The concept of a halo car dates back to the dawn of the automobile. It is a stately machine that few can afford but that many will admire and covet, creating an elevated brand perception. The GMC Hummer EV is a halo car in that sense, but instead of elevating a brand, this SUV is really meant to elevate a technology. That technology is electrification, specifically General Motors' (GM) Ultium battery technology. With it, the automaker means to ignite the brand's presence in an all-electric future.
Photo: Tim Stevens
To this point, it hasn't gone so well. Recalls and stop-sales made for a rocky start for GM's next-generation mass-market electric-vehicle (EV) options, but the Hummer EV is still here shining like a bodacious beacon to show that EVs can be outrageous and ridiculous, not just frugal and meek.
The Hummer EV is available in pickup and SUV flavors, both with a starting price of $98,845 for the base, dual-motor 2X trim level. Stepping up from there is the higher-performance, three-motor 3X version or the top-shelf 3X Omega Limited Edition trim, which starts at $140,295 for the SUV and $150,295 for the pickup.
For this review of the 2024 Hummer EV SUV, GMC provided a test vehicle equipped with 3X trim and the following options:
The test vehicle's price was $117,605, including the $2,295 destination charge to ship the SUV from its Detroit, Michigan, assembly plant to your local dealership.
Photo: Tim Stevens
Getting in the Hummer EV involves climbing up, which for most will mean relying heavily on the generous running boards below the doors and then pulling yourself up with the help of the grab handle within easy reach of every seat.
Up front, those seats are wide and comfortable for the most part, except for an unfortunate plastic Hummer EV badge that cuts right into your shoulder blades. The prominent badges look cool when climbing in, but I can't imagine anyone finding them comfortable.
GMC wraps the seats in a combination of perforated leather and textured vinyl, the outer portions feeling a bit like something you'd find on a boat. That vinyl material also spans the dashboard and the door cards. It's not the most posh material in the world. It feels pretty cheap, but it seems like it'll withstand the muck and abuse that a machine like this will likely face.
Combining white vinyl with copper-colored plastics creates a bright, refreshing look. Though the materials are a disappointment in some respects, the visuals provide a lot to admire, including aggressive texturing and knurling everywhere.
Everything in the Hummer EV is slightly oversized, from the unnecessarily chunky shifter to the temperature rocker switches, which are more than 2 inches wide. This is in keeping with the vehicle's generous proportions, which are admittedly a bit tighter in the rear than you might expect.
Front-seat passengers get all the head-, leg-, and shoulder room anyone could want. In the back, though, legroom is particularly limited, and I was surprised to find myself having to slouch to avoid my head pressing into the hard plastic headliner. At 6 feet tall, I'd expected plenty of room.
But there is enough room for three across the back for a maximum seating of five in the Hummer EV. The outer two rear seats are heated, too, and there's a separate climate zone for the back. Rear passengers get one each USB-A and USB-C ports, plus a three-prong, 110-volt power outlet. Up front, there's another pair of USB ports, plus a wireless charging pad.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The Android Automotive-based GMC Infotainment System provides comprehensive utility, including:
The system is quite similar to the Android Automotive-based systems found on many current GM models. Here, it is customized and augmented to suit the Hummer EV, including numerous pages of off-road-specific information and telemetry. There are even camera views under the vehicle to help you place the tires on troublesome rocks. It also features GMC's trailering app, making it easy to connect and configure whatever you need to pull.
Sign in to your Amazon account and Alexa will gladly help you find any kind of point of interest, providing recommendations and more nuanced details than your average voice assistant.
Numerous streaming apps are available through Android Automotive, including popular options like YouTube Music and Spotify. All of these play through a 14-speaker Bose system. Audio output is strong but lacking in fidelity and bass for a machine that costs this much.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The Hummer EV is a big machine, and it comes with a big battery to match: 170 kilowatt hours (kWh). That's enough to provide the SUV with an EPA-rated range of 298 miles, equating to an efficiency of roughly 1.8 miles per kWh. For perspective, that's less than half the EPA-rated efficiency of a Tesla Model 3. In my testing, the Hummer EV SUV performed slightly worse, averaging 1.6 miles per kWh for a maximum theoretical range of 272 miles.
