test drove a Hummer EV this past weekend

[thecoloradokid]

I test drove the Hummer EV truck this weekend and was a little amazed on how the truck handles and its tech. Is it wrong to say I want one? It is like driving a dump truck that goes 0-60 in a little over 3 seconds. The car is a behemoth that gives a pretty commanding view of the road.

Add in the fact that it rides very comfortably on the highway, has a 225kWh battery, can do 300 miles of distance at highway speeds, and has 800v charging speeds, has my mind wondering since half my Taycan driving is long distance highway driving. You can also pop off the glass on top so the truck doubles as a convertible with t-tops. I am not going to lie, I have had visions of me in this thing with the top off driving in the Colorado mountains in July.

Down size of the truck is that it is huge - like tough to park anywhere in a parking lot huge. Like take up a full spot at the charger so you can't get out of the car huge. Like probably will not fit in the garage huge.

I know a lot of car enthusiasts populate this forum, and most would scoff at the idea of the Hummer EV like I initially did. But, it is a whole new ball game once you drive one around for a few hours.

Sponsored

 

[Trogdors_Peasant]

I'd think that one consideration would be this:

" ..can do 300 miles of distance at highway speeds, and has 800v charging speeds, has my mind wondering since half my Taycan driving is long distance highway driving. "

If it takes twice as much battery to get near 300 miles range, then your charge time for a given amount of miles driven would be double. Are you fine with 2x'ing the duration of your charging stops for your long distance drives?

 

[thecoloradokid]

I'd think that one consideration would be this:

" ..can do 300 miles of distance at highway speeds, and has 800v charging speeds, has my mind wondering since half my Taycan driving is long distance highway driving. "

If it takes twice as much battery to get near 300 miles range, then your charge time for a given amount of miles driven would be double. Are you fine with 2x'ing the duration of your charging stops for your long distance drives?

I certainly get where you are coming from. For most road trips I would mimic what I do with my CT4S - charge for 20 to 25 minutes to get enough juice to get to the next charger since the Hummer actually charges faster than the Taycan.

Where the Hummer's appeal lies is driving the 210 miles from Grand Junction, CO to Salina, UT, which the Taycan can't do due to the elevation change. I could charge in Salina, UT and put in 175kWh of juice in 45 minutes and then make it to Vegas since it is 300 miles from Salina. It would be the same amount charging as in the Taycan, but I would save time getting on and off the highway and dealing with Walmart parking lots since I would eliminate a couple of charging stops I would need to make if I was in the CT4S.

With a truck this size, you have to be more selective with your charging stops since in a place like Green River, UT there is just not that much room to park and charge this behemoth.

 

[RingoDingo]

I cannot imagine a vehicle I'd like to own less.

 

[thecoloradokid]

I cannot imagine a vehicle I'd like to own less.

I thought the same thing until I test drove it.

I am not there yet, but I may swap out my Rivian for one. I love my CT4S, but the Hummer just has something about it that might make a good super unpractical 2nd car.

 

[arijaycomet]

@thecoloradokid -- your comments resonate with me, as I had the pleasure to briefly own one earlier this year. Since I had bought it $20k ADM and the market was about to turn for the worse I knew, I unloaded it a month later with only 800 miles. I miss that vehicle for so many reasons. Actual photo above, here in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pros: It was a tech marvel, as you said. It did some things great, like the suspension, the ride comfort, the amazing turning circle, the comfort level, turns heads (if you want that). Google AAOS in that vehicle mimics my wife's '21 Volvo XC40 which just works great. That frunk was impressive and easier to load things in than a Rivian. Took the t-tops off once, that was fun too!

