2006 Hummer H3 Interior, Off Road, Horsepower & Handling

The Hummer H2 drew lines in the sand from the beginning. Its fan base brandished its in-your-face persona, off-road capability, and military-brand DNA. Earth-loving detractors pointed fingers at its scale-busting weight, high price, and gluttonous thirst for fuel. Initial sales were strong, but erupting gas prices and a groundswell of anti-H2 sentiment have now got GM, Hummer, and dealers sweating.

Is it time for something smaller, more economical and affordable, and, for heaven's sake, less controversial? When you've based your identity on bulk and power, downsizing is a risky venture. But that's what Hummer is attempting with its kinder, gentler, entry-level Hummer H3. Whether any Hummer needs real off-road prowess or merely the image of it, the H3 appears poised to deliver both.

In terms of style, there's no argument about family resemblance: The familiar hood, flat windshield, and slab sides give it a direct connection to the original Hummer. Designers will say they worked long and hard to differentiate this new model, but it still has the same boxy lines, high sills, and shortened windows shared with the H2. The H3 is compact: three or four inches shorter than the Land Rover LR3 and Nissan Pathfinder SUVs.

Inside, the un-GM-like clean and simple center stack and gauge layout are refreshing, especially for a Hummer. Although the hard plastics still aren't as high quality as they should be, surface textures may be the best in a GM midsize SUV to date.

Built on a modified Colorado/Canyon pickup truck frame (with more crossmembers and more frame boxing), the H3 shares many major components with its siblings; all three are built in GM's Shreveport, Louisiana, plant. The only engine available at launch of the littlest Hummer will be the Vortec 3500 I-5, rated at 220 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque. This may not sound like much power to move 4700 pounds, but combined with low (4.10:1 or 4.56:1) axle gears and a choice of manual or automatic transmission, there's quite a bit of oomph off the line.

Our drive experience was limited to low-speed crawling over the Rubicon Trail in an H3 engineering mule; on-road and test-track evaluations will have to wait until we get our hands on a production example. Covering a little over 13 miles in a day and a half--averaging almost two miles an hour--we found that the H3's suspension flexibility and overall trail manners make it one of the top students in its class. It may be even better than the H2.