Launch review: Haval H6 GT
Cape Town: It has been a good few months for Chinese brand Haval. Its sales graph is showing a steady upward trend, its cars are being well received by the public and now it has a sporty car in the mix.
The Haval H6 GT provides a twist to the standard H6 and adds to its range of SUVs, with some flashy design elements and a bit more power under the bonnet.
Its coupé-styled design (although it has four doors,) with a sloping roofline, aero side skirts and visual accents, adds a bit more street credibility to the H6 GT even though, in essence, it’ remains a family-orientated vehicle.
The 2.0-litre turbo petrol mill has been tweaked to provide 155kW and 325Nm. It is coupled to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, with a torque-on-demand 4WD system.
In days gone by, you had to do some serious manual engine and exhaust management if you wanted your car to sound a bit like a street racer but, nowadays, simple software updates on your car easily takes care of that. It means the H6 GT is the first Haval in the country to have a ‘Race Mode’ option which, apart from significantly tightening up throttle and transmission response, provides an exhaust note to match.
The Haval H6 GT has an eye-catching design that sets it apart from its sibling, with wheel arch cladding, gloss black accents, rear and front carbon fibre inserts, roof-mounted spoiler and lip spoiler, gloss-back roof rails, an aerodynamic kit with side skirts and rear diffuser rounded off with 19-inch gloss black alloys with lime green brake callipers.
The interior isn’t too shabby either. The finishing is top-class, with green trimming and stitching with Alcantara inserts and soft touch surfaces providing a comfortable and premium place to spend time.
The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster provides a clear picture of everything you need to know and can be set according to your liking. The 12.3-inch touch-screen infotainment system may be a tad delayed with its responses, but the graphics are some of the sharpest on the market, never mind the price point.
It’s also the place where the various menu settings can be found. Fitted with almost every active and passive safety feature known to man as standard, it’s going to take some time to sort, with beeps, peeps and gongs often going off frequently during our test drive.
The lane departure is aggressive and after scrolling through various menus, we managed to switch it off but couldn’t find the option to set it a little less in your face.
We started our drive around the Cape Peninsula, starting at Chapman’s Peak Drive in “Normal Mode” and because it’s a GT, we quickly found the “Race” button on the screen. Apart from the exhaust note, it produced a significant difference in the driving dynamics.
It’s not the quickest off the mark but it progressively accelerates through the rev-range with ease. Giving it some speed through the corners, it sits nicely between the white lines, without too much body roll but we did find the steering somewhat vague. Given its target market, this shouldn't be a deal-breaker.
In “Race Mode”, the accelerator is extremely sensitive and, given the amount of traffic once we hit the built-up areas, becomes almost erratic in its gear changes, so we opted for “Sport” which is less enthusiastic. As an owner, “Normal” would be best, even if it did feel a little lethargic on pull away which, in manic Sea Point Thursday afternoon traffic, isn’t really an issue.
The chassis, suspension and tyre combination provides a decent ride quality over bumps and around corners. Apart from the engine drone when pressed hard, interior noise levels are impressive.
I don’t know whether it’s a fuel or a calibration issue but consumption on most Chinese imports tends to be thirsty. We averaged 11.6l/100km, with not too much enthusiastic driving. I reckon you’re unlikely to get it below 9.5l/100km with everyday commuting.
Still, Haval’s first foray into the sport SUV space is a good one; it's an exciting and affordable option over the myriad vanilla options out there. It’s easy to live with and is fitted with a list of impressive features and technology which ill keep those sales graphs on the up and up.
The Haval H6 GT comes with a five-year/100 000km warranty and a five-year/60 000km service plan. Pricing for the regular H6 range starts at R479 950. The new GT model sells for R629 950.