2006 Hummer H3

It's hard to imagine people clamoring for big, thirsty sport/utilities these days, so perhaps the H3 is just the thing for the times. GM claims it's as burly and rock-crawling-capable as a Hummer H2 (okay, we're with you), uses a powerful and efficient 3.5-liter five-cylinder engine (you sure about that?), and is easier to park than many of its kind (sort of). The reality of Sport/Utility of the Year testing proved different. The H3's city/highway rating of 16/19 mpg is optimistic at best, and the pain at the gas pump is intensified by a 0-to-60-mph sprint that took over 11 seconds. The Hummer may be slow, but it sure is thirsty. In fact, it almost justifies buying the larger, marginally less fuel-efficient H2 with its whopping 6.0-liter V-8, which can at least outrun hybrid-driving environmentalists. The H3's inline-five is derived from GM's venerable 4.2-liter inline-six that produces 291 horsepower. You'd think lopping off one cylinder would reduce output by about 48 horses. Unfortunately, GM removed the magic 70-horse cylinder. As a result, the 220-horsepower I-5 gives the 4900-pound H3 all the pull and harmonics of a sewing machine. Freeway merging power? Forget it. Similar to our initial experience with a Hummer H2, the off-road-biased H3 took well to the twisty mountain roads--as long as it was pointed downhill.

Off-road, the H3 is pure Hummer: damn-near unstoppable over just about anything, though the military-spec pillbox window openings make it hard to aim it between two obstacles at a time. It's a different story inside, however. Our tester came festooned with the $3125 Luxury package that featured handsome leather seating (surfaces) with Range Rover-like contrasting piping, among other things. The Hummer H3 does one dirty deed exceptionally well and nothing else particularly well--and it ain't cheap, either. It's mostly a marketing exercise you wouldn't want to drive everyday.