The Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid offers excellent value for budget-conscious buyers, especially families. Photos: File.
Someone at Haval headquarters in China needs to jump on a plane to Australia.
The local operation is doing nicely, and its front-line H6 looks good, but more work is needed.
If Haval wants to be more than just a price-fighter brand that also sells thanks to a long warranty, it needs to get serious about some upgrading work. That means more engineering and, as Hyundai and Kia have done so successfully, tuning and development work in and for Australian conditions.
The H6 Ultra Hybrid already ticks a lot of boxes for a growing number of people, but if they do a proper cross-shop against its rivals then it’s easy to find the flaws.
Taking the good stuff first, the Ultra Hybrid is loaded with the right technology, is sized right for families, and is good value at $45,990 drive-away. The price is a $6000 premium over the regular H6, but it’s the fully loaded model and compared with the top-selling Toyota RAV4 Hybrid – which has one of the longest wait times in Australia – it looks pretty good.
It’s roomy for a family, vision is excellent and the list of standard equipment is impressive. Apart from the regular safety equipment for a five-star ANCAP rating, it gets everything from a 12.3-inch infotainment screen to a sunroof, electric rear door, wireless phone charging, heated and cooled front seats, LED headlights and fake-leather seat trim.
It’s an excellent-value package, without the hybrid drive, for a family shopping on a budget and looking to undercut the RAV or similarly sized SUVs.
But things are not so good on the driving front, and the infotainment system needs to be better, which is why Haval needs to do more competitive research in Australia. The infotainment relies on a cable, at a time when other brands are wireless for CarPlay, and the menu system is clunky.
The camera views are good for parking, and the screen is big, but it looks and feels a generation behind its rivals. It’s the same with the driving experience, although fuel economy of around 6.5 litres/100 km in the real world – on 91 unleaded – is appealing.
The car clunks and jumps at times when shifting in the Park-Drive-Reverse gears, the take-off can be clunky, and there is more engine noise than usual for a hybrid.
The H6 can also be noisy at highway speeds, and the safety assistance systems can be intrusive. The steering feel is ”woolly” and the lane-keep assistance is intrusive and clunky.
The performance is impressive, but on a slick or bumpy road, there is wheelspin – which should be eliminated by traction control. And the anti-lock braking system is also noisy and violent.
Overall, it’s a coarse package that needs smoothing and improving for Australia. It is not impossible to get the right result, but it’s still some way in the future. So the Haval Ultra Hybrid is good but not great and that will be good enough for a lot of shoppers who see impressive things in the showroom and love the value.
HAVAL H6 ULTRA HYBRID
Position: electric family SUV
Price: from $45,990 drive-away
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo petrol four with hybrid
Power: 179kW/530Nm
Transmission: two-speed, front-wheel drive
Plus: roomy, well equipped and good value
Minus: needs work
THE TICK: Fine for budget buyers
Score: 6/10
