The financial crash led to the demise of the Hummer brand. Twelve years ago, we had a stock market crash, a potential housing bubble, and the Hummer was back.
It's electric.
The Hummer's tradition of being stupidly large and outrageously excessive is still very much carried on by the GMC Hummer EV.
It's fun because a lot of people criticize it for that.
The Hummer name was plucked from the scrapyard by GM to create an electric brand. The Hummer EV pickup and SUV are on the way.
The pickup lineup will expand to include several trucks at various price points. There is a long list of quirky features in the $113,000 Edition 1 truck.
Ford's F-150 and Rivian's R1T are electric pickup. Although the Hummer has a bed and major off-road chops, it is unlikely that most buyers will use it that way.
The Hummer EV is not hidden. It looks like it smacks you in the face. It's packed with crazy features and is ready to show you what it can do.
Why not remove the glass roof of the Hummer EV? Four glass panels are locked into place with the help of latches. The Hummer has a large front trunk. The cargo room is comparable to the trunk of a small car.
The design of the Hummer is a nod to GM's work on the Apollo 15 lunar rover. There's more than enough space for passengers of all shapes and sizes, as well as a large central cubby that can fit a turkey. All of us have been there.
You can see detailed, video game-like animations of the pickup when you cycle through the Hummer's drive modes. The truck is in off-road mode. It pulls a rocket in Tow/Haul. The Hummer has a little flair to it.
The Hummer EV claims to hit 60 mph in three seconds when it's in "Watts to Freedom" mode.
The Hummer is a 9,000 pound rocket ship, even in the more subdued Normal setting. The entire truck is rearing back like a boat as it gathers speed. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the Hummer's range to be 329 miles. Super Cruise is GM's excellent hands-free driving feature that relieves some of the monotony of long highway trips.
I was not used to how big the thing was. It's wide and tall, making it hard to see in most directions. I felt the need to apologize to other drivers for the amount of space I occupied because of the fear that I would misjudge how close I was to something.
The Hummer's rear-wheel steering made it easy to maneuver in tight spaces. The turning circle is cut by the truck's back wheels at low speeds.
The Hummer's most popular feature is Crab Walk. The rear wheels are pointed the same way as the front ones, so you can drive in different directions. The EV is supposed to be incredibly capable off-road, but I didn't get to try it out.
The Hummer EV is inefficient and on brand. The EPA says it gets 47 miles per gallon of gas. An efficient EV like the Model 3 earns 132 while the F-150 Lightning gets up to 70 MPGe.
The Hummer's size is worrying. Given the number of car crashes in this country, the thought of a bozo buying a truck that weighs three Honda Civics and is very fast is frightening.
If people want big trucks, they should be powered by sustainable sources.
I didn't think I would like the Hummer EV as much as I did. An extravagant truck that's hard to see out of is not my cup of tea.
The capabilities of the Hummer are impressive. You can't help but give in because it's so perfect to make you smile.
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