2008 Chicago Auto Show: 2009 Hummer H3T

• Competes with: Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline
• Looks like: A Hummer truck
• Drivetrain: 242-hp, 3.7-liter five-cylinder with five-speed manual or automatic or 300-hp, 5.3-liter V-8 with four-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: Late 2008

Hummer went out and did it — it’s made a pickup version of the H3 SUV. The truck you see here will go on sale this year and test the waters to see if there’s still a healthy market for Hummers.

When the H3 debuted it saw healthy sales, but they’ve stalled lately as gas prices have risen. We wonder if the H3T will add a spark or fall flat.

As a product, the H3T is pretty interesting. It’s a tad longer than the SUV to accommodate its five-foot bed, so it’s positioned above midsize trucks but below full-sizes. Hummer hopes its offroad capability will help sell it, with standard full-time four-wheel drive and 32-inch tires. Front and rear locking differentials and 33-inch tires will be optional.

The rear seats fold flat to create a level surface, but we prefer truck seats that fold up, exposing a flat floor. The bed itself has a standard bedliner, a rail system and built-in storage compartments.

The H3T Alpha will top the range with a 300-hp V-8 engine, while the base model gets the 242-hp five-cylinder in the current range. There are more photos of the Alpha version below. Let us know in the comments if you think this is a winner or not.

Comments

can u say pos?

I kind of like the look of it, and that's weird becuase I don't really like their SUVs. If I really needed a truck with a bed I couldn't imagine buying one of these, however. I think they did good thing by putting the 5 foot bed on it.

I like it. But, do we still need the Colorado, Canyon, and I Series pickups if this is available? Maybe so, to sell 2wd models.

with discounts I'd guess the 2wd Canyon et al would almost be half the price of this.

Who cares about gas mileage? Most sport cars get the same or worse that any SUV or truck. My 350z only gets 17 miles to the gallon and can only carry the money roll I use for gas.

I love the looks of the exterior, but the interior feels rather bland and plastic. I love the fact Hummer made anti-truck interiors that reflected the ruggedness of the brand. But It feels like every new product has be focused group to the middle. This is no exception. I know you are trying to save money, but add more metal and character to the interior please.

Capt.Planet will have to suck this one up. I think it will sell well.

Short greenhouse seems disproportionate (sp?) to the 5' bed, but put a small diesel in it and I'd buy one.

why doesnt GM know that they are absolutley horrible at making I5 engines? their 3.7 litre is so inefficient and weak. they should really thing about putting their awesome 3.6 litre, 275 horsepower engine from the Acadia with the 6 speed automatic or just turbocharging the I5.

I like it...would never buy one...but I like it anyway. I've always liked the look of the H2 and H3. Not practical for me from an economical standpoint. If I made 60k a year I'd probably own a Hummer. Then I could afford the vehicle and the gas. There's a market for almost everything out there - someone will buy it.

For those fools that ask "who cares about gas mileage". My question is "how many soldiers per gallon does this thing get"? Lets wake up people and stop buying such insane vehicles.

KJ...

They drive Hummers too.

And before you respond with some bleeding heart reply...this is a car forum.

No one came here to read about political agendas. They came to comment and talk autos/trucks/SUV/hybrids and other things car.

Keep political comments to those sites dedicated to them.

It's cars.com

Yeah!!! Aww... Yeah!!!

If you don't know what the soldiers really drive, better check it out before making the comment. They drive HUMVEE not HUMMER.

Dave,
You know what? The first thing that came up in my mind after seeing this is what you have said. GM did it again, by shooting itself in the foot.

KG...

Same company nimrod. And really. Get a life.

THe Hummer is a evolution of the Humvee after it was bought out and changed over from Army contractor to private company. The first HUMMER is a first gen HUMVEE the military used in desert storm. The H2 is the first real commercial variant of the original now called the ALPHA.

The H3 is the smaller version of the HUMVEE gen Hummers...should I keep going. KJ. This model gets it closer to the mass market with a vehicle that many consider to be a legit stab at the JEEP market whereas previous model where well beyond its size and price point.

Really... I came here to talk about cars.. You didn't. Please go to CNN.com or some other outlet to rant about politics. I say this having family in Iraq living and dying for me and for you. I don't want to talk about that here. I want to talk about the H3 or any other cars they showcase on this site.

