Hummer Prices New H3T Truck

Not even a year ago, people were clamoring for a pickup truck version of Hummer’s smallest SUV to date, the H3. Now Hummer as a brand has a cloudy future as GM considers unloading it and its plummeting sales, which are down 40% so far this year with no sign of recovery. With that as the backdrop, we give you the starting price for the all-new 2009 Hummer H3T pickup: $30,750, not including $745 in destination charges. That’s almost $2,000 less than the starting price of the Hummer H3 SUV, which is currently enjoying a blockbuster $7,000 incentive.

Mileage figures aren’t official yet for the H3T, but we assume they’d be similar to the SUV’s 14/18 mpg city/highway. The H3T and Toyota Tacoma with a V-6 engine get roughly the same power, but the Tacoma gets roughly 3 mpg better fuel economy. The H3, however, has more offroad chops. The H3T Alpha with a V-8 engine is estimated at 13/16 mpg. Who thought we’d ever be talking fuel-efficiency and Hummer, but here we are.

The H3T comes out this September, assuming Hummer dealers’ doors are still open then.

$7,000 Cash Back on 2008 Hummer H3

If you want a new SUV, this is the best time we’ve ever witnessed to get a good deal. Automakers are offering huge discounts on most SUVs, and Hummer is no exception. Through June 30, buyers can get $7,000 cash back on a 2008 H3. Even if you finance it at 7% for 72 months, the total cost will be less than using GM’s new 0% financing offer we talked about earlier this week.

The H3 starts at $30,995 with a manual transmission and gets a combined 15 mpg. All-wheel drive is standard. Take that $7,000 cash back and you’re looking at $23,995. That’s less than all-wheel-drive versions of the Chevy Equinox, Dodge Journey, V-6 Ford Escape, Ford Edge, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-7, Saturn Vue, Toyota FJ Cruiser, V-6 Toyota RAV4 and a few others. Many of those models may have their own rebates, of course, but seeing the H3 fall this far after a triumphant debut on the market a few years ago says a lot about the current state of the auto market.

Current Hummer owners are eligible for an additional $1,000 back, and qualifying owners of competing models are eligible for $500 in conquest cash on top of the $7,000. 

GM Puts $ 7,000+ Cash on the Hood of a $31,340 H3 (GM Inside News)
More Incentives News (KickingTires)

Video: 2009 Hummer H3T

Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays got to check out the all-new 2009 Hummer H3T pickup ahead of this year’s Chicago Auto Show, and in this video he gives us a tour of Hummer’s new truck. There are even a few shots of it driving through snow and ice in the wilderness. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to drive it — at least, not yet — through snowy Chicago streets, which would have been a real test of its offroad chops.

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Up Close: 2009 Hummer H3T

Hummer invited journalists today to check out the H3T before it’s officially introduced at the Chicago Auto Show. If assertive styling and offroad capability trump some of the more utilitarian aspects of owning a pickup for you, you might want to check it out.

The truck looks more impressive in person than it did in press photos. The doors cover the entire side of the crew cab — there’s no framing around them — and the roof has raised rails that run all the way between the cab and the bed. Most pickups leave an unsightly gap between the two. The H3T’s extended length nominally compromises its approach and departure angles — meaning your bumpers might take a few more hits negotiating that backwoods gulley — but Hummer assures us it will handle the same grueling trails as its H3 bedfellow.

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.

GM to Build Hummer H3T Truck

In an unusual move, GM confirmed today that it would build an all-new model for Hummer based on the H3T truck concept shown here. It will be based on the popular H3 SUV and feature a pickup bed. Unlike some SUVs with truck beds, the H3T will be a full-fledged pickup, bigger than a midsize (Chevy Colorado) but smaller than a full-size (Chevy Silverado) and will go on sale in the third quarter of 2008, meaning sometime next fall.

We say the announcement is unusual because most car companies won’t announce a new model without a public unveiling of some kind, like at a major auto show. We expect to see a production version of the H3T at one such show this season, most likely Chicago in February. More H3T concept photos below.   

