If not for its width and weight, the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV would be the most off-road-capable passenger vehicle direct from the factory on sale today. It climbs more assuredly than a stock Wrangler Rubicon or Bronco Raptor, it negotiates obstacles more easily and more safely than a, and don’t even come at me with a Cyberfridge. But if not for the width and weight of the proverbial elephant in the room, you’d have something else entirely.
Late in the day, in this place that knows no human time, the buzzsaw of combustion engines broke the otherworldly serenity. Two side-by-sides—open cages, tube chassis, made for off-roading, illegal near civilization—killed their engines and waited for the EV mastodons to pass. In the back of the first side-by-side were two child safety seats, toddlers in goggles, googling at the future.
I also appreciated how GMC balances the interface with futuristic graphics and classic toggles and dials for the climate, drive modes, and other vehicle functions. Fortunately, I and no one else on my wave had to use extract mode or Crab Walk to regain the trail. The closest it came was descending down a steep, maybe 25-degree shelf into a turn around an outcropping. With the front central locker on and virtual rear locker engaged through the two rear motors, wheel slip was controlled, even with the front driver wheel hanging in the air.
Many luxury and performance cars have adopted rear-wheel steering, but GMC’s off-road application in tandem with the constant and instant torque vectoring from the three motors made it next level. The front locker can be manually engaged with a long press of the locker button on the panel below the touchscreen , but the drive modes mostly take care of all the settings.I preferred moving the gear shifter from D to L for the max regenerative braking.