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I had a great plan. My buddies and I were to drive up to northern Michigan for a weekend of golf, and the long-wheelbase Land Rover Range Rover I scheduled would be the perfect chariot. And then, 24 hours before we were supposed to leave, I was told I had to return the thing early and couldn't use it for the trek. The big Rangie's replacement was a two-door Defender V8 which, while super cool, wasn't quite roomy enough for the trip.
After a panicked call to Editor-In-Chief Miersma, I was on my way out to snag the 2022 GMC Hummer EV that was sitting in his driveway for an unplanned journey north. And while the Hummer wowed me during the off-road-heavy first drive, this long, dull highway journey from metro Detroit to Manistee, Michigan, uncovered a couple of literal and figurative pain points in GMC's first all-electric vehicle.
A vehicle's ratings are relative only to its own segment and not the new-vehicle market as a whole.
| Quick Stats | 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 |
| Motor: | Triple Permanent Magnet Motors |
| Output: | 1,000 Horsepower / 1,200 Pound-Feet |
| 0-60 MPH: | 3.0 Seconds (est) |
| EV Range: | 329 Miles |
| As-Tested: | $110,295 |
Gallery: 2022 GMC Hummer EV First Drive
- Exterior Color: Interstellar White
- Interior Color: Jet Black/Light Gray
- Wheel Size: 18 Inches
GMC might have done the engineering work for the InsideEVs Star Award-finalist Hummer EV in southeastern Michigan, but its boxy form is still far from a common sight on the roads here. That might explain the near-constant attention the Hummer EV received during my long weekend. Huge off-road tires, brutalist lines, amber clearance lights, and squared-off corners mean the boxy EV cuts an imposing figure, but its width and poor sightlines make it a handful on highway roads.
The cabin on the Edition 1 is a pleasant mix of colors, including gold-painted plastic on the climate vents. But the texture on the door panels and wide center console are uncomfortable to rest bare arms on and grew tiring over a long drive. And the material quality, while adequate for a $60,000 truck, isn't quite up to snuff on a $110,000 flagship. Things like the plastic buttons below the wide center display, for example, would benefit from a more premium finish and action.
- Seating Capacity: 5
- Seating Configuration: 2 / 3
- Cargo Capacity: 11.3 Cubic Feet (Frunk)
The Hummer EV's wide, supportive seats felt good at first blush, but there was a serious case of numb buttocks after three hours at the helm. The rear bench is adequate for passengers or cargo, but definitely not both. At the same time, cargo volume is surprisingly tight. Golf bags and suitcases easily ate up the relatively shallow bed's space. The capacious 11.3-cubic-foot frunk eased the burden somewhat, although annoyingly, the only way to shut the thing seems to be a button in the cabin. The power-operated frunk lid/hood wouldn't respond to the key fob and there's no physical button in the frunk itself.
And of course, those huge tires and the removable roof panels create an utter cacophony of unpleasantness. God, this thing is loud. The ride is excellent, though, owing to the air suspension’s super-squishy tuning.
- Center Display: 13.4-inch Touchscreen
- Instrument Cluster Display: 12.3 Inches
- Wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto: Yes
GMC focused the Hummer EV's tech suite around an expansive 13.4-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital cluster. Both use the Unreal Engine to produce what are arguably the prettiest graphics to ever grace a production car. Some of the functionality grew grating during the journey, though.
While the touchscreen responds quickly, the Google navigation system was glitchy and used odd logic when plotting a route. The reconfigurable instrument cluster looks great, but there's little variance between the separate themes, and the steering wheel obscures some of the info with certain layouts.
- Engine: Triple Permanent Magnet Motors
- Output: 1,000 Horsepower / 1,200 Pound-Feet
- Transmission: Single-Speed Automatic
Three motors and a massive battery endow the Hummer EV with blistering acceleration. Watts To Freedom mode claims the most headlines, but even without the theatrics, this is a straight-line rocket ship at just about any speed. Digging into the accelerator, even at highway speed, sends the nose skyward as the rear squats down and zips toward the horizon.
Unfortunately, the Hummer EV struggles just about everywhere else on-road. The 9,000-plus-pound curb weight and ultra-aggressive off-road tires are the automotive equivalent of mixing bleach and ammonia, with the mass easily overshadowing the tires' limited lateral grip. The tiller is surprisingly precise, and the rear-axle steer not only makes low-speed maneuvers much easier, but leads to surprising stability at higher speeds.
Braking demands forethought owing to the long-travel suspension, limited grip, huge weight, and meager 14.0-inch discs. The on-demand regen paddle is fun and saves a trip into the touchscreen to adjust between one-pedal driving and more relaxed recuperation.
- Driver Assistance Level: SAE Level 2 (Hands-Off)
- NHTSA Rating: Not Rated
- IIHS Rating: Not Rated
The Hummer EV Edition 1 comes with the most advanced version of GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver aid, complete with automatic lane changes. The system worked beautifully on the long trek from Detroit to Manistee, which is good, because keeping the wide Hummer between lane markers is a tiring job. The automatic lane changes were predictable and controlled, too, with excellent messaging from the digital cluster.
- EV Range: 329 Miles
- Battery Size: 212.7-Kilowatt-Hour Lithium-Ion
- Peak DC Charging Rate: 350 Kilowatts
Fun fact: a 110-volt outlet will take five days to charge a Hummer EV from 57 percent to full. If you want to know how quick the Hummer EV juices up at a real charger and how far it can go between sessions, check out our 70-mph range test and a comparison with its two closest rivals.
- Base Price: $108,700 + $1,595 Destination
- Trim Base Price: $110,295 (including destination)
- As-Tested Price: $110,295
Eventually the GMC Hummer EV's price will approach something that might be reasonable. Today is not that day, though, with this Edition 1 demanding $110,295, including a $1,595 destination charge. That's dramatically more than any other electric pickup truck (real or imaginary), with a maxed-out Ford F-150 Lightning demanding $98,769, the quad-motor Rivian R1T starting at $87,000, and the three-motor Tesla Cybertruck allegedly kicking off at around $70,000.
The good news is that the Edition 1 has exactly zero options, so the price won't increase much beyond the six-figure sum. But with modest range for a vehicle carrying a battery that’s well over 50 percent bigger than any of the competition and a compromised real-world driving character, the Hummer EV – at least in its current form as a pickup with huge off-road tires – is tough to recommend.