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.21.07

Not too much to report today. We have a lot of new cars in the fleet, but we’re feverishly working on getting the full reviews done before the rest of the staff gets to weigh in on them. Until then, we get another take on the new Hummer H3 Alpha and some good real-life use of the Toyota Highlander’s nav system.

Hummer H3 Alpha

Even though the H3 is the smallest member of the Hummer family (it’s approximately the same length and width as a Jeep Grand Cherokee) it still feels big. Really big. Due to the H3’s height and the short windows, small cars behind me and along the passenger side would essentially disappear. In a 90-minute drive, there were three separate times I thought “Whoa! Where’d that car come from?!” as some compact seemed to zoom ahead out of nowhere.

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.7.07

Friday Fleet Notes returns with a solid batch of cars we’ve recently reviewed. This week’s installment features second thoughts on the new Nissan Altima coupe, Hummer H3 Alpha, Saturn Vue Red Line and Honda Ridgeline, giving added insight for folks who didn’t get enough from the original review.

2008 Nissan Altima Coupe

I recently spent another day or so with the 2008 Altima SE coupe reviewed in July by David Thomas. I like it now as I did then, and it got me musing on the issue of continuously variable automatic transmissions, which the Altima teams with its 3.5-liter V-6. This is one of the best CVT executions out there — a technology that hasn’t grown on me as much as I’d expected. As a class, they tend to have a delay when accelerating to pass, and they often rev the engine faster than expected under light acceleration. This results in more noise than many are comfortable with, and I think it increases the perception of lag, because surely this thing should be going faster with all the noise it’s making. Part of it is driver adjustment and part of it is a legitimate drawback.

Cars.com Reviews the 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha...With Video

Hummer advertises its H3 as a fuel-sipper, at least by comparison to some other SUVs on the road. That might’ve been true of the five-cylinder base model, but for 2008 the SUV gets a hearty V-8 engine that finally makes the H3 Alpha fun to drive — and guzzles more gas than a Chevy Suburban. Is the trade-off worth it? Mike Hanley tells us in his full review at the link and in the video below.

2008 Hummer H3 Alpha Expert Review

It Really Needed a V-8: 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha

In one of those rare instances of automotive journalism harmony, almost every story ever written about the Hummer H3 has pointed to its somewhat anemic powertrain. For 2007, the H3’s base five-cylinder engine got a slight power bump, but today we learn that Hummer wants to make a big dog out of its littlest SUV.

The 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha gets the full V-8 treatment, with 295 hp and 317 pounds-feet of torque, allowing for a towing capacity of 6,000 pounds with a four-speed automatic transmission. There’s no word on fuel economy, but the H3 Alpha does reach 60 mph in eight seconds, compared to the base model’s 11-second time.

The Alpha name is given to high-performance models in the Hummer lineup, and the H3 Alpha can be ordered with the cosmetic H3X package. All 2008 Hummer H3s also get new standard equipment, including an electronic stability system, antilock brakes and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The Hummer H3 Alpha goes on sale this summer. Check out the photos below.

Cars.com Faceoff: Dodge Nitro, Hummer H3, Toyota FJ Cruiser

We had some fun with the latest Cars.com Faceoff. Mike Hanley, Joe Wiesenfelder and I took three of the most macho SUVs on the road and pitted them against each other on things like their rugged looks, offroad prowess and everyday usability. You might be surprised to learn which of these grown-up Tonka trucks took home the prize.

Cars.comparison: Macho SUVs

2007 Detroit Auto Show: Hummer H3 Open Top Concept

It hasn’t gotten a lot — really, any — press attention at the show, but Hummer brought out an official prototype of a convertible we saw last year. The top is made of canvas but is as sturdy as a convertible top. It slides forward and back, so it can operate like a large sunroof or as a convertible top. It also moves in reverse to give backseat passengers a sunny opening. It’s a nifty idea, but we’re not sure why it’s still in a prototype stage. We’re guessing the company is using the show car to gauge consumer interest, but it sure hasn’t gotten any buzz from the press. The flat paint job and more masculine tires would be a nice addition to the Hummer lineup, too.