When the all-new battery electric 2022 GMC Hummer EV was unveiled in October of 2020 the off-road world let out a collective gasp. The revival of the Hummer brand, once beloved by off-road enthusiasts everywhere, as an all-electric subbrand of GMC wasn’t exactly what everyone was hoping for. Then the specifications were released … 1,000 hp, 1,200 lb-ft of torque, front and rear locking differentials, 35-inch tires with room for 37s, rear steering, and more than 320 miles of range.
On paper, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV seemed to be the real deal. However, we all wanted to know if the truck could live up to its Hummer namesake in the real world. With impressive speed, GMC brought the 2022 Hummer EV from concept to reality in less than three years, with the first production models rolling off the line in December of 2021. Now, with deliveries happening every day, GMC invited us to jump behind the wheel and take the Hummer EV Edition 1 for a quick ride through some of the best off-roading the deserts of Arizona have to offer. So, does the 2022 GMC Hummer EV live up to its heritage? Read on to find out!
Watts to Freedom – WTF?
Before we get to the dirty stuff everyone cares most about, we’ve got to take a moment to address one of the more interesting things about the GMC Hummer EV: Watts To Freedom. Watts To Freedom, or WTF for short, is a drive mode in which the Hummer EV will perform at its peak. When activated, the truck’s suspension lowers to its lowest setting, the motors and batteries are conditioned (heated or cooled, depending on need), and a fun graphic and sound effect package plays for the driver and passengers. When prompted, the driver then applies full brake and full throttle. Lifting off the brake pedal sends the 9,200-pound truck to 60 mph in 3 seconds or less, depending on the road surface and battery’s state of charge.
Thankfully, GMC set up a demonstration of Watts To Freedom for us in a large parking lot, allowing us to fully experience the full power of the Hummer EV without worrying about pesky exhibition of speed laws. All we can say is, holy cow, WTF mode is amazing. The whole process of getting the truck ready for a WTF 0-to-60 blitz takes only a few minutes, and the rush of spinning all four 35-inch tires is incomparable. And should there be a whole line of supercars waiting to be put to shame, WTF can be used again and again without any wait time between speed runs.
Off-Roading the Newest Hummer
On the highway, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV is phenomenal. How could it not be? The Edition 1 model we were given to drive packs a massive 1,000 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. This makes the truck incredibly quick, accelerating to its 106-mph top speed (electronically limited because of the 35-inch off-road tires, naturally) in the blink of an eye. The truck is comfortable, not particularly quiet, and draws massive attention everywhere you go. However, most intriguing to us is the truck’s claimed off-road ability.
To test this, the folks at GMC took us on a short but informative off-road loop in the Arizona desert north of Phoenix. The off-road experience took us down graded gravel roads, through rock-strewn dry riverbeds, up steep rutted climbs, and along incredibly tight saguaro cactus-lined trails. While not particularly long, the trail taught us a lot about the 2022 GMC Hummer EV’s off-road chops.
Now, we know the first question anyone is going to ask will be, “What kind of off-road range does the Hummer EV get?” Unfortunately, we can’t speak directly to this until we get our hands on a Hummer EV to test for ourselves. However, we can speak to what we saw during our test day. Our day looked a lot like that of many off-road enthusiasts. We started the day by driving 75 miles on the road to the trailhead, wheeled through 20 miles of desert, and then drove 75 miles back home. Starting with the battery reading 100 percent, we ended the day with 30 percent of range remaining. We used roughly 40 percent of range on the 150-mile road drive and the other 30 percent off-road. Obviously, your mileage will vary.
High-Tech Off-Road Wizardry… aka Drive Modes
Selectable drive modes are nothing new in the motoring world. However, in the past few years these different use selectable options have become increasingly intelligent. The 2022 GMC Hummer EV comes with five drive modes: Normal, Off-Road, Terrain, Tow/Haul, and the user-configurable My Mode. GMC doesn’t include the three submodes (WTF, Crab Walk, and Extract) in the official count. The two modes we focused our attention on most were Off-Road and Terrain.
We know what you’re thinking, and we were, too, so let’s explain the difference between Off-Road and Terrain modes. All of the Hummer’s drive modes affect throttle maps, torque distribution, steering, ride height, shock damping, braking, and interior sound enhancements. Off-Road mode is the go-to setting for general off-road driving. This mode gives a good mix of increased damping, a sensitive but manageable throttle, increased rear steering, and a more aggressive rear virtual locking differential. Terrain mode takes everything up a notch and is the Hummer’s most aggressive off-road drive mode. Terrain mode dampens the throttle pedal for smoother torque application in climbing and rock-climbing situations, features softer shock damping for better articulation than in Off-Road mode, and has the most aggressive traction control and rear locker settings. Most impressively, Terrain mode also increases rear steering angle to 1.2 times the front steering angle; more on that later.
Terrain mode also offers two distinct drive modes within the drive mode, one of which enables one-pedal driving, which allows the driver to accelerate and decelerate using only the accelerator pedal. The Hummer EV does this by modulating regenerative braking, friction braking, and motor torque. Using the one-pedal driving was quite an interesting feature off-road. We found it to be most useful when descending steep grades as a replacement for the traditional hill descent control, which the Hummer EV lacks.
Front and Rear Locking Diffs? Yes, Kind Of…
Much like the Hummers that have come before, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 comes fitted with front and rear locking differentials. How does this work, you ask? Well, it’s complicated. Because the Hummer EV Edition 1 features three motors (one in the front and two in the rear), it has what GMC describes as a “virtual” rear locker. Essentially, when engaged by pressing the dash-mounted switch, the rear motors work together to simulate the function of a locked differential. While it would be simple to just program the motors to turn in sync, GMC’s engineers have made the system smart, allowing for differing levels of engagement in the different drive modes. During our time off-road with the Hummer EV, the rear locker worked exceptionally well. The biggest difference between this type of virtual locker and a traditional mechanical locking differential is that the Hummer’s virtual locker still allows for differentiation between rear tire speeds, which eliminates the scuffing felt with a locked differential. The front locker, which can only be engaged when the rear locker is turned on, is a traditional mechanical unit and functions like any other front locker.
