New Haval H6: Launch Drive Review
Four years ago, the H6 represented a small part of a growing sub-segment of the mid-sized, SUV market. It was more affordable than most in segment and yet, offered most if not more features. It was a picture of what the segment would later become and in 2025, that idea of an affordable, fully specified SUV has been adopted by many, notably by Chinese brands.
The picture is different now and GWM, 18-years into their South African game, has solidified its place in the local top-10 sales chart. Part of its success, time notwithstanding, is its ability to listen to its customers and offer a product range that meets their usage and economic demands. The updated Haval H6 is one such product, an improvement on an already successful base.
Fresh Design
You’ll notice a refreshed design mostly from the front where a new grille, new lighting design and new bumper treatment strike a modern and more imposing mask. New tear drop LED’s are a nice touch. Across the rest of the bodywork, the H6 is mostly the same but Haval has adopted the black, 19-inch alloys across all derivatives now. Saffers love black alloys don’t we? These are all shod with run-flat tyres, a choice that Haval says is about safety concerns. At the rear, you’ll note an obvious removal of that LED light bar that used to extend across the whole boot lid, now replaced by split tail light units in between which, bold GWM lettering sits. It’s a strategic educational conundrum of GWM trying to create standalone brands (think Ora, Tank, Haval) that all sit under the GWM umbrella. It will catch on eventually.
Interior Updates
On the interior, the new H6 is offered in a black trim and interior treatment, a considered choice for the market to which H6 is offered. That market is families and new professionals looking for an honest, competent, tech-friendly family car. Drivers are greeted by a thicker rim steering wheel (thank you for listening Haval), as well as a much larger infotainment screen measuring 14,6-inches. Connectivity to your smartphone is now wireless and there’s a notable change in the onboard experience simply by this increase in screen size. Interestingly, the screen is very centred which means, not driver-focused and whilst this is a departure from many other competitors, it didn’t pose any real ergonomic problem. Deeper into the cabin you’ll find a car that is generous on space, practical storage with some 13 different compartments and a quality feel all round. Boot space at 560-litres makes it higher up the food chain in terms of luggage room but one can’t help feel that adding a spare wheel under the boot floor isn’t an unsurmountable change. In South Africa, the run-flat tyre conversation is still somewhat controversial especially with family-focused SUVs. Run flats are less available especially in smaller towns and cities around the country.
Frustrating UX
Where GWM has not listened is in the way of user experience with the touchscreen specifically around climate control and volume controls. Starting with the driver’s controls on the multi-function steering wheel, the selection of volume is as a two-step process that then switches the controls from driver’s display scrolling functions to volume functions. It’s not difficult per se but it’s not a natural action. Volume is an instinctive and quick decision and needs to be as easy as possible. For the passenger, it’s as it was before, which is to say, very poorly considered. To operate volume controls, you can’t be in the Android Auto / CarPlay screen so you need to press the home screen first, pull down from the top of the screen and then select the volume controls for the media of choice. This is cumbersome and an oversight, especially when you have updated the software, the screen and controls. It’s a similar frustration for climate control, where you still need to press buttons below the screen to open the climate control menu to select temperate, Auto on/off or sync functions.
Engines and Driving Impressions
The new H6 is offered with a choice of 2WD and all-wheel drive derivatives with 2,0-litre, turbocharged petrol engines or 1,5-litre turbocharged hybrid engines. The updated 2.0-litre mill hikes power by 20kW to 170kW and torque up by 60Nm to 380. Fuel figures for the 2WD are quoted at 7,4l/100km and the all wheel drive is said to achieve 8,3l/100km. The engine is indeed a little more powerful and peppy without a hint of that throttle calibration issue that plagued the H6 before. Turbo lag is noticeable but expectedly so and the car does feel admirably good to drive both in ride quality and powertrain efficacy. The dual-clutch transmission is excellent, perhaps only hunting for gears when you’re really pressing on but that’s really not what the H6 is about. We didn’t get to experience the HEV vehicles at launch and we’ll report on the new HEV at a later stage when we review the cars in a bit more depth.
On the safety front, a 5-star NCAP rating remains with the H6 still offering a large suite of assistance technology including Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward-Collision Warning; Lane Keep Assistance with steering intervention for accident evasion and turning, just to mention a few.
The H6 range (non GT) now consists of six derivatives starting from R495 500 for the 2.0T Luxury 9DCT. The flagship H6 DHT Ultra Luxury Hybrid is priced at R686 500. Each is offered with a 7Yr/200 000km Warranty and a 7Yr/75 00km Service Plan. On the hybrid models, GWM adds an 8Yr/150 000km warranty on the battery components. All of these warranties are transferable from first owner to the next owners.
H6 is a very impressive offering, bold on design but bold in how it is positioned and supported in the market by an ever-growing 79-strong dealership network and a solidly confident GWM organisation. The car isn’t perfect, but it is certainly a progressive follow-on for what is actually simply, a product update. It should continue to sell well. More on those HEV’s in TopGear SA Magazine very soon.
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