Cons: it's big, and felt oversized on some roads. It was expensive; I think the sub $100k versions will be more worth the price. And, it's horrible inefficient too. As others noted above, you'd need 45-60mins to charge at a DC fast charger; yes it charges fast, but it also has a lot of energy to put back in. So long travels from what I had seen/read on forums were 2x longer DC visits than a "normal" car (Taycan, Tesla, etc)

In the end, I was happy to get rid of it for what worked out to be net zero cost for me; I quite literally drove it for ~800 miles for free, and sold it with the markup/tax all recouped. But I missed it so much that I waited and about 2 months ago I came across a deal to lease a brand new one at MSRP. I went to dealer to pick it up, drove it around the parking lot and ultimately decided not to.... for a few reasons.

First off it was an SUV (which I prefer over the truck personally), but all the launch vehicles are matte green. While gorgeous, matte paint is a PITA upkeep. I want to drive a truck/SUV with less worry, but scratches and dings are inevitable. Even in 800 miles I had a small door chip on the first one and wished I had spent the $6k quoted for full body PPF. So yeah, if I did another Hummer EV I'd get the glossy orange, and I'd still prob PPF the entire thing!

Second was the use case. I'm short, as is my wife/kid. We don't need a vehicle that big. And my aging parent/in-laws would not be able to ingress/egress such a large vehicle. In which case my daily commute is all city streets, under 40 mph, 25 miles round trip -- overkill to need such a vehicle.. (Sidebar: I'm contemplating a new Fiat 500e when those arrive in '24 just for commuting; and maybe swapping out my Taycan for a 911 GT3; we'll see)

Thirdly, I found the infotainment powerful but laggy. Not that the Taycan is some sort of dream let's be honest it isnt-- but it's snappier than the Hummer. The tech was great, but odd. Side opening rear door for example no sensors so could potentially open into things, etc. It was a tech marvel, but still a few niggles.

Ok sorry to ramble but wanted to reminisce about my Humvee-EV and share in your excitement. If you did get one, I think you'd not regret it; except for the expensive refuel costs on the least efficient EV currently sold

 

[Redhot2474]

I’ll take a cyber truck before a hummer

 

[outie]

That truck is super cool and super fun, from the look of it as well as reviews I've read. There's one at my kid's school and it's massive.

However one of the concerns is that due to its weight, the stopping power is poor even with full regen. I am not in the market for one of these fun, impractical cars. Good luck!

 

[f1eng]

Wow, that is subtle (or maybe blatant) evidence of the different road conditions between North America and Europe or Scandinavia.
I can't imagine anywhere I ever go in a car where one of those wouldn't be hopeless!

 

[Crazymind]

It’s 4.5 tonne! In Europe you would need a Lorry driving licence. I even wonder if you can steer the thing at speed over 20mph. So far I have only seen reviews on a Straight line of tarmac.

 

[Caraholic]

I would go for it. It’s a different experience for sure. Bright side is if you make the switch it should hold its value pretty well. Still amazed at the downslide of Taycans. Really thought it would have leveled out by now. If I could get one at msrp I would make the switch. Can always jump back into Taycan.

 

[ShiftyWolf]

Wow, that is subtle (or maybe blatant) evidence of the different road conditions between North America and Europe or Scandinavia.
I can't imagine anywhere I ever go in a car where one of those wouldn't be hopeless!

I always loved watching episodes of Top Gear / Grand Tour when they'd take wide supercars or large American trucks to some of the European cities and try to navigate through. I think the Hummer EV, like the original, speaks to a specific audience and is still a lot of fun to see on the road.

But maybe it's just a silly American thing

 

[mutanthands]

But maybe it's just a silly American thing

Folks in Europe just aren't as insecure about their manhood.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Folks in Europe just aren't as insecure about their manhood.

“Men, we are all very secure in our manhood, so let’s make these roads narrower. And parking spots, too - no relaxing there.”

 

[Winterfell]

Here is some fruit for thought, with an embedded video with a full charging experience from Out of Spec.

Looks like long charging times for me, enjoy!

https://www.thedrive.com/news/charging-a-gmc-hummer-ev-to-100-can-cost-you-over-100

Sponsored