And while that testing did include a few hard launches to test the performance of the Hummer EV, largely, it was just me driving this big SUV like any other, around town on errands and the highway for commutes. In those roles, the Hummer EV is a reasonably pleasant ride.
The air suspension is compliant to an extreme, meaning even the worst railroad crossings will pass by beneath with little fanfare. Steering is sluggish, and there's more body roll than a dinghy caught in a deluge. Still, when driven responsibly, there's nothing to complain about.
Nothing, that is, except perhaps for the excessive noise emanating from those 305/70R18 Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT all-terrain tires that come as part of the Extreme Off-Road package.
But a machine like this is challenging to drive responsibly because it is so very swift. With 830 horsepower and an astonishing official torque rating of 11,500 pound-feet, GMC claims the Hummer EV SUV can accelerate from zero-to-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. That requires enabling a special drive mode—Watts to Freedom—that squats the SUV down with plenty of fanfare.
But even when you're just squirting through traffic, it only takes a quick twitch of your right foot to send this massive beast leaping forward, nose pointing to the sky like an overeager sighthound.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The Hummer EV SUV includes a comprehensive suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including:
The Hummer EV SUV 3X also includes GM's Super Cruise system, which enables limited hands-off driving on approved roads. Since it entered the market on the Cadillac CT6 in 2017, Super Cruise has gotten better and more comprehensive, and it can now perform automated lane changes. It's a bit disconcerting to release the wheel of such a big machine. Still, the system proved remarkably stable and compliant, keeping it well-positioned in the lane to avoid any close calls.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The SUV variant of the Hummer EV offers 35.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, or 81.8 if you fold those seats down. But that's not the end of the story. Up front, a generously sized front trunk or “frunk” is perfect for storing groceries or smaller bags.
The rear cargo area is wide and flat. GM engineers included some thoughtful touches here, like cargo hooks on the corners and a slender compartment beneath for charging cables or things you'd rather keep out of plain view.
The problem is getting to it. To access the rear, you need to open that back door, which sweeps outward, not upward. Given that the Hummer EV pretty well fills every parking spot you're liable to find outside of a truck stop, you'll struggle to find a public parking spot where you can open that rear hatch. Most of the time, the frunk is far more convenient.
The Hummer EV SUV, with the Extreme Off-Road package, has an official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rating of 298 miles of range. My results were slightly worse, averaging 1.6 miles per kWh for a maximum theoretical range of 272 miles. Those wanting more range should lose the off-road package, which raises the EPA estimate to 314 miles.
As of this writing, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has rated the crashworthiness of the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV.
The 2024 GMC Hummer EV is available in pickup and SUV flavors, both with a starting price of $98,845 for a base, dual-motor 2X trim. Stepping up from there is the higher-performance, three-motor 3X version with a starting price of $106,945 or the top-shelf 3X Omega Limited Edition trim, which starts at $140,295 for the SUV or $150,295 for the pickup.
In the JD Power 2023 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Chevrolet Tahoe ranks highest in the Large SUV segment. The GMC Yukon is the next highest-ranked model.
In the JD Power 2023 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, the Toyota Sequoia ranks highest in the Large SUV segment. The Chevrolet Suburban and the Chevrolet Tahoe are the next highest-ranked models.
Other 2024 Hummer EV SUV competitors include the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology and the Tesla Cybertruck.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The Hummer EV is large, bold, and, in many ways, obnoxious. While many would-be EV buyers will find all that quite offensive, they're not the target demographic here. The Hummer EV exists to show that battery-electric vehicles can also cater to another audience—one that wants something a bit shoutier.
Though the Hummer EV doesn't make much noise (except for the drone from those tires or a series of unfortunate fake engine noises), its presence is certainly hard to miss. It drives well and offers astonishing performance, and though it is the answer to a question that nobody was asking, this big brute is not without its charms.
Tim Stevens is a veteran automotive and technology journalist with over 25 years of experience covering everything from smartphones to supercars. In addition to JDPower.com, his expert perspectives have appeared in numerous national and international outlets, including print, online, and broadcast television.
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