I might be getting a 07 H3 with 55k for around 14k$. I'm in the market for a small suv and I think this is great, I'm also looking at a 08 Jeep liberty. But from what I can tell the H3 gets a little better mpg and better features.

I would like to know if it's a good move to go with the H3. I'm looking to get a small suv to tow a boat and small camper. I currently own a Subaru outback and lovet that thing, gets 31mpg but can only tow 2700 pounds.

If I got the H3 I would put a intake on it right off the bat to help with the gas mileage.

Anyone have any input for me?

Thanks

 

if your going to be towing a camper i hope your looking at an alpha not the standard 3.7

 

It would be a camper under 4000 pounds, it's just myself, wife, and dog. We don't have any kids so we wouldn't get a monster camper.

reviews on h3 please.. ?

 

wow, 14k sounds like a steal. i think it's a no brainer between the H3 or the liberty. i don't know about the H3 getting better gas mileage but the ride and quality of the vehicle is far superior in my opinion. A friend of mine has a 3.7 diesel liberty and we alternate driving up mt hood during snowboard season...when the weather gets real bad even he prefers to ride up in my truck.
don't forget the 2007 H3 has a 100k powertrain warranty for a little piece of mind as well. just do some searching around the forum and you'll find most of the common issues. but don't let that scare you off, i would go for it for 14 grand. good luck.

 

Well I have an 07 H3 Adventure and the wife has an 08 Liberty (2WD) so I can kind of give some input here. The H3 got 17.25 on the last fill up of highway driving to/from work and the Liberty got 21.25 doing the same. They both have the same width rear cargo area (neither will let me get my big work toolbox in the back) but the Liberty has a smidge more space. The H3 seats are great (a little snug fit) while the Liberty seats just plain feel funny (cramped side to side legroom and bad hump lifting my legs at the front while the rear has horrible lumbar and back support). The H3 has very nice steering while the Liberty is slightly overboosted and lacks feedback. The Liberty accelerator takes getting used to as it's hard to lock into a speed on the highway- it feels disconnected from your foot or like a rubber band is in the middle of the cable linkage. The Liberty has around 10% less HP but winds out nicely and moves on the highway (less low end torque though) where the H3 feels sluggish on the highway and winds over 15mph seem to make it worse. The H3 is much nicer at under 15 mph and can just idle along where the Liberty is constantly on/off the gas and never settles into a nice idling along at walking speeds. Having lived with both for a couple of years now I find the Jeep interior is just plain outdated where the H3 dash still looks good. The H3 has less/worse vision out the windows but it isn't bad at all for me unless I'm trying to look up at streetsigns/lights while on the road or down at the ground under the truck when wheeling. The door trim on the Liberty is painted over the rubber/plastic and will wear off from fingernails and rings easily but the H3 is going strong. The H3 adventure has tight but not overly stiff shocks/springs (rear is a little stiff until you add a few people inside) but the Liberty feels wallowy and undersprung- if you don't compare them back to back the Liberty will just feel like it leans a little more and bumps midcorner make you wish for firmer shock valving or backing off the pace. Of course, the Liberty uses smaller tires that won't cost as much as replacing a set of 285's or 315's on the H3! If it matters to you, the Liberty has plastic fenders, front valance, rear bumber, everything! I think it looks good from a design standpoint but not from a durability standpoint. The same pieces on the H3 are either tucked in tighter or higher off the ground for less succeptability to damage or are just plain engineered stronger/better. (I've taken out the Liberty's grill/bumper/valance plus some fender flares and see the rear bumper molding getting a little sloppy lately) On the same note, I've also slightly scratched up the front valance, fenders and peeled up the rear bumper while wheeling the H3 but with the exception of dropping off a 3 foot-something high ledge onto a rear bumper corner and peeling it up (not a real heavy duty bumper like a purpose built offroad item) the other parts have held up much better to the hard useage on the H3.

In short, for what I want from my SUV the H3 is the winner but if you are looking more for a city/soccer mom SUV then the Liberty might be your pick. Oh and one more thing- the Liberty is depreciating at the same rate as my payments are paying off the loan but the H3 has been going up in value for the past year!

 

Just to add, I've towed a couple of small/med trailers with the H3 and didn't notice them back there but did see mpg's drop down to 13-15 mpg range in the hills. If I were planning on doing a lot of regular towing in the H3 I'd be inclined to get the Alpha but the 3.7 will get the job done too. I'm not sure if the intake mods will give you more than .5 of a mpg but it seems to feel smoother on the highway and a little peppier. A nice mod, but not a big noticeable improvement.

 

 

I'll see your and raise you one. After all, he did ask for a comparison! maybe he should have specified a "quick and dirty" one.

 

First off, you should realize it's not a club, it's an obsession.

I just moved up to an '09 Alpha, from an '07 I-5 to tow my 3000# Boston Whaler.

The I-5 towed fine but didn't have the power to accelerate, if going up much of any type of incline, without constantly downshifting. And around Houston and the Gulf Coast it's pretty flat.

The Alpha just gets the job done better and probably with better fuel economy because it's not being overtaxed.

Oh, and stay away from the Liberty, just my opinion.

 

I really like my H3 but I think you are just fooling yourself if you think any add-ons are going to have much effect on your MPG. It pretty much is what it is and you either accept that as a trade off for all the good that is H3 or you don't.