I have been driving ever since I was old enough to get a driver's license. But despite living in California since childhood, I was slow to embrace the future of electric cars. When I had to buy a car earlier this year, I ended up getting a nice old gas guzzling manual car instead of a new EV.

The big reason was that the old Civic Si was selling for too tempting a price, but to be honest, I was hesitant to jump on the electric car bandwagon because it seems like we have a long way to go before EV chargers are installed everywhere in this country, much like gas stations. [As I recently learned during a trip to Menlo Park to test drive GMC's new Sierra EV Denali (2025 model). If you're willing to buy the maximum range model, it is advertised as being capable of up to 460 miles on a single charge.

This is another big reason why I didn't buy an EV this year: I sometimes drive 400 miles a day to visit family, and I want the reliability of a gas engine. I'm afraid of being stuck on the highway in the middle of the night with a dead battery if the charging station doesn't arrive in time or if the charger at the station is broken.

So when GMC offered me the chance to drive a 2025 EV Denali Max Range model for a day, I was intrigued. When I got there, I was impressed by the premium features of this electric truck, but also by its eye-popping starting price of $91,995. [If you want the Max Range model I got the chance to drive, the MSRP goes up to $100,495, but the truck won't be available until early 2025, so you have time to save up.

As soon as I set foot on a public road and got a chance to test the engine's 760 horsepower, the sticker shock began to wear off; I had heard how fast EVs accelerate, but it's quite another to feel it while snaking around corners on the truck's 24-inch wheels.

While it was fun to put the 2025 EV Denali through its paces, the features I tried ruined every other truck for me. Some of these tricks are already available on other vehicles, but combined they make this EV truck look so appealing that it makes me want to make the wrong decision on my budget the next time I buy a truck.

I like how the 2025 EV Denali can go into CrabWalk mode, allowing the rear tires to twist tighter toward the car and turn at a tighter radius.

It's easier to see it in action on GMC's website than to explain it, but here's the short version: in CrabWalk mode, the 2025 EV Denali's rear wheels can be rotated up to 10 degrees to the left or right, allowing it to travel at an angle up to 20 mph.

During my test drive, GMC set up a track for us to drive the truck on in CrabWalk, and I was basically forced to slide the truck at an angle between a series of cones and drift left and right to avoid hitting them. Although I ended up with terrible results (sorry about the cones), I learned that using CrabWalk is a lot of fun and especially useful when trying to make tight turns in a limited space: the CrabWalk increases the turning radius, which makes the track easier to maneuver.

Drifting the truck back and forth at low speeds was fun, but being a city kid, I was really excited to see what chic parking I could do on the street with this feature.

Almost as neat as the crabwalk was the midgate of the 2025 EV Denali. [25] [26] GMC calls this the Multipro Midgate, and while other GMC vehicles (like the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV) have had this feature in the past, this is the first time I've had the chance to see it in action.

The midgate is removable; pulling up the rear seats, removing the rear window, and lowering the midgate extends the cab bed to 5'11“ and the space between the driver's seat and the gate to 9'1”. Only the lower half of the midgate (60% to be exact) can be removed, or it can be removed entirely.

The Multipro tailgate can also be removed if a little more space is needed. You can also play music if you purchase the Multipro Tailgate Audio System Upgrade (MSRP $819).

I have commandeered my family's old Dodge pickup when needed for over a decade at this point.

Like I said, I knew EVs could feel fast, but I was still impressed with the acceleration of the 2025 EV Denali. You can really feel it in Max Power mode, which you turn on and off with the tap of a button on the infotainment system.

Max Power mode basically does exactly what the name implies: in Max Power mode, more power comes from the engine and more torque is applied to the wheels, but in return, the battery is drained more and the range is shortened.

Max Power mode must be enabled for the 2025EV Denali to achieve 0-60 acceleration in 4.5 seconds, maximum torque of 785 lb-ft, and maximum payload of 10,500 pounds.

After doing my best to test it for myself on the windy roads of Northern California, I can confirm that Max Power mode really helps this huge truck haul ass. But when I talk with my partner's family about what it takes to trailer a classic automobile to a show a few hours away, what really impresses me about what the 2025 EV Denali can do in Max Power Mode is the 10+ kilos of trailering power.

I am not in a living situation where I can afford a $92,000 truck right now, nor do I live in a place where I can reliably charge it at home. If EV trucks were as good as the 2025 EV Denali, I would be hard pressed to leave.

If there is anything that would help me get over my range anxiety and switch to an electric vehicle, it would be the premium features and longer range offered by a vehicle like the Denali. Regrettably, the price would need to be a bit more palatable for me to pull the trigger on this EV.