So really on behalf of everyone else who came here to talk auto. Take everything not car somewhere else.

Stay on TOPIC.

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4 speed automatic, for a 2009 model year.
Is it April 1 already?

To those gas guzzling consumers, my question still stands, "how many soldiers per gallon does this thing get"? GM's CEO doesn't care. The Hummer dealer doesn't care. Hummer buyers like Yeah Aww!! are wearing blinders and totally naive. Still want this insane vehicle? Hope you can sleep at night knowing our military are fighting for your right to gas up your 12 mpg Hummer. Don't let guilt interfere with your extravagant lifestyle.

There, I just talked about cars again. Glad that's off my chest.

er.

The only thing the current Hummers have in common with the original military vehicle is the looks. The H2 is a Suburban, H3 is, I think, a Blazer. All the things that made the military vehicle better, diesel engine, ported axles, ground clearance etc etc etc, were all lost with the look-a-likes that are now produced under the Hummer name.

Yeah!!! Aww... Yeah!!!-
Who died and made you cars.com sheriff? If you'd been reading this thing for any length of time you'd notice that enviromental and political issues pop up on here all the time. Let's face it, automobiles and the automobile industry are inescapably entwined, so discussion of them will inevitably involve politics. Besides, this is Dave's blog, not yours, and if he doesn't want those sorts of comments on here, he'll say so. Until then, take your self-righteous, I-know-better-than-you attitude elsewhere. We've got enough of it on here already. (Including yours-truly)

HE DID SAY SO... read the rules DAN.

I can say what I want...just like I had to read through your tantrum.

I stated this twice and here we go a third time and if it comes across as better than you....maybe it is. I came to this blog to talk about the H3. To compare, to contrast and to lament on what could be done better in making this H3 better or worse and to talk about it.

Political views do not influence my purchases. I might be a rare one. But to blast me for only wanting to talk about cars on cars.com is a little childish and you should be ashamed of yourselves trying to drive me off this site.

I don't care about what you think DAN and it brings me joy to make you angry. You too KJ and anyone else who even cares at this point - which after this entry I won't.

AWWWW.

I want to talk tow capacity. I want to talk interior styling. I want to talk about how the high site line might make towing wide loads an issue. I want to talk about the folding seats and why they don't fold into the floor and why they didn't make a lift gate for behind the passengers which would allow for access to the bed of the truck and more capacity behind.

So excuse me if I don't care to ask, "Would Obama drive one?" or "If Hilary would what color would she get?" I don't care and frankly I started my entries only caring about these things and have watched this devolve into a rant about who-cares-what. And frankly....Dan. Stop writing if you've had enough and let the string end.

Or are you mad enough to keep going....MMMMM.

Love,

Yeah!!! Awwww. Yeah!!!

Well it's actually Cars.com's blog not mine but you can talk politics if you like when it makes sense. usually politics and cars don't go together and when they have to meet folks from both sides usually get things wrong.

The H3 isn't the worst offender out there of bad mileage. A nice V-8 muscle car will get much worse mileage. You would think the 5-cylinder would get better. I'd looooove to see GM put a 2-mode hybrid into one though. It would totally throw folks off their rocker to see a Hybrid Hummer rolling down the street.

I would think with the technology being available you would see one as a refresh half way through the H3 life cycle if the launch of this doesn't go as strongly as predicted, but you never know. The Tahoe as a hybrid is a compelling proposition to at least consider. I know Hummer is watching and keeping track of volume to see if the cost implications don't keep them out.

"I can say what I want..."
- Yeah!!! Awww. Yeah!!! | Jan 29, 2008 4:18:19 PM

So can the rest of us, even KJ. Welcome to the intertubes.

Sigh....let it go.

no....really.....let it go. Can't you see we've moved on?

I'm moving on the "Speed Bumps..."

Holla.

No gas guzzling consumer here is going to make me mad, especially you Yea Ekkk Yea!?! I'm not the one that will have a guilt complex owning an 8 mpg Hummer. Only you care about tow capacity, interior styling, towing wide loads, folding seats and why they don't fold into the floor and why they didn't make a lift gate for behind the passengers which would allow for access to the bed of the truck and more capacity behind..blah, blah, blah. Dam, why don't you just buy a converted RV with Hummer logo. That should be big enough for you and guzzle gas faster than anything you can legally purchase. Sleep tight, and don't let the fact that you own a politically incorrect vehicle bother you.

