Few vehicles are as instantly recognizable as the military Humvee, which of course spawned General Motors’ to start their Hummer division, a line-up of SUVs and trucks sold in the 1990s and 2000s. Unfortunately due to global economics and the consideration for the environment this brand died in 2010, but the name will return on the 2022 GMC Hummer EV, revealed today.
The Hummer EV boasts with over 745kw and torque sits at a massive 15 592Nm and range that is good for over 560km according to GM, The Hummer comes with four-wheel steering, including an already-teased CrabWalk feature that angles the rear wheels in phase with the fronts at low speeds, improving manoeuvrability in certain conditions. Could be pretty useful off-road but not really sure when though. Its adaptive suspension can raise over 6inches and although the full vehicle geometry is not yet released by GM we believe it should boast with excellent clearance and approach, departure and break-over angles and a wading depth of more than 600mm – although with all the electronics I would be worried. Then off course there is the 0-100 that is claimed at just 3 seconds. That would put some mud on the face of many supercar execs. The 800-volt DC fast charger is compatible with charges up too 350kliowatts allowing the vehicle to be fully charged in about an hour.
On the outside there is no question of the vehicle’s heritage, although it does look sleeker and more modern than its predecessor’s U-shaped headlights replace the round units they used to have and includes a full width LED light bar bearing the Gummer word mark, each letter is then spaced by seven vertical “grille” slants to bring homage to the original gas guzzler. The windshield is still very upright recalling the look of the older models but still bringing in some aerodynamic efficiency. A high beltline and narrow side glass echo the old H2’s gun-slit greenhouse, but the angled C-pillar is like nothing else from Hummer’s repertoire and provides some sense of forward-leaning motion. Wide box flares on the front and rear sides of the vehicle makes space for massive 35inch Goodyear Wranglers and still something left if you want to consider 37’s. In the rear is power-operated tonneau cover and ads to improved aerodynamics.
Inside there is a lot of tech in the spacious cockpit, it starts with the massive 13,4-inch infotainment system and a 12.4inch digital instrument cluster. Off-roaders – and some soccer wives – will find the Ultravision under body cameras very useful, making wheel placement on obstacles (or keeping between the parking lines at the mall) very easy and convenient. 18 more cameras cover the vehicle all round.
Electric vehicles are getting better by the day and it seems that South Africa will be seeing more and more of them in the future and charging points will become as come at the local gas station as Jacarandas in Pretoria. But is it the future for Overlanding? I am not too sure about that. But we will have to wait and see.