Its four-wheel steering can turn in opposite directions, too.
Right now, off-road chatter is all about the new GMC Hummer EV that was finally revealed last night. It's a sizable machine, and while GMC hasn't officially told us its weight, you know it's going to be heavy. However, GMC has released a plethora of new off-roading stats and some of them might surprise you.
We already knew the Hummer EV could scale 18-inch verticals and roll through at least 24 inches of standing water. Its adaptive air suspenion can raise and lower the truck automatically or on-demand from the driver; in standard settings, it has an approach angle of 41.5 degrees and a departure angle 31.6 degrees. That's not bad for something of its size, but in Terrain Mode that increases to 44.3 degrees on approach, and 33.7 on departure. That beats all forms of the current Jeep Wrangler for approach, even the two-door Rubicon. But wait, there's more.
Gallery: 2022 GMC Hummer EV
In Extract Mode, the approach angle increases to 49.7 degrees, with the departure angle up to 38.4 degrees. Additionally, the break-over angle peaks at 32.2 degrees. By comparison, the two-door Wrangler Rubicon manages 44 degrees on approach, 37 degrees on departure, and 27.8 degrees for break-over. For hardcore off-roaders, there's no denying the GMC Hummer has some serious capability in rough terrain. That's especially true when you consider the big EV is over 18 feet long, versus just 13.9 feet for the two-door Jeep.
The Hummer EV Is Here:
There is a catch, however. GMC currently lists Extract Mode as an upcoming available feature. it raises the suspension an extra six inches for extreme off-road situations, but it's not clear at this time what models it will be offered on, or if it's a feature that has stipulations on use. Presumably, it will be standard kit for the $112,595 Edition 1 model going on sale next year.
GMC also confirmed that its four-wheel steering system does more than shuffle the Hummer EV sideways in CrabWalk configuration. In Auto Mode, the rear wheels will turn in the opposite direction as the fronts at low speed for a tighter turning radius. At high speed, the rears turn with the fronts and of course, CrabWalk lets the Hummer drive sideways at low speeds with the rear wheels matching the fronts at up to 10 degrees. However, we suspect the opposite-turn feature will be significantly more useful to Hummer drivers, as it reduces the truck's turning circle to 37.1 feet. Otherwise, give yourself a full 44 feet to make a circle.
Sales of the range-topping Edition 1 are slated to begin in the fall of 2021. However, the $79,995 entry-level GMC Hummer won't arrive until late 2024.
Source: GMC
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