RIDDARA Rd6

Offered in three colour themes – all-black, dual-tone black and brown, and dual-tone black and green, the Riddara RD6 looks fresh and new-age on the inside. The presence of full-TFT 12.3-inch screens for the instrument console and touchscreen infotainment system infuses modernness in the cabin, with the hexagonal AC vents with brushed silver accents on the corners and centre of the dashboard adding more vibrance to the interiors. 

Talking about storage, the Riddara RD6 impresses with its 1200 litres trunk with powered tailgate and tonneau cover, 70 litres frunk, and 48 litres rear bench hidden storage box. The cabin also gets premium features like powered front seats with height adjustability for the driver’s seat, an 8-speaker audio system, panoramic sunroof, keyless entry with push start-stop button, dual-zone automatic climate control, rear AC vents, air purifier, and cruise control. 

Based on the Radar RD6 from China, the Riddara RD6 has a tweaked front design while retaining the traditional upright stance and boxy-looking design elements of the former. At the front, the Riddara RD6 features a revised front closed grille with bold Riddara lettering spread across its width. This piano black closed grille is flanked by headlamp housings with LED DRLs, which have LED headlamps in Standard Range and ADB Matrix LED headlamps in the Long Range variant. The front bumper has a muscular design with large pentagonal housings with gloss black surrounds. 

Moving towards the side, the Riddara RD6 impresses with its upright stance, with the pickup having rounded smooth contours over the rounded wheel arches, which have black side mouldings over them. The mouldings over the bottom of the door panels have chrome garnish, with the RD6 having 18-inch machined alloy wheels. The RD6 also comes with front and rear LED illuminated light belts and ‘X’-themed LED inserts in the stylish combo tail lamps. Adding more toughness to the design of the Riddara RD6 are the aluminium roof rails and side step boards.

The Riddara RD6 features a suspension combination of Macpherson independent suspension at the front and multi-link independent suspension at the rear. This rear-wheel drive pickup truck measures 5,260 mm long, 1,900 mm wide and 1,865 mm tall while having a ground clearance of 220 mm and a turning radius of 6.1 metres. The three driving modes – Comfort, Sport and Eco – deliver their namesake driving experience, though we would have loved to see better feedback from the steering. 

The Riddara RD6 is available in two variants – Standard Range and Long Range. The Standard Range variant has a 63kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery claiming a 410 km range, while the Long Range variant has an 86kWh ternary lithium battery delivering a 550 km range (both ranges are CLTC-certified). A rear-mounted electric motor is offered as standard in both the variants, which churns out 268 bhp and 384 Nm while giving the RD6 a top speed of 185 kmph and a 0-100 kmph sprint time of 7.3 seconds. 

The Riddara RD6 has a decent list of safety features covering all the essential bases, including six airbags, ABS with EBD, front and rear parking sensors, an electronic stability program, traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control, tyre pressure monitoring system, auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, and reverse camera. 

The Riddara RD6 is a new vehicle with a rather limited brand recognition when compared to established and more popular traditional ICE pickup trucks with a rich legacy behind them. However, with decent powertrain options and features at compelling price points, the RD6 is an option worth checking out.