GMC all-electric Hummer packs myriad surprises

Having a few decades of testing vehicles has given me some perspective on the Hummer brand. Big, bold, and boxy, the Hummer was a star of the Gulf War and went on to become the vehicle of stars like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While I have driven every variant of Hummer from the early-1990s AM General military specialist to the different incarnations that developed under General Motors, this GMC brand is another beast. Firstly, it has real style; second, it’s an all-electric vehicle.

Just like those originals who dished out huge piles of cash to have a true go-anywhere vehicle that looked like it was right off the ship returning from Kuwait, today’s Hummer still delivers what the select audience demands – attention.

Trust me; my tester showed up in Afterburner Tintcoat (that’s bright orange) with massive 18-inch blacked-out rims, with even more foreboding 35-inch off-road rubber, and the crowds started stopping by. In addition to the bold orange hue ($1,225), the Hummer is 196.8 inches long and 86.5 inches wide.

Performance/range

Three electric motors developing 830 horsepower make the Hummer move quickly. Choose from several Drive Settings to conserve charge or spend it like it’s going out of style.

My tester featured all kinds of off-road capabilities like the diagonal Crab Walk Mode, an adaptive air suspension, various all-terrain driving modes, and impressive four-wheel steering that substantially cuts down its turning radius. On that Crab Walk so highly touted in TV commercials, it’s a cool parlor trick, but not really sure how often I would ever use it.

I utilized GM’s eyes-on, hands-off Super Cruise system while driving to Milwaukee from Chicago’s southwest suburbs, arriving in Milwaukee, there was an impressive charge left for the return trip, though I did stop for a quick 30-minute top-off at a public charger off of I-294. Hummer has an impressive 317-mile range on a full charge.

Cabin

The Hummer’s cabin is big and especially wide compared to other SUVs. The center console between the driver and passenger is probably only topped by the original Hummer’s dimensions. Plenty of storage, charging docks and cupholders make the experience convenient and comfortable. You sit high above most traffic and it can be an imposing vehicle to pull up next to.

On the downside, for a vehicle that starts at $90K and can get well over $118K, there’s far too much plastic in the GMC cabin. In addition, the rear horizontal gate would never open when prompted with the remote fob and was equally difficult to operate manually.

My tester featured full underbody skid plates, along with cool front and rear underbody cameras with a wash to keep them clear. This is a vehicle meant to go wherever you point it and without much concern for being able to handle it.

Final thoughts

If you ascribe to the Go Bold or Go Home lifestyle, then Hummer is your fare. You just better have $118,205 to part with in order to try to get the 2024 Hummer EV 3X SUV into your standard garage.

• John Stein is a freelance journalist based in Chicago. He has more than 25 years of experience driving, testing and writing about the automotive industry, its latest innovations and new vehicles.