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If the evolution of an SUV could be cast as fairy tale, the story of the Hummer might go like this:

The H1, military vehicle turned civilian SUV, draws admirers. But many who clamber aboard declare: This one’s too hard!

The H2, based on big General Motors truck underpinnings, is smaller. But still, some complain: This one’s too big!

But then comes the H3, based on small GM pickup trucks and, its builder hopes, people will proclaim: This one’s just right!

Bearing down on three concerns — rising fuel prices, social ostracism, and pricing — the 2006 H3 is probably the Hummer that most belongs in the garage of those who want the swagger and the look but won’t do serious off-roading. It’s for those want reasonable gas mileage (reasonable being a relative term in SUVs.) It’s for those who don’t want to pay upward of $100,000 for a roaring military transport, or $50,000 for a shrunken version of the same.

What they get, with a base price starting just below $30,000, is an SUV that can be mistaken as one of the bigger ramblers. It looks towering with its slab sides; pugnacious with its seven-slit snout and round headlamps popped into square holes; serious with fog lamps in the lower fascia and air intake boxes ahead of each of the windshield pillars; and military with its huge, flat roof, and slim, rectangular windows.

All that, and you can actually drive on a city street without threatening curbs, signposts, or parked vehicles.

It’s powered by an aluminum, in-line, five-cylinder engine with a modest 220 horsepower and an even more modest 225 lb.-ft. of torque. Of course, the low power numbers owe in part to the notion of a Hummer with reasonable gas performance. (I got almost 18 miles per gallon.)

That engine was fine for highway cruising, reasonable in moving to highway from entrance ramp, a bit sluggish passing uphill, and certainly not for heavy towing or serious off-road driving. This Hummer will get you to the ski house or fishing camp through snow or mud, and even let you dabble some off-road.

It was a comfortable ride, a bit bouncy just to remind of its ancestry. Everything seemed reassuringly thick: steering wheel, grab handles, shift knob. Seats were firm and headroom was cavernous. Gazing out the narrow slits that are front, side, and rear windows took a bit of getting used to. It was a remarkably quiet ride, free of wind whistle, engine noise, or tire rumble.

It is a full-time all-wheel-drive machine that splits the tug of its engine’s torque 60-40 with a bias toward the rear. It can ship virtually all that power fore or aft, depending on slippage or power demand.

Off-road, on a moderately tough skidder path through logged-off woods, and over and down some stony outcroppings, it managed. But it lacked for power, and the automatic transmission was not the good choice for such a mission, since it would not hold back in slow crawling.

I’d go with the manual transmission, not the four-speed automatic.

And I’d plunk down the just-over-a-grand for the Adventure package: bigger tires, a locking rear differential for solid continuous grip, lowering gearing for slow crawls, heavy-duty shocks.

But the test car came equipped, instead, with a luxury package ($3,125) that included leather front seats with eight-way power adjustments and lumbar support, leather touches in the second row, and leather on the steering wheel, shift knob, and shift knob skirt. It also added an upgraded sound system with six-disc CD changer, seven speakers, amplifiers and rear woofers, and oversize carpeting front and rear.

The automatic transmission with Stabilitrak (advanced traction control) was an additional $1,695.

And relative being the key word here, a relatively inexpensive H1 can get expensive right quickly if, in addition to these options, you add $850 for a chrome package (roof rack crossbows, outside door handles, outside mirrors); $800 for a power sunroof; and $800 for chrome wheels.

Soon, your sub-30s Hummer is a near-40s ride. But at least you can drive it in luxury and comfort, in city and suburb.