Now that the GMC Hummer EV is here, I have to admit that it is, at the very least, somewhat worthy of the hype that led up to its debut. It is instantly recognizable as a Hummer and even has the upright windshield. It also seems to be very capable on-road and off. The performance specs, although advertised in a somewhat sketchy manner (more on this later) do position the Hummer EV in a place to really compete. But the there are a few things about the Hummer EV that rub me the wrong way, including the price, the wait for something somewhat affordable, and why I’m pretty sure the Hummer EV probably won’t deliver the sales performance that GM is expecting. Let me explain…

GM Is Playing Dirty Pool on the Performance Front

Electric cars are powerful and deliver tons of torque, the latter of which is something that makes them a lot better, from a performance standpoint, than gas- or diesel-powered vehicles. The horsepower is beyond believable given the three electric motors for the Edition 1 and range-topping EV3x trim levels, but the “estimated” torque figures are downright laughable. This might be possible at the motors (all three combined) but we all know that the Hummer eV isn’t going to deliver 11,000-plus pound-feet of torque to the ground.

The figure is probably closer to 800 or 900 pound-feet or so. It seems to me that GM is trying to be a little shady here, but I digress. Call me a hater if you will, but even Car and Driver agrees with me, so think about that for a second.

Total range is promised to be 350-plus miles. GMC says that Hummer EV can sprint to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds, but there’s a catch here.

The Hummer EV Won’t Be As Capable, Unless You Pay Up Big Time

All the figures I mention above are coming courtesy of the range-topping EV3x and Edition 1 trim levels, which will set you back $99,995 and $112,595, respectively. If you go for the $89,995 EV2x, you’re stuck with two electric motor, which is – obviously – the same story for the base model EV2 trim.

In fact, you have to opt for the EV2x trim if you want all the cool features, including the adaptive air ride, extract mode, four-wheel steering, and crab walk. If you’re on a budget and go for the base model, you’re really not getting very much. Check out the basic offerings in the table I’ve compiled below:

In short, all the features that make the Hummer EV cool, aren’t available on the base model, and that – as far as I’m concerned – makes the Hummer EV useless. There’s honestly no selling point to the base model outside of the barely sub-$80,000 sticker price and the status of owning a “new Hummer”.

GM’s Trim Availability is a Complete Joke

It’s a known fact that automakers don’t make a lot of money on base model vehicles. They might be nice for those of us that want a nameplate but can’t afford all the premium goodies, but for automakers they are simply a way of bringing in a few other customers they might not have otherwise. In the case of the GMC Hummer EV, you can literally tell that GM needs to make money from the first couple of years on the market, and if you want one, you’re going to pay dearly.The next level up, the EV2x, won’t be available until spring of 2023 – and this is all assuming there are no delays in production. The Edition 1 and EV3x trims will be available in spring and fall of 2022, respectively, but you’re going to pony up at least $100,000 for either.

Unless EV buyers of the world are willing to part with that much cheddar, the Hummer EV is going to be scarce on the roads – more so than EVs already are. Why do we have to wait until 2023 at the earliest to get into something that costs less that $100,000? Because GM needs money and it doesn’t want to take a temporary loss to cater to the masses. This is yet another attempt by GM to push a mid-luxury brand like GMC beyond its usual reach. Will it be enough to kill the Hummer EV before it becomes available to the bulk of the population? Probably not, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Hummer EV is short-lived.

The Hummer EV Is Just Too Expensive Compared to the Competition

The Hummer EV really does have some stout competition. Or, it will soon enough, anyway. The lists of competitors is kind of long:

-* Atlis XT

-* Bollinger B1

-* Lordstown Endurance

-* Rivian R1T

-* Tesla Cybertruck

Even the Rivian R1T in base form beats out the Hummer EV by some $10,000, and it offers better range. The Tesla Cybertruck can lay claim to the same. The Hummer EV’s towing capacity is still a mystery, but if it can’t deliver at least 11,000 pounds of towing, that could be the nail in the coffin. Oh, and by the way, the Tesla Cybertruck is nearly half the price at launch and less than half the price in base form.

Again, this could be enough to make the Hummer EV obsolete. Most of the models it competes against will probably launch before the base model Hummer EV even starts production, and that could put a major damper on the Hummer EV’s success.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, I’m pretty impressed with the Hummer EV as a package… in range-topping form. But, I think it’s too expensive, and I don’t think it stands much of a chance when the competition generally offers the same or better at a more affordable price. The sheer fact that you have to wait almost half a decade to get into a base model Hummer is puzzling at best. For the last 8 years or so, I’ve been saying that GM has no idea what it’s doing. It might have beaten Ford and Ram to the punch with an electric truck, but the Hummer EV is more of a novelty than the Tesla Cybertruck, and in this case, that’s not a good thing.