Video: Electric Hilux out-climbs Riddara RD6, but the swamp wins
Gavin Shoebridge tests the electric Toyota Hilux against the Riddara RD6 on a Waikato farm, taking in a swamp, a hill climb, a 44-minute charge and the world's first Hilux-baked casserole.
The new electric Toyota Hilux has out-climbed the Riddara RD6 in EVs and Beyond’s first head-to-head farm test of the two electric utes, though neither could beat the swamp.
Group EV editor Gavin Shoebridge put the pair through a series of farm challenges in the Waikato: a grass hill climb and descent, a paddock lap with a load of groceries aboard to judge ride quality, a steep climb out of a bowl, and the property’s notorious swamp, which has stopped every vehicle tested there in winter.
Both utes cleared the hill climb and handled hill descent control without drama. The swamp was another matter. The Hilux, running close-to-road tyres aired down to 15psi, bogged down where predicted, and the RD6 fared little better despite proper all-terrain rubber. Both required a tractor recovery.
The climb from the bowl separated them. In its dirt mode, the Hilux walked up a slope that has defeated every previous test vehicle at the property, while the RD6 needed multiple attempts and a switch to its dedicated off-road mode, losing a section of bumper trim in the process.
The result supports Toyota’s positioning of the ute as “a Hilux first and an electric vehicle second”. Its road manners are where the compromises sit. The 59.2kWh battery carries an official NEDC range of 315km, which translates to a WLTP figure of around 208km, and less again in winter. Consumption on the highway run to the farm sat around 33kWh/100km, roughly double a Tesla Model 3, and a 14 to 80% charge took 44 minutes on a rapid charger, limited by the ute’s 150kW maximum. Outputs are 144kW and 468Nm from its twin motors.
On paper the Riddara counters with more range, more performance and a higher towing figure, though it gives away charging speed, and, as the bowl climb showed, some off-road ability.
The road trip north also produced what is likely a world first: with the heater switched off to preserve range, a casserole was successfully slow-cooked in a toaster oven in the Hilux’s footwell, emerging golden brown at the charging stop.
The full video is above, with more to come on both utes. Subscribe to the EVs and Beyond YouTube channel so you don’t miss it.
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