Hummer EV SUV | A showcase, quite simply

The Hummer indulges in all excesses and arouses the discontent of environmentalists. They sometimes forget that the Hummer has nothing strategic for General Motors' sales. It is essentially a technological showcase likely to arouse the curiosity of those consumers who fear the transition to all-electric.

A behemoth, capable of wading through mud. To move like a crab. And not to emit any greenhouse gases while driving. The Hummer, even electric, leaves no one indifferent.

Its pachydermic size and weight are beyond belief. And yet, if we ignore its stature, this SUV reveals itself to be surprisingly docile. Its turning circle is almost as short as that of a Fiat 500e (tested in our pages two weeks ago) and its driving requires no particular experience. It drives like any other vehicle.

Once you climb on board, you are surprised by the smoothness of the controls (rarely backlit) which are, fortunately, not all buried in the infotainment system. We also smile at the sight of the three small windshield wipers which keep the very narrow and very rectangular windshield very clean. Looking back, it's worse. The huge spare wheel obstructs the rear window. But its designers will tell you without laughing that the Hummer provides you with nearly twenty cameras to prevent you from making missteps. Finally, we are surprised by the absence of a rapid window lowering device. Just like the choice of materials. Just plastic. Whether it is textured, foamed or colored, it is still plastic. And this one, in places, rings hollow.

The front seats can be adjusted to all positions and provide more than satisfactory comfort over the vehicle's approximately 400 kilometers of range. At the rear, the bench seat provides decent comfort, but above all we will remember that there is no shortage of space. As for the trunk, it is like the Hummer: greedy. The backrests fold flat and create a perfectly flat surface. On the other hand, the loading threshold is very high and the heavy electrically operated leaf opens from the curb side…

Imperturbable… well, almost

At the controls, we discover a docile vehicle, but slightly moving on the deformed cobblestones. They are not the only ones to disturb the peace of the occupants on board. The creaking of the removable roof panels, certain plastic trims and the “off-road” tires (we will come back to this) also contribute to deteriorating the… acoustic comfort.

On expressways, the Hummer imposes itself. Stable, as if it were moving on rails, this XXL SUV goes fast and straight. The chassis weighted with several hundred kilos of batteries makes it imperturbable, including in large radius bends, as long as you stick to the speed limits imposed on our roads.

And even more so if this American utility vehicle wraps its rims with “all-terrain” tires, which we strongly advise against. These are noisy and not very grippy. They also contribute to uncertain course holding and thereby take away some of your confidence.

The device which allows one-pedal driving is extremely effective in ensuring the deceleration of the approximately four tonnes of this extraordinary vehicle.

Just like the rhino, the Hummer can run (roll) very fast if necessary, but only a short distance. In fact, to obtain relatively reasonable consumption and achieve the autonomy anticipated by its manufacturer, you must show discipline and drive with a lot of anticipation. Otherwise, consumption is difficult to contain, so that fuel efficiency is one of the most inefficient in all of automobile production. And one thing is certain, the Hummer requires the use of fast charging stations to refuel it within a reasonable time. However, considering the price asked, we can easily assume that the targeted clientele has more than one vehicle in their driveway.