Yell the word "Hummer" in a crowded room of auto enthusiasts and you're likely to get strong reactions-some focused on big-truck fuel economy, others on blocky styling, and still others may be political, connecting Hummer with U.S. military actions around the world.
Ugh. Can't we just stay focused on the product? That's certainly what Hummer wants as it comes to market with its newest offering, the H3T pickup truck. As if learning from its H2 SUT experience, it's given the midsize truck an appropriately sized bedbox (in fact, it's an all-new creation, over five feet long, with unique bed-wall storage bins molded into the bed inner). To make sure this would be a midsize pickup with a decent bed, Hummer had to create a completely new platform, lengthening the H3 wheelbase by almost 23 inches. The stretch allowed exterior designers to eliminate the intrusive fenderwheel from the rear doors so ingress and egress for passengers is a less contorted affair.
The H3T will be assembled off the same Shreveport, Louisiana, line that makes the H3 and will offer the same 3.7-liter I-5 and all-aluminum 5.3-liter V-8 engine options. Pricing for both will be close to one another, with an extra (higher) trim level offered for the H3T, designated Alpha Luxury.
We recently had the chance to go on a shakedown run with the H3T, taking it on some of the more serious 4x4 trails Moab, Utah, has to offer as well as the local paved highways where we tested the vehicle at much higher speeds. As you might expect, Hummer didn't cut any corners on true slow-go trail capability. The truck will offer front and rear locking differentials (a first in the class), an ultra-low-range transfer case, 32-inch tires, amazing approach and departure angles, and a long list of dealer-offered accessories designed to allow H3T owners to personalize, accessorize, and modify their own truck depending on what they plan to do. Our test unit had 33-inch BFG Mud Terrain tires, a front brushguard, roof-mounted lights, and a black diamondplate tonneau cover (able to hold 800 pounds). It crawled up nasty off-camber rock stairsteps, ran through deep sand washes, and navigated steep ledges with confidence-with, we might add, ability and capability to spare. Front and rear lockers engaged, it acted like a tractor up every obstacle it met, scratching and clawing up rocks and ledges few people could walk. The grippy tire treads, special beadlocks (to prevent the aired-down tires from coming off the rims), and locked axles make the vehicle respond and communicate to the driver like noother vehicle we've experienced, and we've driven hundreds of top-notch factory four-wheelers.
