Unfortunately the latest media launch of the Haval H6 had to be cancelled due to covid concerns, but we were made available, the H6 for a weekend to put it through it’s paces.
Being no 1 in it’s segment in the biggest market Globally for the last 8 years, means that it is a big deal, so it was with anticipation that we welcomed the Haval H6 to Ride & Drive.
It makes quite an entrance, being a big, solid looking SUV, we got the white colour which really looks great. The Chinese auto market is worth around 28 million units per year so with H6 holding number one in retails sales in China means that the same very car could be one of the best-selling SUVs on earth in the next few years.
The 3rd Gen HAVAL H6 features a leading high-level intelligent driving experience with five-dimensional upgrades in the areas of design, intelligence, power, safety, and comfort. In China, the New H6 gained instant popularity since its launch, selling over 20,000 units in less than a month.
A lot has been said about HAVAL’s new L.E.M.O.N platform of late, JOLION which we launched in April was the first product to feature this new technological leap. In layman’s terms, the new platform allows more strength at a lower weight. As you may know being light weight is of great significance to the automobile industry mostly due to increased performance and improved economy.
The LEMON platform can form up to 438 basic modules and 113 standard modules and has completed road testing of over 6 million kilometres including 76 different kinds of road surface found globally. This is the 3rd generation Haval, with SA missing the previous one, due to it not being made in right hand drive.
Exterior Styling.
The all new HAVAL H6 has a purposeful design, starting with the prominent honeycomb mesh grille, which gives an air of confidenceThe streamlined waistline mimics an archer’s bow string, poised and ready to fire. The LED Lighting is striking and effective to say the least and together with the 19-inch alloy wheels makes for a fast pose even when standing still.
The rear is very attractive, and resembles a very popular premium suv that shall remain nameless. It has a large window, which makes visibility a dream.
The Cabin.
This is where a lot is happening, and it has soft materials galore, with attractive stitching and premium leather to really give a feeling of opulence and comfort. The design aesthetic is maintained through an Oriental styled intelligent cockpit with a virtual dashboard without a heads-up display (other than on Super Lux version which does have the heads-up display).
The vast array of settings can become slightly overwhelming, and you cannot really do these on the ‘’fly’’, as the screen is not that sensitive, and it has a lot of layers. But you have a seeting for literally everything, so why complain?
H6 also boasts new generation technologies: All models come fitted with Full-Speed-Range Adaptive Cruise Control and boasts to be the only SUV in its class that can activate AEB in all driving scenarios, including passing pedestrians, bicycles and traffic intersections. This intelligent SUV features TSR (Traffic Sign Recognition) assisting the driver to further abide by the rules of the road and ensure passengers’ safety. TJA (Traffic Jam Assist) offers the driver the option to engage cruise control in bumper to bumper traffic with this setting engaged, while the 12.3-inch super intelligent touch screen and the 10.25-inch super intelligent full-colour instrument panel allows for seamless vehicle interactions.
Keyless entry and one-button start as well as the panoramic sunroof add to the glamour and user-centric nature of the car while large areas of leather and soft-touch surfaces, seats with ventilation and heating functions and Electrical heating steering wheel add to the comfort, space and glamour.
Engine & Transmission.
The Haval H6 has the all new 2.0 GDIT (gasoline direct injection turbo) powerplant that is an inhouse creation featuring a Double overhead cam with continuous variable valve timing. This new unit offers 38% thermal efficiency ensuring lower running temperatures, whilst still churning out 320 Nm of torque between 1500-4000rpm creating a smooth and linear power band. Maximum power output is at 150kw at an RPM of 6000-6300.
This means that the Haval H6 can really shift, it’s no lazy SUV. But it does give you pause for thought, of the fuel consumption. When we pushed it in Sport mode, it was like all other cars, it used juice, but you have a Comfort & Eco setting as well. Snow, we have no use for in SA.
Handling was good for a big car, and this is achieved by the use of the newly adopted McPherson strut independent front suspension and Multi-link independent rear suspension which largely improves handling capabilities while the centre of mass of the vehicle is lowered by 20 mm aiding the reduction of body roll.
Safety.
The 3rd generation Haval H6 also boasts a new “Generation of Safety”, the latest 9.3 Gen ESP (electronic stability program), HD 360 Degree View Camera, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist, an All-round Blind Spot Monitoring system As well as Tire-pressure Monitoring System. 71.61% of the H6’s overall construction is of hi-strength steel with 2000 MPa in a thermoformed process.
The new HAVAL H6 comes in 7 vibrant colours namely, Ayers Grey; Red; Hamilton White; Messiah Brown; Green; Atlantis Blue and lastly Black. There are also four interior colours, black interior, Black and brown interior, Black and grey interior and lastly Black and red interior.
We drove the Haval H6 out to the veritable testing ground for cars in Gauteng, namely the Magaliesburg, and it went through it’s paces well. Great drive and such a lot that you get, for the money that you have to spend. These guys are really getting somewhere fast, and we were mightily impressed by the Haval H6, and recently also by it’s sibling, the Jolion.
There will be four derivatives in terms of spec and their pricing is listed below:
HAVAL H6 2.0T 7DCT 2WD Premium R 419 900
HAVAL H6 2.0T 7DCT 2WD Luxury R 454 900
HAVAL H6 2.0T 7DCT 4WD Luxury R 479 900
HAVAL H6 2.0T 7DCT 4WD Super Luxury R 514 900
The H6 offers a 5 year or 100 000km warranty as well as a 5 year 60 000km service plan.