What’s this new ute all about then?
We know what you’re thinking, but the Riddara RD6 Pro is not the first pure-electric ute to be sold in New Zealand. That would be the LDV eT60, although it was more a factory conversion of a model that was already a bit long in the tooth than a bespoke EV-effort. Strictly rear-drive, too.
The Riddara is definitely the first modern, pure-electric AWD ute for NZ that can carry a lot of stuff (1030kg payload), tow a lot of stuff (3000kg) and go properly off-road.
Which is all the more remarkable, because it’s not a ladder-frame truck like a Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux; it’s built on a monocoque chassis with independent suspension all-around.
It’s a car with a tray, in other words. Which is what proper utes used to be (like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon), before pickup trucks took over the market and claimed the moniker. So maybe Riddara is actually the most authentic ute currently on sale; we’ll happily argue this one all day.
Anyway, it’s from Chinese maker Geely; we’re already familiar with the brand’s new-generation SUVs, the EX5 EV and Starray EM-i super hybrid. Riddara kind of belongs with those (it’s certainly in the same showrooms) because they all share the same platform. It’s also related to the Polestar 4, Volvo EX30 and Zeekr X for the same reason. Crazy, huh?
It’s a car with a tray. Which is what proper utes used to be (like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon), before pickup trucks took over the market and claimed the moniker.
But it’s also very much its own thing, because Geely regards Riddara as a sub-brand; it doesn’t wear the official Geely six-section logo, although there’s still a small “Geely” script on the tailgate. It wears “Riddara” branding proudly, with an illuminated faux-grille.
The ute-adjacent metrics are pretty good for an EV (they’re actually pretty good for a mainstream pickup truck, to be honest), but the rest of the numbers are pretty impressive too.
What’s not to like? Well, you could say it looks a bit dorky, especially on skinny road tyres and those retro-look alloys.
The Riddara is dual-motor AWD only for NZ, with 315kW/595Nm and a dramatic 0-100km/h claim of 4.5 seconds. It’s definitely the fastest ute you can buy here.
The 73kWh LFP battery is good for 360km range (WLTP); maximum charge rate is only average at 110kW, but that’ll still get you from 30-80% in about 30 minutes. There’s vehicle-to-load capability of 6kW.
On-road, Riddara steers, handles and rides pretty much like an electric SUV. A crazy-fast one.
What’s not to like? Well, you could say it looks a bit dorky, especially on skinny road tyres and those retro-look alloys; somebody at Geely’s obviously a big Saab fan. But dorky can be interesting, or at least we think so.
For the media launch event, Geely NZ had an RD6 in black with some 4x4-appropriate alloys and all-terrain tyres. The chunky footwear did somewhat transform the look of the vehicle.
Polar White’s the standard colour, by the way. The only other choices are Platinum Grey (which features in most of the photographs here) and Phantom Black, and they both cost $950. Opt for the black and you can also go from the standard black/green interior to a rather striking tan/black.
One last thing before we leave this section: Riddara looks quite compact in pictures, but it’s actually quite large: at 5260mm in length it’s not far shy of a double-cab Toyota Hilux, although still 100m shorter than a Ford Ranger.
The tray’s a pretty decent 1520mm long and 1450mm wide (not including the wheel arches) and there’s even a nifty pull-out step in the tailgate when it’s open, to help you get up onto the vehicle for loading.
How much is it?
The single-specification Riddara RD6 Pro available in NZ costs $69,990; grey or black paint is an extra $950.
What’s it like to drive?
Our experience with Riddara was mainly off-road, with a post-mud 15-minute open-road blast to get a feel of the thing before we take one for a more traditional week-long review at a later date.
Let’s talk on-road first, because that’s surely still where this ute will spend most of its time.
No ladder-frame ute feels like a car on the road, even an exceptionally good one like a Ranger. It’s just not possible, given the 4x4 underpinnings.
But the Riddara doesn’t have those and so it steers, handles and rides pretty much like an electric SUV. A crazy-fast one. Once it’s rolling, it just rips the tarmac up; at one stage we reeled in an enthusiastically-driven Subaru Impreza (a local, judging by the confident cornering lines) on a winding road without even trying, such was the speed and traction of the RD6 Pro.
It’s no sports car, but it grips and goes with brutal efficiency. It’s mostly RWD in normal use, which gives it quite a nice cornering feel, but of course it can deploy power to the front axle instantly. Ask too much and it will understeer with alacrity, but you cannot fault the throttle-response. Ask and it will be given, instantly.
You can adjust the regen, which is a neat way to introduce some “engine braking” into the handling equation at speed. Oh, and increase efficiency and stuff. It’s got all the driver assists you’d expect of a new-gen EV.
Riddara is in no way supposed to be a hard-core 4x4 machine. It doesn’t have the axle articulation or chassis-flex to really start crawling over rocks. But if you’re thinking it’s an off-road pretender based on the above, think again.
We tackled steep climbs, extreme undulations and river crossings; the Riddara ate it all up. When you really get all four corners working it’ll lift a wheel rather than dig down like a “real” pickup, but the intricate way the electric powertrain can control the axles means it mostly just keeps on going. Even on road tyres.
We did most of our 4x4 driving in the basic Off-Road mode, but there are also specific Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sand, Mud and Wading settings. The Riddara will plunge into 815mm of water with no problem, which is impressive when Ford is boasting it’s developed the Ranger Super Duty to handle 850mm.
There’s a full 360-degree camera that you can also use to help with wheel placement during off-road driving; but with the addition of an “invisible chassis” function, Geely is calling it 540 degrees.
From the driver’s seat, it’s very Geely-SUV: minimalist with a big screen, super-comfy faux-leather seats with heating and ventilation and lots of lovely climate functions.
The rear seat is split 60/40 and has Isofix mounts for child seats.
What’s the pick of the range?
There’s just the one model. Have you not been listening? But if the RD6 Pro goes down a storm in NZ, there’s certainly potential to add other models, including a 2WD.
What other cars should I consider?
There’s nothing exactly like the Riddara RD6 Pro on the market. But the price position is clearly designed to put it up against some of the hybrid utes out there, like BYD’s Shark 6 super hybrid ($69,990, funny that) or GWM’s Cannon Alpha PHEV ($64,990-$71,990). They’re both bigger and a lot more trucky than the Riddara.
Taking into account the Riddara’s surprising on-road performance, comfort and ride/handling, it’s really also a great alternative to a medium/large crossover EV-SUV. There aren’t many of those at this size and price-point either.