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Posted By Kurt on July 15, 2011

Not a moment too soon, Hummer is adding more variations of its smallest and most-fuel-efficient model, the

. First is the upcoming V-8-powered 2008

. Next up: the long-awaited H3 pickup, likely to be called the "H3 SUT" or the "H3T."

The H3 pickup should hardly come as a surprise; after all, the baby Hummer was first previewed as a pickup, the

, back in 2004 at the Los Angeles auto show. That truck had only two-doors and a conventional-length bed. The production version, however, clearly reflects the market’s taste for crew-cab pickups over standard-cab pickups.

Built on a wheelbase that’s been stretched about a foot, the H3 SUT is more or less identical to the H3 SUV from the B-pillar forward, but aft of that, you’ll find longer rear doors and a pickup bed that measures about four feet wide by four and a half feet long. The open-box version features a side-hinged tailgate that swings open from the right side (the closed version features a similar design). It’s possible, however, that the truck’s tailgate could fold down as well, as seen on the

and the ill-fated GMC Envoy XUV. That could also explain why the spare tire is mounted beneath the cargo area rather than on the tailgate.

It’s unclear what changes are in store for the H3′s cramped five-passenger cabin, particularly for the rear seat, but it appears that, if anything, the rear seat could grow a tad. Certainly, that seat will fold flat to create more cargo space. Also enhancing the trucklet’s versatility are several removable accessory cargo compartments ranging from small to large. Unknown at this point is whether the H3 SUT will feature a folding middle gate la

or if it will be offered with a full-length fabric roof like the (which GM has yet to approve for production). And, GM, if you’re listening, please, please, please, offer something like that ribbed-fabric cargo-box cover that’s trying—unsuccessfully—to mask this prototype’s tush. We can’t figure out which it reminds us of more: a 19th-century chuck wagon or a M*A*S*H-era Jeep. But we do know we completely dig it.

Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/spied/07q2/2009_hummer_h3_sut-spied

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