3rd Gen Haval H6: The Game Changer

The Haval H6 is a thing of beauty. It’s a splendidly designed car that looks stunning. It is loaded to the brim with the latest in automotive features and functionality. The Haval H6 has what it takes to rub shoulders with the leading premium segment SUVs in Nepal. More importantly, it is a China-manufactured SUV that's here to flip your preconceived notions about Chinese cars on its head.Chinese car brands have garnered a bad rep for themselves for several reasons. Whatever goodwill they gain from their comparatively cheap prices, they lose out on quality, refinement, and longevity. If you’re wary of cars that come from the land of the Dragon, we wouldn’t blame you. HOWEVER, the Haval H6 makes a strong case for itself as the saviour to the reputation of Chinese vehicles.Haval as a brand is a subsidiary of Great Wall Motors which is the largest SUV and pickup manufacturer in China. Founded in 1984, the company was the first Chinese automotive company to be listed in the Hong Kong H-shares and Shanghai A-shares. The company has more than 100 subsidiaries, over 60,000 employees, with business covering more than 60 countries and regions around the world, total assets of over RMB 150 billion, and sales exceeding one million units for five consecutive years. In 2020, GWM achieved double growth in revenue and net profit, and its operating performance continued to improve, with annual sales of 1,112,000 units, gross revenue of RMB 103.283 billion, and net profit of RMB 5.39 billion. Furthermore, Haval had the number 1 SUV Sales in China for 11 consecutive years (2009-2020) and global sales exceeded 6.5 million units. Haval H6 global sales exceeded 3.5 million units and it ranks the top SUV sales in China for 95 months.Doesn’t seem like the average Chinese manufacturer does it?THE LOOKSYou’d have to have pretty stringent standards to write off the Haval H6 based on just its looks. The Haval H6 is a handsome boy and a large one at that. Dimensions wise the 3^rd Gen Haval H6 stands toe to toe with the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, and the Mazda CX5 so it is pretty hard to miss.Of course, there's more to the Haval H6 than just the size. It is one of the best-looking SUVs in the segment. Since the badge it sports isn't that well recognized, this is a bold claim. However, a lot of the credit goes to former Jaguar Land Rover designer Phil Simmons who is in charge of the styling of the H6. This is the same man who’s behind the designs of the last generation of Range Rovers including the Sport, Evoque, and the Velar.The Haval H6 sports a contemporary design that manages to remain tasteful and sophisticated. They’ve decided to call it the ‘Oriental Futurism’ and it is highlighted by the large, intricate mesh grille upfront which they call the Fangsheng pattern grille (double auspice pattern). There is plenty of chrome usage throughout the H6, most of which you’ll find on the grille. The body-colored bumper does a good job of coalescing the front end of the Haval. The LED headlights are well designed and do a good job of illuminating the roads after dark.Prominent body lines run through the profile and integrate into the rear tail lights. The sharply designed rear quarter windows add to the character of the Haval H6 along with the stylish 19-inch Vortex wheel hub. Around the back, you get horizon LED rear lights that run across the entire tail, a feature that is becoming increasingly popular in cars in recent times. The Haval badge makes its presence felt quite brashly above a chrome belt in the tailgate.It is abundantly clear that the Haval H6 is a well-designed car. There are times when car makers get a little carried away and end up "over-designing" a car, and in the process, lose the air of sophistication. And, with companies trying to outdo one another at every step, it is easy to pile on as design elements that will make the car stand out. However, the fact that the Haval H6 manages to retain a sense of elegance and timelessness despite a list of strong design elements is a testament to the craft of the design team. The exquisite exterior also sets the tone for the interiors of the Haval H6.THE INTERIOR AND SAFETY FEATURESMuch like the exterior, the interior is also tastefully designed. The cabin feels spacious, you get plenty of knee, leg, and headroom for all passengers along with a very comfortable driving position for the person behind the wheels. The large windows, massive panoramic sunroof, and light-coloured interiors add to the open airiness of the Haval H6.The materials used in the interiors help add a sense of luxury to the Haval H6 experience. Soft-touch materials have been generously and smartly used. While the piano black material is a fingerprint magnet, it looks good enough to overlook the hassle of keeping it clean and shiny at all times. In addition to the high-quality materials, the build quality is also reassuringly good.The driver seat gets 8 way electronically adjustable seats. It helps find the perfect position which you can save and access later thanks to the memory function that comes with the settings. You also get ventilated seats which is a blessing in hot summer weather. The three-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in leather; they get the usual buttons to control telephony and audio. Paddle shifters are also available and so is a wireless charging area for your phone above the center console. Rear seat passengers get rear aircon vents along with USB charging ports.Haval hasn't been stingy with the feature list on the H6. You get a massive 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that allows you to play around with the plethora of features and safety features. Apart from the usual audio controls and phone functionality, you get to control the dual-zone air-con from the infotainment system. While you also get physical buttons for the air conditioning, its functionality is limited. If you want to change temperature, switch to recirculated air, or adjust seat heat you'll need to jump to the menus.  