The trail to the Woodpecker Mine is a narrow ravine in the desert, one of the most challenging off-road tests in Arizona. It's hot, remote, and difficult-a place where you need more than brand image to get you through.
Fortunately, the Hummer H3 is not Arnold Lite, a girly-man in disguise. It may have started life as a humble Chevy Colorado pickup, but the H3 has been honed into a true Hummer.
It sure looks great. The sheetmetal repeats all the Hummer idioms without venturing into cartoon animation. There's no disguising the interior's pickup-style architecture, yet it looks surprisingly upscale with either standard cloth or optional leather seats.
But it's the H3's off-roading prowess that really gives it the right to wear the Hummer badge. The coil-spring, independent front suspension and leaf-spring, solid rear axle look simple, but they deliver amazing articulation with either the standard 32-inch Goodyear tires or the optional 33-inch Bridgestones. There are four underbody skid plates, the chassis's minimum breakover angle is 24 degrees, and the turning circle is just 37 feet. There's a two-speed, electrically controlled Borg-Warner transfer case. The center and rear differentials can be locked for off-road driving (which also alters the response of the throttle and brake systems), and even the electronic stability control is set up for the dirt.... Read full article