. Only 1 of the 3 had the required leather and sunroof, and all 3 wound up being '06's with 3.5's.

Surprisingly, the one with the fewest miles (46K) was actually the roughest with several chips in the paint, buttons worn to white and 3 stars in the windshield. I did notice that the CV joints and boots were new. The traction control light next to the speedo never would go off and it kept flashing a stability control message. Hmmm. It has several chromed accessories, but my wife had seen enough and went to our car.


The rig my wife liked the best and surprisingly was in the best overall shape with the worn tires really being the only negative, was the rig with the most miles on the clock...114K. Other than the lack of tread, the rig drove out really nice and all transfer case selections worked; as did the rear locker option (as best I know). The rig also had video in the headrests, that when powered up showed a Hummer Video screen...so we are assuming the video players were Hummer accessories?

Two dealers (used car dealers) reminded me that although the rigs did not have leather, that for about $1200 they could have brand new leather installed. I think with these types of services, that a person may be able to choose the type and print of leather to be installed...maybe. Definitely something to keep in mind now.

Something else to keep in mind, the '06 has the 3.5L I5, '07+ has the 3.7 I5 or v8 (Alpha). On paper the difference doesn't seem like much, and aftermarket goodies can help, but it seems most of the complaints about H3s being underpowered come from '06 owners.

Another little thing, in '08 they moved the window/mirror controls from the bottom part of the arm rest to the upper part. Not a big deal really, but when I went from an '07 to an '09 I had a "wow, that's 100x better" moment.