Now when Radar came in (stylized RADAR), that’s the ultimate promise. It’s the first unibody pickup here in the Philippines and the brand’s executives all say it rides very smooth. In theory, yes. But will it translate in the real world?

Radar Philippines invited me to the R33 Drift Track in Pampanga for a quick jaunt with the RD6 Econ (EV) and the RD6 EM-P (PHEV). They’ve set up cones on the track to test the pickup’s braking, handling, turning radius, and suspension – slightly.

We were given the chance to drive both the RD6 Econ in 4x2, while the EM-P was a 4x4 model. Their only difference during the quick test was on the acceleration/braking activity. The 4x2, despite being an EV, had a delayed acceleration. We were already in sport mode and yet the car took a while before recognizing that I floored the throttle. I think the traction control took over and ensured I won’t burn out the rear tires. In the EM-P which is a PHEV, it had an electric motor for each axle. The response was more immediate and I reached a faster speed. In both scenarios though, the pickup had no problem with emergency braking as the pickup stopped a few cones away from the braking point.

As for the other activities, because of the limited nature of the track, both pickups felt the same to me. One part was the 35 to 40 km/h cornering without braking and the RD6 was very stable and had minimal body roll for a pickup. Of course, in the faster turning scenarios, the car dipped but not as bad as I anticipated.

It also flaunted its tight turning radius as I hit an inside cone despite my estimate of it being enough. For the uninitiated, that means the pickup’s turn was smaller than I guessed which is why it hit the inside cone rather than the outside.

There was a quick pass on a few hard bumps from one section to another and all I can say is, the RD6 glided through it like it was a crossover. You will still feel it for sure but it’s not as jarring as a ladder-frame based pickup. It made me want to try it out in Bulacan’s finest road ruts to see if it can withstand hellish roads.

Acting like a crossover, riding like a crossover, and still having pickup capabilities is mind-boggling to say the least. Radar lists the RD6 as having an 800-kilogram payload capacity for the PHEV, while the EVs can carry 955 kilograms for the 4x2 and 1,160 kilograms for the 4x4.

Due to the power delivery, my bias for this quick drive was the RD6 EM-P which is the plug-in hybrid version. However, both models are similar in that they are playing with my expectation. Again, I am in a pickup, but the car doesn’t feel like one.

Excuse me if I am glazing too much about this pickup despite the quick test but it’s mesmerizing to me. I waited for something like this for a long time now ever since I heard of the Honda Ridgeline almost a decade ago. A unibody pickup is finally here and it’s more than what I expected it to be.

Of course there will be snobs to the Radar RD6 but I think it would appeal to someone like me. I was raised in sedans and vans, then became more familiar with crossovers. I was never a pickup guy. I hate that even on asphalt it’s a bumpy ride. Yet I consider a pickup as my next car because I carry big things in my music career, and would have to carry bigger things for my wife’s business – both of which weigh nowhere near 1 ton. The Radar RD6 seems to offer the best middle ground of power, capability, and ride comfort. However, I’m keeping my hopes behind a locked gate until a real world driving experience to determine if it’s as legit as it seems to be.