2022 GWM Haval H6 Ultra AWD turbo-petrol review

Offerings from Chinese brands like GWM Haval are fast climbing up the sales charts in Australia and, of those, the H6 mid-sized SUV is proving to be one of the most popular, with buyers attracted to the value-for-money proposition.

While the H6 is not yet causing sleepless nights for the best-selling contenders in this busy segment, such as the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander or Mazda CX-5, it has already outgunned established models like the Ford Escape, Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan (though the supply crisis continues to make sales data difficult to interpret).

With a premium cabin experience and plenty of safety kit tucked away inside too, the H6 has the potential to cause concern for closer competitors such as the Honda CR-V and upcoming Nissan X-Trail and – with some improvements to its driving dynamics – it could catch up to the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson in the long run.

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Pricing and features

The basics

The 2022 Haval H6 comes in four grades, starting with the entry-level Premium priced from $33,990 drive-away.

The range then moves up to the mid-spec Lux from $36,990 and finishing up with the Ultra and Ultra Hybrid, which cost from $39,990 and $45,990 respectively. All prices are drive-away.

The Ultra we have here costs $43,485 drive-away, because it comes with all-wheel drive and is coated in $495 worth of Energy Green premium paint. There are also four other optional colour choices, with just Hamilton white offered free.

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Being a top-spec grade, the H6 Ultra has all the bells and whistles and doesn’t really want for anything, packing in a lot of kit for under $40K if you skip the posh paint and opt for the front-wheel drive version.

To get roughly the same amount of kit in a rival such as the Kia Sportage GT-Line or Hyundai Tucson Highlander you’d be looking at upwards of $54K for one with all-wheel drive.

For the money, in the H6 Ultra you get as standard: a powered tailgate, electric seats for both the driver and front passenger – which are heated and ventilated – a heated steering wheel, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control, heated wing mirrors, eight speakers for the audio system and a head-up display.

It also has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on a nice big 12.3-inch screen, versus the 10.25-inch unit found in lower-spec variants.

The infotainment system, accessed via said 12.3-inch touch screen, is simple to use if a little basic in its functions.

Slightly awkward is that contained within the menus are things such as the heated seats and heated steering wheel – as well as the driving modes – which would all be better as physical buttons, as accessing them on the go is fiddly and distracting.

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Other niggles include the positioning of the two front USB ports, which are located low down on either side of the centre console near your feet – with the one that operates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the passenger’s side rather than the driver’s (likely a hangover from the conversion to right-hand-drive for the Australian market) and, though the doors are keyless, they don’t offer a touch lock/unlock function.

Better news comes from a sunroof so big it spans almost the entire length of the car, drenching the cabin in sunlight, and an impressively clear and feature-packed 360-degree camera system that makes parking a doddle.

As range-topper, the H6 Ultra has GWM Haval's full safety tech suite.

Key safety features for the 2022 Haval H6 include adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert and braking, intelligent cornering control, front and rear parking assist, forward collision warning, lane-keep/centre/departure assistance and blind-spot monitoring to name just a few.

Additionally, the Haval H6 has a five-star safety rating, awarded by ANCAP in 2022.

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Comfort and space

The interior of the H6 looks and feels premium. From the second you get in, you’re immersed in a cabin that on the surface appears to punch well above its weight for the price point.

GWM Haval’s leather-like Comfortek upholstery wraps the seats and major touch surfaces. Front occupants are treated to seat heating and ventilation but, to us, the cushioning feels a little too firm.

The 12.3-inch touchscreen is very on-trend and sits in the centre of the dash, with a floating centre console that sits snugly in between the driver and front passenger providing lots of space.

A cubby bin underneath has ample room for a small handbag or wallet, which is handy for stopping them from rolling around on the passenger seat or in the footwell.

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Rear occupants get a pretty good deal too with heaps of legroom, an almost flat floor thanks to a low transmission tunnel that really opens up the space, two USB-A ports, air vents, privacy glass and map pockets on both sides.

The seats are nice and deep too, meaning little ones can rest their feet on the edge while sitting in a child seat rather than have them dangle down, a plus for child comfort.

