I got into a Hummer H3 not that long ago. They've come down in price. Really loving it. It's a super-fun vehicle to drive. Box frame, leather, factory 33's, factory locker. About the same size as a disco but longer wheelbase. I get about 17-18mpg in mine.

I still have and love my Disco, don't get me wrong. But the more I drive the Hummer, the more I keep thinking the H3 is the direction L/R 'could' have gone instead of killing the brand icon ...the Defender, and going mainstream/Luxury to the point where current Land Rovers seem too similar to Ford Explorers. Disco's were built like a tank, no doubt, and there is a big thrill owners get driving them that's hard to pin down. What's great about the H3 IMO is they seem to provide the same kind of thrill. They kind of pick up where the Disco left off. Kind of back-to-basics vehicles: high-seating (like Discos), 4-spd trans, ignition key, wide seating, side-opening rear door, big-*** sunroof, way-far-out-front windshield, slightly upright (military-style) steering wheel, stiffly sprung, not many frivolous features. Hey they even have the familiar Disco sunroof 'leaking' feature too!! One thing that IS different is visibility. The Disco has much more glass, which you notice right away. Rearward visibility in the H3 is abysmal. A rear cam can help.

H3's aren't w/o fault, IFS could be stronger (some people have converted to solid axle), ball joints, etc ....but it's been fun driving both and seeing the neat features of each vehicle. Not only the differences, but the high number of similarities too. I don't advocate anyone to give up their L/R, especially Discos, I'm just offering some impressions.

 

Its hard to compare them. They where both built for very different reasons and markets. If I was off-roading I would take a Rover or Jeep over an H3. For overlanding with moderate off-road I am certain the H3 would be fine. As for the direction of Rover, I agree. The Rang Rover when introduced was originally a rather basic vehicle but they wanted some upward mobility of the badge. They pushed it a bit far so they needed a mid-market vehicle. Introduce Discovery. Yet again, they moved it up the market once they realized it was not killing Range Rover sales. So then came the Freelander. The Defender was just a name change for the most part, but like most rover products it moved up market away from the basics. Today, I dont care for anything new Rover offers. They all look the same and while they are very capable machines they just dont work for me.

Ultimately it comes down to one thing. When you get inside and turn it on, does it return the favor?

 

Seems like a pretty decent off roader. The IFS and leaf springs are major differences in the two. For a stock off roader from the factory though, it was one of the best equipped.

 

I had an 08 Hummer H3 Alpha with the 5.3L V8 & I also had an 07 Hummer H3 Adventure with the rear Eaton locker and the 3.7L I5. I had an ARB front bumper on the Alpha with a Thor rear bumper and Gobi stealth roof rack. Both were excellent vehicles, but they were very narrow inside vs a D1/D2/LR3. I lost a lot of "Jeep" friends when I bought them actually lol. They got truly but hurt and wouldn't talk to me after I bought them....

The CV's are a weak spot, OEM lower diff support brace/bushing is a weak spot. Earlier 3.5/3.7 H3's had an aluminum diff vs the cast iron first introduced into the 08 Alpha and eventually the 9/10 Adventure H3's. The 3.5/3.7 are good engines, but they do seem to break the exhaust manifolds right at the seam (vibration from the I5). 4WD system was good, lockers were good, TC/ABS was good, and the interior was durable. The outside plastic around the windshield was another weak spot. It faded pretty bad & it could vibrate and cause noise at highway speeds. On hardcore trails it was a bit hard to see out sometimes, but that was easy to fix with a good spotter. I loved both of mine very much. The Alpha got around 12-13MPG and the Adventure got around 15-17MPG. I had Bilstein 5100's on the Alpha so the ride was excellent and the Adventure had it's OEM HD shocks.

I took my Alpha thru the same trails I got my 05 Rubicon stuck, and the Alpha went right thru it without getting stuck and without lockers! I bought my Alpha for 0.00 (traded keys for keys for my 08 F150 FX4) added the Gobi Rack, Thor bumper, shocks, diff cover, upgraded diff support bushing (guaranteed for life), and put 50K on it. It was valued at 18K when I did my trade in on it. I owned it for 4 years, and when my wife told me kiddo #2 was on the way I sold it for 16.1K, then I sold the rack for 1K!!!!! I then turned around and bought my wife an 06 LR3 HSE for 11K. It has the HD package and the 3rd row will be extremely handy later on when the kids are older.

