GM electric Hummer review $110,000 worth of armour, with soft spots

Bloomberg

There may be no more polarising vehicle than General Motors Inc’s new Hummer EV.
The $112,595, more than 9,000-pound pickup is a gargantuan remake of the military vehicle that was tamed for civilians in the 1990s. It is 1,000 horsepower of muscled Americana with knobby tires and a ridiculous launch mode that will further inflate the diaphanous egos of those who engage it. It is as tall as a tank with a hood extending to one’s shoulder height.
On the other hand, it’s electric! Driving range is 329 miles. It can charge to 100 miles in 12 minutes using a 800v DC fast-charger. Blissfully silent, it allowed people to pass in the desert without so much as a flick of a furry ear. The Hummer EV is an automotive Rorshach test whose answer will reflect your predispositions.
Anyone can deduce its purpose just by looking: This is a powerful machine meant to signal the status and dominance of the person who owns it. It will excel at carrying sports and outdoor gear in its flatbed, and is rugged enough to use for camping or exploring hard-to-access locales, as long as you can figure out a way to charge it every other day or so. It will make a great support mule when you want a home base vehicle for a weekend of riding dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles.
The “First Edition,” comes only in white, with a two-tone interior. It has an Extreme Off-Road Package that adds air suspension and a crab-walk function that moves the vehicle sideways when useful. There are 35-inch tires, underbody armor, and rock sliders that allow the rig to move down sheer sides without harm. Deliveries of First Editions startedthis year, and they have already sold out. Subsequent editions are available for a $100 reservation fee; pricing starts at $79,995. You’ll have to wait a year for delivery of any edition you choose—unless you hunt on Bring a Trailer, where one sold on April 1 for $275,000.
This looks like the Humvee that Arnold Schwarzenegger would remember. Rectangular lights hang across the front like military badges. The headlights and taillights bear the distinctive H inside. The door handles, side mirrors, and fenders are all squared.
This Hummer is more capable than its predecessor. Launch mode, activated by settings in the console, goes to 60 mph in three seconds. It felt like the cartoon moment when the roller coaster car plunges and your skeleton moves forward while your organs and eyeballs lag like silly putty. It was so jarring, it triggered a headache. Some will love it.
Torque is 11,500 pound-feet; towing is 7,500 pounds; and payload is 1,300 pounds—less than the 1,760 pounds promised by the Rivian R1T and 2,000 promised by the Ford Lightening electric trucks. Top speed is 106 mph. If I were to own this thing, I’d load it with plants and pots, shovels, and the other gardening gear I schlep around on weekends. Each is frame-mounted and has a load capacity of up to 15,000 pounds. Roof rails, a spare tire cover, and additional off-road high-mounted light bars and pod lights are also available.
People were more impressed with how easily it cruised at 80 mph. It jumped from 60 mph to 90 mph with a quickness—and from such a high vantage point—that it felt as if people were flying. The “Supercruise” guided people on cruise control that followed the curves in the highway without my input on steering.
There’s no place to charge in the desert, and towing things, extreme temperatures, running the air conditioning, and so forth will deplete the battery faster. Be wary when planning adventures.
The vehicle also lacks visibility over its hood and sides. GM mitigates the blind spots by offering 18 different camera views, among which people switched often to ensure they wouldn’t graze rocks as they passed.
The roof consists of four removable panels. People removed and stored them within five minutes and then felt so in touch with nature! As the truck moved forward silently, the scent of sage wafted in and a breeze caressed my cheeks. On the way back after people had replaced the roof panels, though, the sun felt increasingly oppressive through the plastic top.
The vehicle offers a strong point of view, even if people wouldn’t necessarily want that point of view every day. Do we need an electric Hummer? No. But plenty will want one.