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We’ve teamed up with the crew at HMR Magazine – the experts in HUMMER trucks – to bring you this first drive review of the all new H3T pickup. HMR spent time last year testing the H3T’s off-road chops in the Sierras. This is their story.

When the engineers at HUMMER decide to do something, they don’t fool around.

They know that they not only have to be true to a brand name that is iconic and the mark by which all other 4X4’s are measured, but they also have to please a customer base that has extremely high standards when it comes to comfort, style, and quality.

So it’s no surprise that when it came time to develop the H3T, a pick-up truck version of the popular “go anywhere” H3 to meet growing demands in the market place, they started with the mantra, “It’s a HUMMER, it’s a HUMMER, it’s a HUMMER.” Keeping with their famous tagline the trucks purposeful design is truly, “like nothing else.”

Bigger than a midsized truck, yet smaller than a full-sized truck, the H3T will be just right with buyers who love the H3, but need more cargo capacity.

The cab from the B-pillar forward is all H3, with four doors, seating 5 adults comfortably in a level of luxury that has become the signature of the brand. However, from the cab on back, it’s a whole new world. Fitted with a five-foot bed, which is separate from the cab making it a real truck, the H3T is the perfect weekend warrior. Now you can finally haul family and friends out into the wild and bring your favorite toys (i.e. motorcycles, snowmobiles, bicycles or camping gear) to play with once you get there.

Of course, wearing the HUMMER badge, dictates that it has to perform like a HUMMER. According to HUMMER’s Director of Design, Carl Zipfel, “Form following function is at the core of HUMMER’s design philosophy and the H3T’s capability reflects that.” In fact, the H3T is the only midsize truck that comes standard with full-time four-wheel drive, 32″ tires and functional skid shields. It’s also the only midsize on the market to offer front and rear locking differentials.

Any truck can haul your stuff, but can it haul it where you want to go? That’s the question the H3T answers with an emphatic, “Yes!”

Last fall I had the opportunity to take the 3T out for a test-drive to Swamp Lake, in California’s High Sierra, along with a few of GM’s Engineers and Mechanics who were there to make sure everything went smoothly. While our trucks were test-mules equipped with the Adventure Package, they represented the production vehicle at its roots minus things like backseats, radios and other associated frills.

At first glance looking down the side of the H3T…it’s long! Sporting a 134.2″ wheelbase the 3T is 4.2″ longer than a Suburban, even though its overall length is about 12″ shorter. While this kind of length might give reason to question its off-road capability, the truck has a whopping 10.2″ of ground clearance with an approach angel of 38.7-degrees, a departure angle of 31.0-degrees and a 21.2-degree breakover angle. Couple all of that with front and rear lockers and you have a truck that will do anything and go anywhere short of walking on water, which by the way it can ford to a depth of 24″.

The Swamp Lake trail is like most trails in the Sierra, narrow in some places and steep in others with Volkswagen-beetle sized boulders strewn about just to keep it challenging.

I must admit, having spent a considerable amount of time off-roading in the Sierra, I had concerns about the length of the H3T. I was expecting to spend the majority of our days making 3 and 4 point turns around trees and boulders or dragging the spare tire (which is mounted under the bed) on the ground. To my surprise, that wasn’t the case at all! In fact, the H3T performed better on the more difficult sections of the trail than its sibling H3. Its longer wheelbase and locking diffs proved to make the trail almost effortless with the truck easily swinging around tight turns and bounding over large boulders like a Yellow Lab looking for a tennis ball. Even without the use of the lockers the trucks traction control system was more than ample to move the 3T along the trail.

As we were heading back out we stopped to repair a broken halfshaft (my bad!) just as a group driving heavily modified Jeeps were coming up the trail. Of course, they were curious about our camouflaged trucks (it was easy to tell they were HUMMERs) and when you get a group of off-roaders together they want to compare notes and trade jabs. That’s when we pointed out that our trucks were stock just like the ones on the showroom floor. “Really? I can’t believe you made it all the way in with stock trucks. I’d never try it in a stock Jeep.”

That’s the beauty of a HUMMER.

We finished our fifteen-minute repair, spotted the Jeeps over the obstacle that ate my halfshaft and headed on back to civilization – smiling. Our debutant had proven itself under fire and came out unscathed. I knew the H3T was going to be in demand and once the public had the chance to see it for themselves the only question was going to be, “When can I get one?”

Scheduled to be released as a 2009 model, the H3T will debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show and find its way to dealer showrooms by September.

“With its unique size and HUMMER traits, the H3T is ideal for the customer who works hard and plays harder”, said Martin Walsh, HUMMER General Manager. “For most lifestyles, there’s almost nothing the H3T can’t handle. It’s a truck with HUMMER’s immutable capability.”

The five-foot bed is similar in design and function to the recently redesigned beds on GM’s full-size trucks with easily removable tailgates and provisions for a bed-rail system. But things go way beyond that. HUMMER has partnered with 160 aftermarket suppliers to develop Officially Licensed HUMMER accessories for the H3 and H3T, which will provide an almost endless array of customization options with virtually no two being alike.

The H3T will be available with either the in-line five, or the 5.3 L V8 and four trim levels which include standard features such as air conditioning, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, AM/FM/XM CD and On Star. Factory available options include HUMMER’s Rear Vision system, a navigation unit and hands-free Bluetooth connectivity.

Additionally, there are two suspension packages available. The standard suspension is balanced for on-road comfort and off-road capability with 32″ tires on 16″ rims. The Adventure Package is designed for the more adventurous soul looking for off-road performance. The package includes 33″ tires, specially tuned shocks and front and rear locking differentials.

All of this performance comes with HUMMER’s broad range of passenger safety equipment, which includes dual frontal air bags (with passenger sensing system), head curtain side air bags, StabiliTrak and four-wheel ABS with traction control. And being a HUMMER, the H3T also comes with GM’s 5-year/100,000 mile powertrain limited warranty.

Priced in the high thirties, I think the H3T will not only be a hit with recreational consumers, but everyone from Contractors to Search and Rescue crews will fall in love with this truck. I know HUMMER sees their main competition for the H3T being smaller pickups like the Tacoma or the Dakota. But anyone who’s seen the H3T will tell you that it’s “Like nothing else” and anyone who’s driven the H3T will tell you…there is no competition.