Big Wheel Travel for a Smooth Ride… In Theory
The 2022 GMC Hummer EV sports a claimed 13 inches of wheel travel from its fully independent suspension. On paper, this is right up there with Ford’s F-150 Raptor and Ram’s TRX. However, in practice, the GMC Hummer EV has one major drawback to being competitive when it comes to its desert bashing ability: its heft. At more than 9,200 pounds, the Hummer EV weighs almost 2,000 pounds more than the aforementioned Ram TRX and 3,000 pounds more than the Raptor. To adequately support this heft, the GMC Hummer EV’s air suspension needs to run at a higher pressure and with greater damping. In reality, this equates to an off-road ride that’s actually quite firm. At slow speeds on rough roads, the Hummer EV’s ride is fairly rough. Taking the speed up a couple notches helps to smooth out the ride; when large bumps, whoops, or G-outs appear, though, the truck becomes unsettled quickly. Taken at face value, the GMC Hummer EV provides a pretty decent off-road ride. However, if you’re looking only at the spec sheet, you’re likely to be disappointed.
The adjustable air suspension is good for quite a bit more than just ride comfort, however. Interestingly, GMC has programmed the Hummer EV’s drive modes to not adjust the ride height, leaving this up to the driver. Depending on the mode, the truck’s suspension can be raised by either 2 or 4 inches. The suspension also has the ability to lower by 1 inch for aerodynamics while driving, or 2 inches for WTF mode. Most interesting to us, however, is Extract mode, which raises the vehicle to its maximum height, 6 inches above normal. This is useful for getting the truck unstuck when it gets hung up on its belly or suspension, which we’ve all done before.
Rear Steering Steals the Show
The 2022 GMC Hummer EV features automatic rear steering, which we think is one of the most impressive features of the entire vehicle. Being more than 18 feet long and 7 feet wide, the Hummer EV is a large vehicle. And, as anyone who has taken a full-size truck off-road can tell you, a truck of this size can make any trail quite challenging. This is where the rear steering function is a total game-changer. Before we get too far, let us say that, yes, the rear steering function can be completely disabled by the driver with a quick press of a button.
With the truck’s drive mode set to normal, the rear steering works at a rate of 0.3:1 of the front steering angle. This means that if your steering input is 10 degrees, the rear will steer 3 degrees. When you switch over to the Off-Road drive mode, the rear steering increases to 0.6:1. And most impressively, when in the Terrain drive mode the rear steering increases to an impressive 1.2:1. This means that, at its maximum, the rear is actually oversteering the front.
On the road in Normal mode, the Hummer EV’s rear steering operates nearly unnoticeably. That is, until you try a U-turn. At that point, the truck’s impressive steering ability is shown in full force, allowing the long truck to make turns that would be otherwise impossible. More impressive, however, is the function’s use off-road. We were incredibly impressed by the Hummer EV’s incredibly tight turning ability while navigating tight trails strewn with large bushes and cactus without adding the traditional desert pinstriping. Engaging Terrain mode enables the greatest amount of rear steering. With a ratio of 1.2:1, driving the Hummer EV in Terrain mode feels a lot like piloting a forklift, at first. It’s weird and unnerving, at first. After a few miles, however, driving with the rear end oversteering the front starts to feel like second nature. We were able to make tight turns in and out of washes, up hills, and around rocks with an ease and accuracy that we’d only previously experienced with small two-door Wranglers. Without this feature, wheeling the 2022 GMC Hummer EV would feel more like piloting a heavy-duty long-bed dually, which we’ve done in the past (hasn’t everyone?)
Wait, What About Crab Walk?
GMC has leaned pretty hard on the Hummer EV’s Crab Walk function for its marketing since practically day zero. Naturally, we were quite eager to try out this function. The press of a button on the center-console-mounted multi-function drive mode knob activates Crab Walk. A long press while stopped brings on a crab animation and exciting sounds. Once on, and while moving at slow speeds, the Hummer EV’s rear steering turns in phase with the front (which is opposite of how it would normally operate) up to 10 degrees. Aside from being a fun party trick to use in mall parking lots, Crab Walk is especially useful in certain off-road scenarios that drivers of large trucks and SUVs know all too well.
Picture this: You’re driving up a steep, loose, off-camber trail, and suddenly there’s a boulder that needs to be navigated around. Unfortunately, because of your rear locking differential, the truck’s rear end starts to slide down the grade. This wouldn’t be an issue if there wasn’t that pesky rock. Well, if you had the ability to crab by turning the rear wheels the same direction as the front, you could crab-walk the truck up the hill and around the obstacle with ease. That’s just one of the many helpful off-road uses for Crab Walk.
Our Final Thoughts: 2022 GMC Hummer EV
While our time with the 2022 GMC Hummer EV was relatively short, we did get the answer to our burning question: Does the 2022 GMC Hummer EV live up to its namesake? We can unequivocally say, yes, the all-new Hummer EV is the real deal when it comes to off-road ability. The truck is amazingly powerful, packed full of useful technology, and loaded with off-road hardware that really works. We’re confident, range anxiety aside, the Hummer EV could heartily take on the most difficult off-road trails in the country with little fuss. What’s left to be seen is just how many Hummer buyers actually get the six-figure supertrucks dirty, much like the original Hummers.
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Keyword: Does the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Live Up to Its Namesake?