Hummers are big, right? Duh, you’re thinking, that’s not news. Always were, always will be. It’s not, and you’re right: the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV is a big, big vehicle—just like its unabashedly, proudly oversized predecessor, the 2003-2009 Hummer H2. Debuting just a few years after the first-generation Toyota Prius, the first non-military Hummer was a lightning rod for controversy, as its size (and more importantly, thirst) were outsized. The GMC Hummer (mostly) sidesteps the latter issue with a fully electric powertrain, but it’s still a massive brick of a machine. Comparisons will be made—by us, right now. And the results, if you haven’t already examined the dimensions section of the spec sheets, might surprise you.
While vehicles have, in general, gotten larger since the early 2000s, the H2 was one of the largest vehicles around. Check out these illustrations we’ve made, which really underline the ways in which the GMC Hummer (red-lined, while the H2 is represented in white) literally overshadows its predecessor.
The difference in width is particularly impressive. The GMC SUV is a wide, wide 93.7 inches in track width. The H2 is an almost unbelievable 12.5 inches narrower. The maximum height disparity (remember, the GMC Hummer features adaptive air suspension with an Extract mode that provides an additional 6 inches of lift) is a full 5 inches. At least, it will sometime after launch—the capability won’t be available until sometime after it goes on sale, because reasons.
Not illustrated are some of the new Hummer’s remarkable capabilities, electric powertrain or otherwise. Fording depth? Thirty-two inches. That’s basically a small ocean. Vertical wall climbing ability? Eighteen inches. Suspension travel? Thirteen inches. It’s a monster truck, folks.
Actually, despite sharing a platform with GM’s traditional full-size SUVs of the time, the H2 was no slouch. It can clear 16-inch obstacles, thanks to wheels pushed way out to the corners. But in other metrics, it falls short of its descendant. The H2 could only manage a 20-inch fording depth, and suspension travel was far shorter: 8.7 inches up front, 10.8 in the rear. The lack of an air-breathing engine, the unique advantages of its specialized platform, and the inevitable march of progress mean the new electric GMC Hummer leaves its predecessor behind in many metrics.
Overall length, however, is similar, but the new Hummer pushes its wheels even further to the corners, riding on a 126.7-inch wheelbase—roughly 4 inches longer than the H2’s same measurement. Neither are lightweights, either. The H2 had a listed curb weight of 6,400 lbs, and GMC isn’t talking curb weight yet but given the likely poundage of its Ultium batteries, it couldn’t be any less than its predecessor.
One last point of comparison: range. Using EPA estimates, we pegged the H2 at 448 miles of range for freeway driving—of course, that’d require a light foot and maybe a tail wind. How’s the EV-only 2024 Hummer compare? GMC claims a range of more than 350 miles, with a recharge time of 100 miles in 10 minutes using a fast charger (in absolutely ideal conditions). The time from empty to full is unknown at this time; assume it’ll be a while, even using a fast charger, since the largest pack is a massive 200 kWh.
How this all works in the real world remains to be seen, but let’s just say that the new 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV (and its 2022 Pickup counterpart) are making a big impression already.
