Used 2022 GMC HUMMER EV Pickup

The 2022 GMC Hummer EV is the new arrival from a brand long associated with rugged off-road capability. This time around, a lot has changed. The comically overdone styling of the H2 and H3 is gone in favor of a tough, modern look with lots of intricate details. This Hummer is an all-new, all-electric, full-size luxury pickup with real-truck abilities – like towing, off-road features and abilities, and a long driving range.

Technically, this is a GMC truck with the Hummer name being a sub-brand like “Denali” or “AT4.”

One huge highlight – the Hummer EV will have Super Cruise, which means true hands-free driving on mapped roads – of which there are currently 200,000 miles worth in the U.S. The Pickup Edition 1 will come with the first GMC implementation of Super Cruise with automatic lane-changing, an update allowing the system to switch lanes on its own without intervention or signaling from the driver.

Range and charging capability will also be impressive. With the 24-module Ultium battery pack and 3-motor drive in the Pickup Edition 1, drivers can expect to drive up to 329 miles between charges. With 800-volt DC fast charging, you can get 100 miles of range in 10 minutes.

The first Hummer EV will showcase off-road capability, with a long list of standard equipment engineered to make the pickup extremely nimble and rugged. With its sideward travel, Crab Walk is the showiest feature, but Extract Mode, using the air suspension system to raise the truck by up to 5.8 inches to clear extreme obstacles at low speed, might be the most useful.

The Hummer EV gets up to 1,000 horsepower out of up to three motors. One upfront and two in the rear. GMC creatively calculated torque at 11,500 lb-ft but it’s actually closer to 1200 lb-ft.

Overall, the Hummer EV behaves like a smooth operator that doesn’t drive as big or cumbersome as you might think. Initial acceleration feels quick, thanks to that massive torque. There are plenty of horses under the hood to sustain cruising speeds, too. The pedal response is good, though, making it easy to modulate the speed without getting overwhelmed. The air suspension is comfortable, and you don’t feel top-heavy around turns because of that low center of gravity.

At higher speeds, however, you do feel the weight of the Hummer. This is a 9,000-pound behemoth, and momentum, especially when stopping, is just physics. When it comes to braking, you won’t get a true one-pedal regen experience because, frankly, you’d need 30-inch rotors to stop this thing. Get on the brake pedal early. It’s deceiving how much it takes to come to a full stop. The steering isn’t as spot-on center as you might hope and definitely electronic and lacking feel, but that’s a true truck experience and EV experience wrapped into one. It requires no apologies.

Watts-to-Freedom might be the most interesting mode on the Hummer. This basically launches the truck. Depress the traction control button twice to shut it off. Confirm your selection on the steering wheel. Fully depress the brakes and mash the throttle and then let it rip. The Hummer EV hits 60 from 0 in a neck-snapping 3.5 seconds. It’s exhilarating and fun, validating GMC’s “super truck” moniker for the Hummer.

The Hummer has some insane off-road DNA. You can e-lock the front diff, and the rear motors can simulate a rear locker. A sophisticated torque vectoring system can shift power up to each rear wheel depending on what you need.

Any rear-wheel slip didn’t last very long on steep inclines, and we got up one pretty decent obstacle. The power feels plentiful, and that massive torque provides a lot of grunt for getting up and over stuff. As an off-roader, a big truck normally gets hampered by its size, but thanks to that rear-wheel steering, the Hummer EV doesn’t suffer.

Underneath, it is completely protected because you’re not dealing with normal engine stuff. An additional steel plate goes on top of the corrugated steel panels that protect the batteries.

The suspension is fully independent and good for 13 inches of travel at the front and rear. That’s Raptor territory. And it’s got continuously adaptive dampers at all four corners, which willingly swallow bumps and dips. Body roll is controlled and predictable.

Approach and departure angles are pretty big numbers. Still, the 44-degree approach angle can reach 50 degrees in Extract Mode by raising the truck an additional four inches — but you are going very slowly when that’s happening because you’ve got no rebound travel left, so it’s basically to prevent you from getting high-centered. Proceed with caution.

Crab Walk is like rear-wheel steering on steroids. It can turn all four wheels diagonally to about 10 degrees to get the driver out of a tricky situation. This groundbreaking feature works easily and effectively and is something to utilize while maneuvering through narrow paths if there are big rocks in your way or even dodging shopping carts in the grocery store parking lot.

Beyond Crab Walk, the Hummer EV employs rear-wheel steering in many driving situations and has the same turning radius as a Chevy Sonic. That rear-wheel steering is an absolute game-changer out on the trail in narrow turns, making this huge truck feel shorter.

The pickup’s cabin impresses with its spaciousness and comfort, both in the front row and second row of seating. A 13.4-inch touchscreen is the window into infotainment, and a 12.3-inch digital dash adds more graphics and visual appeal. Bose audio with 14 speakers provides the soundtrack. The audio/visual component strives to enhance the driving experience in the pickup, with animations, motor sounds, and other cues building excitement and involvement.

The 2nd-row seats lift to reveal under-seat storage, but the seatbacks do not fold flat.

Overhead, the Infinity Roof, a transparent panel system, makes the cabin feel light and airy. The system’s lightweight panels are removable without tools, though there’s no apparent dedicated storage location for them in the cabin or the pickup’s bed. The panels seem to be made of Lexan or similar material, not glass, and will need to be protected from knocks and bumps to keep looking good. GMC’s accessories catalog provides panel covers and racks that look like pizza boxes that fit in the front trunk for an on-the-go topless experience.

