2026 GMC Hummer EV King Crab—Can a Demo Drive Convince a Skeptic?

Your technical director attended a software-focused press event where GMC’s new King Crab mode was described briefly in a slide presentation. Another staffer attended the 2026 GMC Hummer EV press introduction and got a deeper dive into its inner workings, but still no demo, and her more thorough description still failed to sell me on King Crab. I struggled to appreciate how a speedier rate of rear turn-in that still maxed out at 10 degrees could make much difference in how a truck tackled a tough trail. Videos of Hummers doing ultra-tight donuts in the snow also failed to sell me on its practical value. Might a hands-on demo do the trick?

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Proving King Crab’s Value at the Proving Ground

There’s no better place to prove a system works than the grounds on which the system was proven out, so off we went to GM’s Milford Proving Ground—a 6-square-mile playground crisscrossed by 152 miles of roads replicating nearly every conceivable driving condition, on and off road.

Slalom Star

We started out simply driving a continuous dirt-road slalom, progressing through the drive modes at speeds below 5 mph (that’s the speed above which the rear steering starts to taper off). Here’s how the modes compare: (Remember that in Crab Walk mode, a degree of front steering is matched by a degree of rear steering in the same direction—in King Crab mode, active below 25 mph, the rears always turn in the opposite direction.)

That simple dynamic test, with the steering wheel constantly turning one way and then the other really drives home how rear steering feel can morph from virtually undetectable to almost fork-lift like. King Crab mode kind of feels like you’ve goosed the throttle to initiate a drift, only you didn’t and it’s happening in ultra-slow motion.

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Not Convinced Yet

I still couldn’t appreciate how this could help me on a technical trail. I’m usually one to pick my way along a technical stretch very slowly, at a walking speed. Would King Crab mode force me to attack tricky obstacles with some speed, instead of inching around them? Maybe. The truck will depart a turn at a slightly different angle when the rear wheels steer into it twice as quickly as the fronts, compared to stopping at the obstacle, dialing in maximum lock, and driving around it. About here, I started wondering if I am accomplished enough at off-roading to utilize this feature.

Placing Rear Tires

Then the engineers demonstrated the greatest practical value of the system, which is its ability to fine-tune the placement of the rear tires when climbing serious obstacles. Say you’re approaching a tricky vertical step. The front tires are in contact and really need to attack that obstacle mostly square on. But there’s a rock threatening to gash a sidewall if you give it full send. Turning the front wheels 5 degrees left means they’re still mostly square to the step, while the rears can be pointed 10 degrees to the left, improving their angle of attack on that dangerous rock. This can mean the difference between presenting it with tread or sidewall. The blind-spot cameras provide a great view of each rear tire to help with this placement.

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Okay, Okay

I left the Milford Proving Ground satisfied that this new software-defined feature—which adds no mass or complexity to the vehicle—was indeed worth the intellectual property and development investment. It’s an interesting new unique selling proposition that (for now) is only available on the Hummer EV. (Though, that which can be software-defined can probably be software-deployed on Chevy Silverado EVs and GMC Sierra EVs that share the same hardware.) I’d still wager you’ll see more viral reels of the feature being employed to sling sand, mud, or snow in improbably tight circles, than you will quiet videos of amazing technical rock climbs.

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