The $113,000 electric Hummer is ridiculously large and loaded with absurd features, but I absolutely love it for one reason
- GMC has revived the Hummer as an electric pickup truck — and I got to drive it.
- The Hummer EV Edition 1 costs $113,000 and is ridiculously large.
GMC's electric Hummer is a whole new kind of electric vehicle. It isn't sleek and sporty like a Tesla, nor is it compact and cost-effective like a Chevy Bolt. And even though it's a pickup truck, it isn't built for the job site like a Ford F-150 Lightning.
The Hummer EV is more like the electric equivalent of a boxy Mercedes G-Wagen or a lifted diesel truck. It's big, brash, and extreme just for the hell of it.
A weekend with the $113,000 behemoth proved it's one of the silliest vehicles on the market — electric or otherwise. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a blast.
It's ridiculously huge
Of course the Hummer is huge. It's a freaking Hummer. But it's tough to truly grasp the enormity until you see one in person — or better yet, get behind the wheel. (To put some numbers to it: The Hummer is nearly eight feet wide and 18 feet long.)
I breathed a sigh of relief once I escaped the cramped streets of New York City for the highway, where the monster would have plenty of room to roam. Or so I thought. Pretty much anywhere I found myself driving, the Hummer's boxy proportions and plentiful blind spots stressed me out. I constantly feared I was taking up too much room and was about to bonk another car.
However, for better or worse, the Hummer is tough to miss, and other drivers gave me space when I needed it. One backed up to let me squeeze my obnoxious vehicle through the gate of a quaint farmers market — a maneuver that would've required no extra fuss in a normal car.
I can't say I would've done the same. As far as I'm concerned, if you drive a truck that's too big for everyday errands, that's on you.
But loads of fun
The Hummer EV is kind of like an oversized toy. Its hulking size — plus oodles of other cool features — made it endlessly entertaining to live with. For a weekend at least.
As I drove around and towered over the other, lesser cars, I couldn't help but giggle at the sheer absurdity of the Hummer EV. The feeling is amplified when you remove the truck's roof panels and transform it into not just a huge truck, but a huge convertible truck. Cruising around in a Hummer packed full of friends and the top off was just plain fun.
Moreover, the thing moves way quicker than you'd expect from a 9,000-pound truck. Pin the throttle and the Hummer jolts forward instantly, leaning back like a speedboat before leveling out at around 40 mph.
It comes with four-wheel steering, which helps out in tight spaces and enables the Hummer's most outlandish feature, Crab Walk. Switch on that mode, and all four wheels swivel in the same direction when you turn the steering wheel, meaning you can drive in a zig-zag without actually turning. This elicited a collective shrug from my friends, but I thought it was pretty neat.
Then there are the little things that put a smile on your face.
The Hummer's windshield is so wide and squat that it needs three little wipers instead of two regular ones. I can't quite explain why, but I burst out laughing when I saw this for the first time. When you scroll through the Hummer's drive modes, ridiculously detailed animations pop up that show the truck trundling through various environments, like Mars or the Moon.
Would I buy a Hummer EV? Nope. It's just too big. But I enjoyed the Hummer's outrageousness way more than I expected, and I'd gladly live the Hummer life for a weekend again sometime soon.