Rugged but classy is the best way to describe the new Hummer. The exterior incorporates lots of interesting features. For example, the headlights double as charge indicators, and there’s a small American flag hidden near the mid-section of the truck where the roof and body meet. The truck also uses GMC’s super-trick MultiPro tailgate. It folds all the way down as a whole or in sections with lots of built-in accessories.

The Hummer looks bigger than in photos and has a genuine presence evoking a memory of the military-inspired H2. It seems to sit very high off the ground, with a nearly flat abdomen emphasizing this height. The underbody is neatly buttoned up, with skid plates and protective shields concealing the usual jumble of pipes and rods under a gasoline-powered car.

A 5-foot bed balances the 4-door Crew Cab pickup. There’s an 11.3-cubic-foot trunk (GM calls it an “eTrunk”) under the hood of the truck where an engine might have been, easily big enough to swallow a week’s worth of groceries or a couple of roller-board suitcases.

CRAB WALK
Thanks to 4-wheel steering, which can direct the rear wheels up to 10 degrees in either direction, the driver can engage a mode turning the front and rear wheels in the same direction in certain low-speed situations. The pickup follows the wheels – resulting in a crab walk. This ability can help the pickup avoid obstacles in very tight situations, mitigating the need to reverse, steer, go forward, reverse, etc. Once mastered, you can also engage Crab Walk to slide into a parking space or amaze your friends in the driveway.

WATTS TO FREEDOM
“Watts to Freedom” is a launch control system for the EV. Once engaged, the system combines haptic feedback and sound enhancements with infotainment animations as the pickup adjusts its height and gives the go-ahead to launch. The EV makes the most of available traction and shoots forward with enough authority to throw passengers back in their seats. It’s a rollercoaster ride best reserved for drag strips and closed roads, and it’s a blast.

INFINITY ROOF
This system’s lightweight, transparent panels are removable without tools and provide a great sense of open space for all seating positions.

Standard equipment on all, including Edition 1, includes Super Cruise capability with three years of service, UltraVision with High Definition Surround Vision, Digital Key, 35-inch-OD tires, Infinity Roof (with removable panels), power rear drop glass, and a 6-function MultiPro Tailgate.

According to GMC, Edition 1 versions include:

• Independent front and rear suspension systems — Paired to the drive motors, these suspension setups aim to optimize handling in off-road conditions. In addition, the on-road ride will be better than most typical pickups.
• Front e-Locker — An electronically controlled, driver-selectable locking differential improves traction capability by locking both front wheels so that they turn at the same speed.
• Rear virtual locker simulates a locking differential for the dual-motor rear-drive unit. It is capable of torque vectoring, which can vary the amount of torque sent to each wheel to optimize traction in off-road conditions and enhance on-road driving dynamics. This is a feature often found in all-wheel-drive performance cars.
• Heavy-duty ball-spline half-shafts maximize axle articulation for ample maneuverability while also reducing feedback through the steering system in hard-cornering and other off-road driving conditions.
• Standard 18-inch wheels with 35-inch–OD Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires help to maximize the Hummer’s off-road ability. In addition, the Hummer EV can accommodate up to 37-inch tires.
• Underbody armor includes five skid plates/rock sliders and two underbody shields to protect the battery pack and drive units.
•  UltraVision — The Hummer EV includes an unprecedented number of cameras mounted outside the vehicle. This includes underbody cameras with live “virtual spotter”‘ views to help drivers navigate obstacles and place wheels on and off the trail. The underbody cameras are specially packaged and protected. There are a total of 18 of these cameras.

The base model Hummer EV is the EV2 and has a starting price of $79,995 and won’t be available until 2024. The EV2 features only two motors, unlike the Edition 1’s three. Each motor gets an electronically locking differential. The EV2 gets 625 horsepower and a reduced range of 250 miles thanks to a smaller battery. That means it’s also lighter, but it won’t have fast charging capabilities. Roof panels, a retractable rear window, MultiPro tailgate, Super Cruise, and 35-inch tires all come standard.

Step up to the EV2X, available in the spring of 2023, and you’ll get the same powertrain, but the ability to fast charge and a 300-mile range. Adaptive air suspension and that amazing four-wheel steering with the Crab Walk and Extract Modes are included for a price of $89,995. Optional packages, including transparent sky panels and the Extreme Off-Road package, are available on the EV2X.

The Hummer EV3X features three motors and gets a starting price of $99,995. You’ll get 800 horsepower a torque-vectoring system on the rear motor but no Watts-to-Freedom mode standard. That is an option, as are the transparent sky panels and Extreme Off-Road package, which includes the 18-camera UltraVision, skid plates, rocker panels, and front and rear e-lockers for the EV2X and front e-locker and virtual rear locker on the EV3X.

The Hummer EV is fully electric and uses a 2-motor or a 3-motor setup. Edition 1 models, the first to arrive, have the 3-motor set up. The range is estimated at 329 miles. Included is 800-volt 350-kilowatt DC fast charging capability. It can add 100 miles worth of charge in 10 minutes.

General Motors says, “Ultium batteries are unique in the industry because of their large-format, pouch-style cells, which can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. The Edition 1 Hummer EV uses two layers of vertical cell modules to produce a combined 24-module pack offering a GM-estimated range of 329 miles.”

GM offers an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty and claims the batteries will last the life of the vehicle. When pressed how long that would be, GM’s answer was 15 years. For a lot of truck owners, there is pride in keeping a truck for 200,000 to 300,000 miles. So, we’re not sure if this lifespan will be enough for the money.