It's just so funny to see someone can't win an argument, then switches to say "I can say whatever I want" or something equivalent. When people criticize that, he/she/it goes on to say move on.
It is that kind of attitude that makes the blog so lively and continue making soldiers die for their "need" of oil.

You say whatever you want and rail on me when I do the same thing. I drive what I want. It's a free country. You can talk about what you want - it's a free country and the soldiers who you keep using as a shield are fighting for our ability to disagree on this blog. Yes, I do not care about gas mileage. Most American who can afford the gas at the current price don't. I am one of them. Yes, I sleep soundly at night regardless of what I get in MPG. The men and women who are fighting for my freedom make sure I do and I thank them. I thank them by using my freedom to live a life worth living and speaking my mind when I want to and listening to you do the same. So now what? Do I care about your political views? No. Do I care you came here to spread them, I did at one time. I now do not. So keep talking, it is your right to. Soldiers are dying for more than just oil and your right to use them as an excuse to soapbox. And I don't think they would like the fact that you are using them as a tool to push your agenda, but you have the right to just like I have the right to disagree with you. There will be no winner here. Both of you should have figured out that by now.

Even Dave T. spoke on it:
"Well it's actually Cars.com's blog not mine but you can talk politics if you like when it makes sense. usually politics and cars don't go together and when they have to meet folks from both sides usually get things wrong.

The H3 isn't the worst offender out there of bad mileage. A nice V-8 muscle car will get much worse mileage. You would think the 5-cylinder would get better. I'd looooove to see GM put a 2-mode hybrid into one though. It would totally throw folks off their rocker to see a Hybrid Hummer rolling down the street."

But we all know, you don't care. We even tried to move on, but you don't want to.

Just admit it...

You drive Hummers and it's killing you to see the new H3 which mean you're gonna be upside down when you trade your '07 in.

Or even better. You drive a minivan and are missing the best driving of your life and it kills you to sit in that bus and watch every car you read about on this blog pass you by, but if it doesn't seat at least 7, you can't have it.

Or you can't afford these so you hate on the ones who can, you barely lease a civic and you justify the hybrid and environmentally thoughtful only because you can't afford the gas.

Or you are a truly bleeding heart liberal and you don't drive, you catch the bus and even though they pollute more than any car you justify it with it being a mass people mover. You don't care about the 5 year old that made your clothes or the migrant worker who picked you food or the inhumane processing of your meats because it isn't popular and when you can find a way to link subprime lending to soldiers dying over high interest rates, then and only then will you sleep at night.

Whatever gets your goat. I'm gonna go play Halo 3.

It's OK.

We like the H3 just as much as you do...(wink, wink).

So give me a stink eye as I pass you on your bicycle or as you pass me in your smartcar. I'm the one in the Z with the windows down (gotta love LA in the winter)and AC(those CFC's) blasting smoking a cigar(second hand smoke) and talking on my cellphone.(noise pollution) ENJOYING MY FREEDOM.

Oh, you're from Kalifornia. That's explains everything, and explains your "me" attitude. Enjoy your smoggy air, and be sure to breath deeply when your windows are down.

Why no DIESEL, wouldn't that be a great gas mileage super strong, and torque-full off roader?

:D

Personaly I love the way the new H3T looks and do plan on buying one.
As to the MPG the H3 is rated as the same MPG as my Toyota Tacoma and for what its worth I used to own an H3 and I can say my H3 got better MPG than the Tacoma I now own.

As to the statements of "how many soldiers per gallon does this thing get"? it gets better MPG than a great deal of trucks on the road that never get slamed for MPG.

Besides, I thought we were a war because they attacted us on 911,,, Ohh wait that changed, we are at war to stop the terrorist,,,Ohh wait, we are now at war for gas ???

I cant keep track of all the changing reasons for the last 5 years.

Davyo

I am a soldier, a two time war veteran and preparing for a third.

I will glady fight on any foreign soil so every American who chooses to can drive one of these or any SUV or large vehicle. Because is is their right, and my duty.

That said...

I drive the and orginal Hummer. Ya know a HMMWV made by AM General. But this thing looks sweet for an off work vehicle.
I have been looking at the H2 and the H3 but i am to much of a Pickup kind of guy. This thing though, whoo-wee, i think i know where my next re-up bonus is going!