With the new H6 HEV, Haval responds to critics who point to the product's high fuel consumption as a reason not to buy it. But GWM offers a solution, Combining a turbocharged petrol engine with electrification and that stops many a sceptic in their tracks.
The Philippines has sat up and taken notice of the more recent onslaught from companies like Chery and Haval, but not without encountering the same level of cynicism regarding their quality and longevity. Haval is undoubtedly dedicated to serving Filipino consumers, and it keeps improving by providing goods that are beginning to worry more established businesses.
Their most recent flurry of products fill market voids despite being priced at significantly different ends of the spectrum. With its hybrid drivetrain and lower operating costs, the H6 HEV provides a more environmentally conscientious approach while adding a little spice and performance to the proceedings.
Exterior:
The H6 HEV immediately is a looker. A stylish and intricate front-end treatment. LED headlights rest above a reverse element grille where the chrome detail elements extend outward from the grille and filter into the bumper itself. A large, lower, trapezoidal air dam is flanked by fog lamps and attractive black canards mimicked down the side of the vehicle underneath the wing mirrors.
Interior:
The H6 performs admirably in terms of presentation. From the slick-looking screens to the minimalist dashboard and cool ambient lighting that oozes through the dashboard, it has serious showroom appeal.
The material quality is likewise high, with soft-touch trim on the dashboard and doors. It's also on the sides of the centre console, near where your knee would rest.
The most bothersome part of the interior is the infotainment system. The sleek, minimalist dashboard design was achieved by removing much of the actual hardware, leaving you to sift through touchscreen menus to manage things such as turning on the ventilated seats or changing the drive mode. The lack of native speech prompts also makes it difficult to modify settings.
You can personalise a pull-down menu with your favourite shortcuts, but for some reason, we were unable to add critical features such as ventilated front seat controls. This forces you to sift through menus to enable or deactivate things that, in most cars, are activated or deactivated by pressing a single physical button. you do get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in both variants of the H6 HEV and they work flawlessly.
Engine and Performance:
The H6 Hybrid is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine teamed with a two-speed 130kW electric motor, a 1.8kWh battery pack and a two-speed ‘Direct Hybrid Transmission’. Total output is 243HP and 530Nm of torque. This is enough to propel the HEV to 100 km/h from a standstill in only 8.5 seconds and is enough to have the traction control light flashing like a strobe.
It even has launch control!! Not necessary but the GWM guys sure do have a great sense of humour!
It's safe to assume that many Filipinos who have driven hybrids in the past have only done so with Toyotas. The Haval H6 will feel very different. Unlike Toyota's hybrids, which start virtually silently and run on EV power until the petrol engine kicks up, the Haval H6 will cut in and out of EV mode even at high speeds. I saw it going at speeds of up to 90km/h without the fuel engine running, for example.
I also found the H6 ‘right-sized’ for city use. This is an easy-going drive, helped by that refined powertrain, while it rides okay for the most part but can thump over big bumps. The steering is overly assisted (even in its Sport setting which is quite unsettling but it keeps you in lane).
With the H6 HEV being marketed as a luxury car and the designation "Ultra Luxury," I was expecting a comfortable, supple ride from the HEV. I was not disappointed, and despite the enormous wheels and tyres, the suspension's overall compliance was outstanding. Vehicles with smoother rides are available, but not at this pricing. I was truly astounded by how nicely the experts were able to tune the suspension. A few other 'luxury' brands may want to take heed in this area.
Safety and Practicality:
The Haval H6 can comfortably accommodate up to five passengers and a trunk space capacity up to 600L with the seats upright. When it comes to its practicality and safety, the H6 is loaded with tons of them. It comes with adaptive cruise control, intelligent cruise assist, lane-keeping assist, 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, and automatic emergency braking that can identify pedestrians, vehicles, and bikers around you as you drive. Getting the higher variant of the H6 also provides you with more features like intelligent dodge, emergency lane-keeping assist, and automatic parking assist. With all these features, the H6 can actually be a very practical car to use for your everyday driving adventures especially because it is a hybrid.
Verdict:
GWM Haval H6 DHT Max variant
Overall, it’s a very good SUV, surprisingly so, as I’ve said, that’s comfortable, easy enough to drive and decently capable on the road. It’s got good tech, offering heaps of room and exceptional value for money. Sure it may take a while to adjust to the new tech in the car but once you do, you'll appreciate the small things it does for you.
I spent a week with the Haval H6 HEV and was pleasantly surprised by what it has to offer. It left me speechless. I then asked to borrow the top-spec ‘Supreme’ variant (comes with auto parking assist and wireless charging) a couple of weeks after and that just got me lusting even more for this car.
It's well trimmed, and the apparent quality is excellent. GWM has undoubtedly come a long way in this regard. The outstanding suspension, gearbox, and drivetrain made driving the H6 a delight. GWM did a great job when it comes to its change in power source because once it does change, you won’t feel a thing. You won’t even recognize that you’re using the electric motor or the petrol engine as you drive it around.
No journey was too far away, and I rarely had to worry about running out of gas. The H6 HEV is the answer that Haval enthusiasts have been searching for, specially with a great price point. Getting out of the H6 and into another car felt like a downgrade. I’m gonna have to say it, the GWM Haval H6 HEV might just be the best car in it’s segment but it is definitely my new favourite daily.
Price:
GWM Haval H6 HEV DHT MAX: ₱1,788,000.00
GWM Haval H6 HEV DHT Supreme: ₱1,888,000