Test Drive Series: H3 and FJ Thoughts

Recently considering going the consolidation route with my vehicles. Ok, alright, it's just an excuse to get something else, you got me... ;-)

Kidding aside, I've been thinking about the consolidation option for quite some time now. So instead of having two vehicles, just consolidate into one multi-purpose, all-weather, all-terrain (well, ok, 'most terrain'), and versatile vehicle. So what comes up to mind? Of course, the venerable SUV.

Had a good discussion with a friend of mine and we narrowed down some options - starting with the Hummer H3 and the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

First up is the Hummer H3. Yes, the big boxy thing. The smallest in the Hummer lineup. Too bad Hummer's future is a bit hazy, but hopefully someone will pick the brand up.

Have driven the H3 (rental) before, and have gotten good seat time with it than the FJ.


This particular H3 model in the picture is the Tactical Version, a little rare to find used.
It drives good, has full time AWD, and low range AWD. And good pricing for used ones too.

Mileage is SUV-ish, and that's a given. It is a tad bit on the heavy side though, due to the AWD drivetrain. The 3.7 liter I-5 engine is sort of ok, but you can feel it labor through the weight of the vehicle at times. Don't get me wrong, the engine does its job, but the V8 engine on the H3 Alpha does a better job in moving this almost 5000 pound vehicle.

Next up is the Toyota FJ Cruiser. Now this one I've actually grown with - the original FJ Cruiser is commonplace back home, specially during my childhood.


The new FJ Cruiser still gets the retro styling from its predecessor, and a good set of new features too - suicide doors, boxy looks...and this darn large blind spot to go with all of it :-D.
I test drove a nice silver one, that looks exactly like the one pictured. And it was a 6 speed manual, sweet! Being a manual transmission model, AWD is standard and so are the rear lockers, which makes this rig a very, very capable off-road unit.

It's amazing that the overall interior space is larger than that of the H3. The FJ is like a SUV-coupe, with these smaller 'suicide doors' to assist rear entry.

Driving the FJ was nice and there's good pickup in the 4.0 V6 engine and is a breeze to drive. The only thing that bugs me is that large blind spot from the B-pillar. But it's nothing a good set of nice blind spot mirrors can't fix!

Right now, these two SUVs are in my list for top 'consolidation vehicles' as they both fit the bill and have what I'm looking for in this price range.

However there is still the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (2007-up) model that I still need to test drive and see how it works for me. The Wrangler will probably be the most 'utilitarian' of the three. I'll post stuff on this once I've completed my test drive.

Another one in the short list is the compact LR2. I almost ended up getting one last month (had my good buddy egged me more)! But no test drive yet on this one too though.

But all options open and still 'in review', so no rush at all to jump into this endeavor.

So in the meantime, drive safe folks!