Only super-tight space in the door cards lets the rear of the H6 down; there’s not even enough room for a small drink bottle as only one of those silly teeny tiny airline-sized ones containing barely a few gulps will fit.

Rear occupants get a pretty good deal too with heaps of legroom and an almost flat floor that really opens up the space

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The doors themselves hold themselves open on an incline and provide a wide aperture for getting things such as child seats – or small people – in and out.

A pair of ISOFIX points for installing said seats are easy to locate and click in, and access to top tether anchorages via the incredibly cavernous boot is good too.

2022 Haval H6 boot space

Offering 600 litres of capacity with the second row up and 1485L with it folded down, the Haval H6's boot space is a real selling point of this car. A glance over the shoulder from the back seat gives the impression it goes on for miles.

It easily beats the HS, X-Trail and Sportage too – their respective boot capacities being 463L, 565L and 543L – although the Sportage bests the H6 with the seats down at 1829L.

It's also significantly more space than you'll find in the coupe-style H6 GT, which shrinks to 392 litres as a result of the more dramatically sloped rear end.

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On the road

With the exception of the Hybrid, each H6 trim grade is available with the same 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with either two- or all-wheel drive.

Our Ultra on test here is the AWD version, with power and torque rated at 150kW and 320Nm respectively.

The 2.0-litre is eager, providing a noticeable – but not unpleasant – induction rasp and making the H6 surprisingly quick for a car of its size and road presence.

Its healthy torque figure helps make overtaking a breeze, and it can haul a full load of people and their possessions with little impact on performance.

There’s a bit of turbo lag when moving away from the lights on occasion, though the bigger issue is that the idle-stop/start system can be reluctant to get going again.

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The transmission is a little unwilling to shift quickly, especially in manual mode, where it feels like you can count more than a second between some downshifts.

The rotary dial used to control it is also a bit finicky because it doesn’t solidly click into place as others do, instead performing like a toggle used to flick through menu options, meaning you have to really check what gear you’re in before trying to move away.

In contrast, the H6’s steering is more than capable, with no real evidence of dead spots, and its weight can be adjusted via a function buried in the touchscreen menus.

We found Light mode is a bit too, well, light for our liking and while Sport is responsive without being too heavily weighted, we spent most of our time in Comfort.

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There are also four regular driving modes; Normal, Eco, Sport and Snow. An additional two for the AWD Ultra – and slightly more Aussie-appropriate than Snow – are Off-road and Sand.

We didn’t take the H6 away from sealed roads during our time with it, but even on normal driving surfaces, the AWD and Hankook rubber combo offers decent grip. The suspension is soft and comfortable, only slightly unsettled on poor-quality roads.

Fuel economy for the 2022 Haval H6 Ultra AWD is rated at 8.2L/100km, which is adequate for an all-wheel-drive vehicle of its size, and we slightly bested that during our test with a result of 8.1L/100km.

By comparison, the front-wheel drive Haval H6 is claimed to use 7.4L/100km.

If fuel efficiency is important to you, there's an Ultra Hybrid variant available with 5.2L/100km consumption. This drivetrain also brings more power and torque, though a trade-off is losing all-wheel drive, as it powers the front wheels only.

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Ownership

Like all GWM products, the 2022 Haval H6 Ultra has a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, five years of roadside assistance and five years of capped-price servicing.

Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km – except for the first year which is 10,000km – with pricing as below:

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VERDICT

For a practical family hauler, it doesn’t do much wrong.

Being fully loaded with desirable features, a premium-feeling cabin, lots of safety tech and all this for a lower price than many of its rivals, the GWM Haval H6 Ultra would fit in very well with families who want creature comforts and need extra space.

Throw in the seven-year warranty and some very affordable servicing costs, and the H6 could start to look even more tempting for those who prioritise long-term ownership and value for money over driving performance. Even in that regard, the H6 confidently stands its ground.

It may not be the segment leader by a long shot, but should the H6 be on the shopping list? Absolutely. For a practical family hauler, it doesn’t do much wrong.

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Haval H6 Ultra turbo petrol AWD specifications