Chevrolet has announced that the 2025 Silverado EV RST will soon boast a new feature akin to the “CrabWalk” functionality found on the GMC Hummer and Sierra EVs. Marked under the “Sidewinder” moniker for Chevy, the system will allow the pickups to shift all four wheels to enable lateral movement.
Since the system doesn’t allow the trucks to move totally sideways, its true usefulness is somewhat limited. General Motors claims Sidewinder “gives drivers a new way to conquer everything from rugged terrain to tight parking spaces.” But testing with GMC models has shown that the four-wheel steering doesn’t quite lock up at an angle that would allow one to slide sideways into a parallel parking space. Forward movement is unavoidable. However, that does not preclude the system from being helpful in such scenarios.
Better applications would be using the system to maneuver the truck between obstacles situated on a particularly tight trail without having to reposition beforehand. But this assumes you’ve taken your all-electric truck into a place that’s inhospitable to road-going vehicles and that’s not exactly something we’re people who buy extravagant electric pickups to do very often.
Still, battery range continues to improve. The Silverado EV RST offers a maximum of 460 miles between charges and that’s certainly enough to get out in the weeds if one were so inclined.
But we would classify Sidewinder and CrabWalk as more of a gimmick that piggybacks off the other advantages made possible by the four-wheel steering made on General Motors all-electric trucks than a game-changing inclusion.
Four-wheel steering is handy on any large vehicle needing to make a particularly tight turn, regardless of whether its propulsion is dependent on internal combustion or battery power. It can likewise help with trailer stability and steering response. There are many benefits to be had, with the tradeoff being that you’ve introduced more complexity into the vehicle — increasing its sticker price and any repair estimates.
Sidewinder will debut as a standard equipment on the 2025 Silverado EV RST. However, General Motors has said it will likewise be added to 2024 Silverado EV RSTs through an update schedule for next year. The truck will start just a smidgen below the $90,000 mark and can easily be configured to exceed six figures.
[Images: General Motors]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.