The responsiveness of the touchscreen is satisfactory and we didn't run into any troubles.But wait, there's more. The touchscreen infotainment also gives you access to the extensive list of safety features that come with the H6. There's an around-view monitor system that gives you a render of your vehicle along with your surroundings which comes in handy when you’re driving in tight spots or when you’re trying to squeeze into a tricky parking spot. The Haval H6 comes with a fully automatic parking system which means you can let go of the steering wheel and the stress of reversing into a tight spot. Furthermore, the quality of the camera and display can put most other cars even in the segment to shame. Need to engage the Autonomous Emergency Braking? This is where you do it. This function automatically brings your car to a halt when a sudden obstruction (like a pedestrian) comes onto the car’s path.Other safety features come in the form of 6 airbags, Electronic Stability Program, Traction Control System, Roll Movement Intervention, Brake Assist, Hill Decent Control, Hill Assist Control, Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, tyre pressure monitoring, lane keep assist, and more.A really neat feature was the traffic sign recognition function that would identify road signs (like speed limits), and display them on the 10.25-inch virtual instrument cluster for the driver if they happened to miss it. This secondary display is also crisp and very visible, however, it felt like it was overloaded with information. You’re left searching for the information in the clutter, and it takes a little time to get used to. You also get a very useful head-up display.Saying the Haval H6 has a lot of features would be an understatement. The feature and safety list helps establish the H6 as a modern and serious competitor in the SUV segment. Now, the question is, how does it drive?PERFORMANCEThe underpinnings of the Haval H6 gets the rather peculiar ‘LEMON’ name, which stands for Lightweight, Electrification, Multi-purpose, Omni-protection and Network”. We’re sure there were some big heads at work in the Haval headquarters but we definitely think they could have gone with a better name. Regardless of the name, it is a very capable platform that provides the H6 with a surprisingly low 1600kg weight and a nimble character.Under the hood of the Haval H6 is a 2.0 GDIT Engine that produces around 200BHP and 320NM of torque. The numbers translate to a very engaging experience on the road. The rather large frame of the H6 comes to life and makes decent ground on the straights. We never really found any shortcomings in terms of power delivery, whether we were in driving in the city or on the highways. This engine is mated to a slick 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that does its job well.Drive modes for standard, economy, sports, snow, sand, off-road, plus separate Light, Mid, and Sport weight settings for the steering, are available if you'd like to customize your driving. The steering felt adequately weighted and provided decent feedback. The nimble chassis made driving fun as the H6 maneuvered with surprising agility. Having said that, it might not be the dream driving experience for auto-enthusiasts, but for the average person, the drive quality is more than satisfactory. Road undulations are comfortably dealt with and the NVH levels were at a minimum providing a supple and calming driving experience.The H6 also gets a BorgWarner Haldex V all-wheel-drive system with a lockable 50:50 torque-split capability. While we didn’t take it on any serious off-roading endeavors, we were sufficiently impressed with the little rough-road driving that we did manage to do.VERDICTIf it wasn't already obvious, we'll go ahead and say it out loud. The Haval H6 impressed us. Straight off the bat, you can tell that the design language is a far cry from the overworked and low-quality styling that has been prevalent in Chinese cars in the past. It is new, it is fresh, and it is stunning. And what it promises with the design, it backs up with features and performance. Attention to detail and safety is at par with other cars in the segment, maybe even better.Now, to address the elephant in the room: how "Chinese" is it? We are certain many people have preconceived notions about Chinese manufactured cars. However, the Haval H6 has flipped the script.We honestly believe the Haval H6 breaks the mold when it comes to Chinese manufactured cars. While we can't make any guarantees on longevity at the moment, the Haval H6 has plenty of things that make us feel optimistic. The H6 feels well made, it doesn't feel like it's going to rattle all over a year after you've started driving it.  Furthermore, the feature list and driving performance are great, and it feels like the car works a lot harder to give you more bang for your buck than other cars in the segment.It's difficult to remember the last time we were this dazzled with a car that comes from a Chinese manufacturer. The Haval H6 has set new standards, and it looks like it is definitely set on the right path.Scroll below for the latest pricing of Haval SUVs in Nepal[table id=98 /]