New York Auto Show: 2008 HUMMER H3 Alpha
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We can't wait to get our hands on the 2008 HUMMER H3 Alpha, because the other GM trucks we've driven that are equipped with the 5.3L V8 all make all the right sounds and pack the kind of punch you'd expect in a vehicle as butch-looking as the entry-level HUMMER. That probably won't happen 'till late summer, however, so we had to make do with an up-close inspection of one at the New York Auto Show in the meantime.
The example on display at the Javits Center is a lightly accessorized version (note the grille guard and roof lights... those are not standard equipment) that looks great in that gray color, which also happens to be new for '08. Inside, it's no different than other loaded, Luxury Package-equipped H3s, save for the Alpha badge on the steering wheel and the embroidered Alpha insignias on the headrests. The light khaki-colored interior on the display vehicle is very easy on the eyes, but the most welcome sight comes when you pop the hood to reveal a 295-horsepower V8. Who knew three more cylinders could be so exciting?
Check out our original coverage of the 2008 HUMMER H3 Alpha here, and peruse high-res pics from the show floor by clicking below.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tool 5:45PM (4/09/2007)
It looks pretty cool. And it's about time that GM put a V8 into it. It should definitely appeal to the GI-wannabes who don't have the balls to go to Iraq and be a real man.
Why does this vehicle still have a radio antennae on it? The last vehicle I owned that had that was a 1994 Lexus and even that was retractable.
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Mr. Oak 6:04PM (4/09/2007)
So real man, why aren't you in Iraq? This real man won't go, because he (a) Never did believe in the "Cause"; (b). He believes even less in those that are championing the cause.
Still, a very cool vehicle. On the Antennae issue. Since Lexus don't have and "Off-Road" Vehicle in their arsenel, and they never get very far away from civilization, they really don't need an antennae.
No, the 470 and or current Land Crusier on which it is based, are not true off-roaders.
Case in point: The pair Jeep Rubicons that climbed up to the peak of that volcano on Peru, also has antennae.
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owen 6:20PM (4/09/2007)
So the only way to be a real man is to go to iraq?if it was possible to ask those thousands already dead including the 10 over the weekend ,if they would rather be a pussy and be alive, or be as you say, real man and dead ,i wonder how many would choose dead?truck looks ok but have any one check gas prices lately?
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Andre 6:41PM (4/09/2007)
#2, I take issue with your comment that the Land Cruiser is not a real 4x4.
I have relatives in Sudan. He has to travel though the non-existent road system in Sudan and Uganda. His choice of vehicles? A Toyota Land Cruiser, why would he pick that over a G-Wagon (and no, there are no Hummers there, they wouldn't survive)? Because of comfort and reliability, the G-Wagon falls to pieces in the punishment. Now, what's the real 4x4?
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Jeremy 7:24PM (4/09/2007)
#3 I'm sure they would stand by their decisions. You see, it's not that a real man is over fighting, it's that he's fighting for a purpose. I have 2 cousins and 2 brother-in-laws that went into the military (1 navy, 2 air force, 1 army) specifically because they wanted to protect the country that has provided them with the freedoms that they have. You are one of those people that take for granted everything that is given to you because you were grown up to believe that everything we have was just given to us and we don't need to work for anything that we have. Unfortunately, you as well as too many people in this country, don't realize that in the real world the freedoms that we have aren't just given to us, we fight for them. You talk about the soldiers as though they should be ashamed, I think it's you that they should be ashamed of. They lost their lives so that you can sit here and whine about them.
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Jeremy 8:27PM (4/09/2007)
Just to let you know, you can support the war without supporting Bush. I base my opinions on what I believe, not what a party believes.
Back to the Hummer...freaking sweat. Now they just need to put the V-8 in the Colorado. I think the H3 needs an interior update though...I mean, don't get me wrong it's ok, but for 30 grand I think they can have more features.
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Jaymez 10:32PM (4/09/2007)
This platform does not need a V8. I've said it before and I'll say it again. It does not need a V8. The Colorado's I5 has PLENTY of power for street use. These aren't off road trucks.
I like this truck. I'd rather buy a TrailBlazer, but, I like this truck.
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HotRodzNKustoms 11:02PM (4/09/2007)
Why are people all hung up on the antenna??? Nonsense is all I have to say... plus it is handy for letting you know when you are about to turn your SUV or truck into a roadster via low cieling parking garage!
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Mack 3:34AM (4/10/2007)
I love those 70's yellow lamps across the windshield.
Looks like an old truck.
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Paul 7:54AM (4/23/2007)
Im never driving any of that jap junk.GM makes the best cars..
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Jeremy 9:34AM (4/10/2007)
I, too, think that the I5 is enough power for a truck of that size. However, all of GM's competition is now offering a V-8 or at least something more powerful. If GM wants this truck to pull out of the crap-hole they've put it in because of a lack of marketing, they need to make it stand out, not just blend in.
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Mr. Oak 10:35AM (4/10/2007)
Andre #4
Desert driving is not the only form of off-roading there is. With tire pressures properly set, you can drive just about anything on a desert dirt road. Oh, the non-existent road system that you are talking about is also travelled by cars, mopeds and bicycles etc. It may not be paved, but it is an established, well travelled path. Surely the Land-Crusier should be able to handle that.
I'm old enough to know what Land Cruisers used to be. They've become fat, soft luxo-cruisers.
True off-roading include rock crawling, ravines, fording creeks, shallow rivers and mountain streams. How many of those do you find in Sudan?
I disagree with you on the Hummer. They are not in the Sudan, because they were not marketed there. The brand is only just started to be marketed in that part of the world. Soon enough you'll be seeing them.
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Nellydesign 11:29AM (4/10/2007)
GM needs to strip the parts bin from the Holden/Pontiac G8 and put that steering wheel on everything. This one looks like it came off a lawn tractor.
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phewop118 11:49AM (4/10/2007)
I've driven a few H3's and found the I5 to be plenty powerful enough. I also have a Trailblazer with the 5.3 V8, and that's one great engine. However, I will be leasing an H3 with the I5, as I know the V8 is going to add thousands to the cost of the vehicle, plus it will certainly be a limited availability model.
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Esprit bird 7:51PM (4/11/2007)
So gas is around 3$ again...
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Michael 2:37AM (4/12/2007)
The I5 in the current model H3 (curb weight: 4700, GVWR: 5850.) is barely enough for on-road use. It works, but not near as efficiently as a V8 would for the weight of the vehicle. As far as the MPG concern, look at the 2007 model Tahoe (curb weight: 5529, GVWR: 7300).
A 4x4 version Tahoe with the 5.3 (15 city, 21 highway) is rated the same/slightly better than the current I5 version of the H3 ( 15 city, 19 highway).
Multi-displacement technology is a wonderful thing. With a 6-speed auto, instead of the 4-speed in the Tahoe, efficiency should be raised and so should the MPG. I wouldn't be surprised if the Alpha model with the V8 got somewhere in the range of 16 to 17 city and 22 to 25 highway.
I'll strongly consider this new version along with a diesel-powered version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. If either manufacturer put a solid front axle under their vehicle, I'd buy in that one in a heartbeat. Maybe we'll get lucky and GM will come out the rumored mini-Duramax and offer it later in the H3.
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Michael 2:44AM (4/12/2007)
Correction: The 6-speed is going in the H2, the H3 will have a 4-speed. My bad. GM should rethink that proposition. Regardless, the V8 powered H3 still should get the same if not better MPG than the current I5 model.
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