Haval H2: new kid on the block has a lot to offer

By Miles Downard

Haval, for those who don’t know, is the SUV arm of Great Wall Motors (or GWM as its more commonly known). The brand was introduced to South Africa in mid-2017 as something of a rebranding for the company’s passenger car range. The GWM nameplate remains with its commercial bakkies, while Haval now has an array of SUVs on offer.

This H2 model is a compact SUV playing in the highly competitive segment, with big names like the Ford Ecosport, Renault’s Captur and the Suzuki Vitara.

On the outside

I think Haval has done well with the styling. The H2 looks modern, with it’s LED running lights and limited chrome accents, but doesn’t stand out too much. Relatively young carmakers often fall into the trap of trying to be flamboyant, which one could argue GWM has fallen for in the past. The H2 however blends in better, which means it’ll have greater appeal to buyers.

On the inside

In my mind this is one of the biggest surprises from the H2. The interior is remarkably well laid out and has a genuine feel of quality to it. Nothing rattles about and none of the plastics feel any worse than its competitors (in fact better in same cases). The seats themselves are quite comfortable even on a longer trip and there’s plenty space front, rear and in the boot for four people and their luggage.

Then there’s the amount of kit you get. In this top level Luxury model you get everything but the kitchen sink. Tyre pressure monitors, reverse camera with park distance control, dual zone climate control, sunroof, auto headlights and wipers, keyless go, electric seats, loads of airbags and so the list goes on.

If there are downsides they are limited. The touch screen infotainment system is a bit complex for my liking, almost like its been made too techy and some callers said the Bluetooth hands free system had an echo making it difficult to hear me talking.

Behind the wheel

Under the bonnet lies a 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol unit. It’s good for 105kW and just over 200 torques, which will whisk the 1.5 ton H2 around town with a fair amount of ease. Maintaining the highway regulated speed limit is less simple however. With the cruise control set to a comfortable pace the automatic six speed gearbox needs to drop gears and really get the revs going to maintain 120km/h on the uphill. At that point engine noise fills the cabin as you’d expect. Aside it’s a perfectly comfortable and capable car on the roads.

Pricing

The Haval H2 kicks things off at R244,900 and ends at R309,900 for the Luxury model tested. That’s about the same range as its competitors mentioned earlier only the H2 is offering more standard equipment.

Verdict

As is always the case with relatively new carmakers in the market, it will take some time for Haval to become a name the public trust. And that process will happen through providing a good product and great sales and after sales service. The H2 definitely ticks the first of those boxes, and from what I’ve seen and heard the service is top notch too.

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