I thought I wanted a Jeep Rubicon to pull behind my motorhome and to ride the mountain trails in colorado where we spend the summers. Test drove a H3 last week and did the Hummer track and was impressed. Salesman said the Jeep could not do the track without turning over on the 40 degrees side incline. I do not believe that. I have rented the Jeeps in colorado and was pleased with their performance but I can buy a regular H3 right now for about $5000 less than the Jeep Rubicon. $26,300 which is $8500 off MSRP. But to compare apples to apples I would have to price the Adventurer H3.

I'm just curious why you chose the H3 for Off Roading. I realize most H3 owners do not go off-road.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Doug Hines
Benton, AR

 

Well lets see.... Before I give you my opinion. I should start by saying I am no fan of theGM Brand & I am an avid off roader!!

Over the past 34 years, I have owned a CJ-2A, a CJ-5, A ****** 3/4 ton with a 226 "L" head, a Gladiator pickup, a Commando, a Scrambler, a Full sized Cherokee Chief, a downsized Cherokee (actually my favorite Jeep), and most recently a Rubicon (which was my least favorite jeep) before giving up on the brand. Even with open diffs & street tires, the HUMMER out performs the Rubicon hands down!! Oh by the way... The wife has one of them stupid Snoopy Dog looking Liberty's, which I might add, I used to recover my Rubicon. Trail rated my foot!!

 

I went with the 2007 Adventure, wanted the best off road platform I could get at the time. I like Jeeps, but I still ended up with the 3. Still impresses me what these things can do.

Never hurts to get the GM discount either.

 

I traded my jeep for the H3. the reason was simple, The H3 was much more stable and looked a much better. Ground clearance seems better as well

 

I chose the H3 because i could get it for about 10 grand less than the Rubicon. Also, the first year production run of Jeep's had a lot of problems, from hard top leaks, to outright stalling. Its also nice to have a vehicle that isn't as common as a Toyota Camry.

 

I chose the H3 (07 Adv) over the Jeep becuase of the following reasons:

[ul][*]H3 was almost 5K cheaper than the Rubicon. I also didnt have to wait 6 months for a Rubicon which at the time had to be ordered.[*]The H3 made me happy becuase of its off road prowess and made the wife happy becuase it looked good.[/ul]
My favorite part about the H3 is you can go off roading in the morning then take it in the evening out on the town. You really cant do that with a Jeep. Keep in mind though the Jeep Rubicon is much better off road than even a modified H3 Adv.

 

I needed more cargo space and the JK Unlimited wasn't out yet.

The H3 wasthe only 4-door SUV witha 4:1 low range and rear locker and 5-speed.

The H3 is more stable and much quieter than a Jeep.

The JK Rubicon will do better off road becasue of soild front axle, sway bar dissconnect etc. The new Alpha H3 with the V8 and front lock will defintley give the Rubicon competion!

If I could afford both and H3 and a JK I would.

 

I considered both before purchasing my H3 as well.

I went with the H3 just because I thought it was a little more refined and I drive about 30k miles a year, so I was willing to sacrafice some off-roading capability for luxury.

If I could do it again, I would go with a Rubicon.

 

If I could do it again, I would go with a Rubicon.
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What's stopping you from trading your H3 in on a Rubicon? Just curious.

When I purchased the H3 in Sept. 05 I also looked at the Rubicon and would have purchased one if the Jeep dealers in my area didn't have bad attitudes (not helpful). I had previously owned a Wrangler and Grand Cherokee V8 and had quite a few mechanical problems with the Grand Cherokee. The Hummer dealer was very nice and helpful and I really liked the styling of the H3 as well as the offroad abilities. Even though I've had the rear axle replaced (early lapping compound issue), head replaced, CD player replaced and still have a clunk they can't figure out, I still like my H3 after 42,xxx miles.

 

I chose the h3 over the rubicon because I needed a nicer quieter highway vehicle. I love jeeps and have had 2 TJs locked and loaded and loved them. I am a realtor and cant show 800k houses in a jeep. Sadly what I drive reflects how good I am at my job. I like my h3 and It is a good compromise for luxury and off road prowess. I wanted an h2 but didnt want the stigma that comes from owning one like vandalism and parking in garages.