The only thing I didn't like about the H3 was the small interior for such a large exterior. Besides that the Hummer H3 was without a doubt a very solid SUV. The H2 image ruined the Hummer brand and the gas prices didn't help it either. I truly think the H4 would have given Jeep a run for their money. For a while a Chinese company was trying to buy the Hummer name brand, but I guess it fell thru.

 

The H3t is a pretty cool truck that was just ahead of its time. Look at the new Jeep truck. If Hummer had come out with it today or some years back it would have been successful I believe. The H2 was awful indeed.

 

Yeah I passed an H3T Alpha yesterday on I-10 and I think it looks SO much better than the new Jeep truck. Jeep needs a V8 in it, but they NEVER do it.... A single cab Jeep Truck like the Brute Conversions were cool on the TJ, but after the JK/JL I find Jeep's hideous.

 

Best4X4,
Nice review of the H3, how would you compare your LR3 to them?

I'm surprised you lost Jeep friends over the H3. What was THAT all about?!

 

I’d say the LR3 is MUCH better at using it’s 300HP from a 4.4L V8 & 6spd transmission vs the Alpha’s 5.3L V8 and 4spd transmission. The 4spd on the Alpha would constantly jump out of OD if you used Cruise Control or hit even the smallest hill. It still had a lot of HP engine wise, but I think the 4spd needed a bit more fine tuning in the Alpha.

The Adventure models with locking diff’s did have a 4 to 1 ratio transfer case vs standard H3’s as well.

H3 vs LR3 = LR3 is much easier to see out of, has dual HVAC, more room inside, 3rd row, and more 4x4 toys. The H3 was extremely reliable, ice cold AC, comfy front seats, (back seat was cramped feeling vs LR3’s back seat). The H3 is cheaper to buy fuel for 87 vs 93 octane, but the LR3 gets 18MPG easy vs the Alpha that is doing good with 13MPG so it kinda evens out.

I’d own another H3 if I had the chance. No complaints at all really.

The Jeep buddies that dumped me = turned away from true off roaders where year, make, and model wasn’t an issue to if it’s not a Jeep = your outta here & we won’t wheel or talk to you... They’ve replaced the biker clubs & tramp stamps with Jeeps & STUPID nicknames on their hoods.... I’d rather see the Hells Angels & Tramp stamps lol.

Like I said people gave the H3 a bad rap due to the H2 & that took a well built SUV like the H3 down with it & the company as a whole sadly. Once the H2 was no more the DUB scene moved onto Range Rover’s!!

 

Thanks, that's a worthwhile comparison to a LR3. I have a buddy with a LR3, who likes it a lot (he once owned a DII), but it's just city driven and he wouldn't know anything about off-road capability or mechanical underpinnings.

When I sat in his LR3, I didn't think its interior was significantly larger than the H3, but then again, I hadn't owned the H3 back then. I test drove a Colorado PU a couple years ago, and I WAS surprised how cramped that was. I think the GM team did a good job making the H3 as wide as they could given assembly line constraints. It's probably good they had those constraints or it might have looked more like the H2! Inside the H3 feels quite a bit wider than a solid-axle Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ. Next time I see my buddy I'll compare the two interiors again.

I think Land Rover really shot themselves in the foot when they didn't replace the Defender with something equivalent. It was to Land Rover what the Wrangler is to Jeep. Even if a buyer can only afford a lowly Jeep Renegade, or they bought a family-hauling, pavement queen, Grand Cherokee Laredo with aluminum 4x4 parts and a transfer case the size and strength of a watermelon, the owner still has in their head they're buying from a Mfgr who still produces a very capable off-road machine with solid axles which can be outfitted to tackle about any trail (Wrangler). L/R has focused too much on luxury and safety. But that's a crowded market these days.

Probably better the jeep guys who act as you say, keep to themselves. The average Wrangler need a lot of mods to get it to a L/R or H3 level on the trails

 

I feel each brand is doing their best to make the off-road experience better. I don't want to compare any. I am also a huge fan of hummer H3. To make my off-road experience better I have changed the shocks to Skyjacker Hydro Shocks also have done some interior changes to make the car more interesting.