Haval H6 HEV: pros and cons

The Great Wall Motor (GWM) Haval H6 hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) entered the Philippine market at a time when the electrified market segment began to ramp up. 

As such, it sits in a good position to overtake its rivals, such as the Toyota RAV4 HEV, Honda CR-V RS e: HEV, GAC Emkoo Hybrid, and the BYD Sealion 6. 

But for car buyers seriously considering the GWM hybrid, the question now is: what are its greatest strengths? Also, does it have any weaknesses one should take note of? Let’s find out here. 

Pros

Abundant in safety features

The GWM Haval H6, specifically its top-spec Supreme variant, boasts a great deal of passive and active safety features. 

For this standard kit, the model gets a total of six airbags, anti-lock braking, electronic stability control, hill-descent control, hill-start assist, traction control, tire pressure monitoring, a 360-degree view monitor, speed-sensing door locks, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and an event data recorder - among others. 

The aforementioned safety bits are further reinforced by several advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) listed here: 

• Adaptive cruise control
• Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
• Blind-spot detection with rear-cross traffic alert
• Cross-traffic automatic braking
• Intelligent cornering control
• Lane keep assist
• Lane departure warning
• Lane change assist
• Rear collision warning
• Traffic jam assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Emergency lane keep assist
• Overspeed alarm

In addition, the vehicle has several functions that are only activated during a crash. Specifically, it can automatically cut off its fuel supply line and unlock its doors in the event of an accident. 

Well-equipped cabin

Besides its comprehensive safety kit, the H6 HEV also offers its occupants a plentiful amount of creature comforts. 

For starters, all of the GWM crossover’s seats and most of its dash are clad in soft and supple leather. Occupants of the ride are also kept cool by a dual-zone automatic climate control system, and both front seats come with a ventilation function as well. 

Finding one’s preferred driving position is also easy aboard the H6, thanks to its eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and its tilt and telescopic steering column. 

Other driving and convenience features of the hybrid five-seater include the following:

• Wireless smartphone charging pad
• USB ports
• 12-volt power outlet
• Push-to-start button
• Automatic anti-glare rear-view mirror
• Power tailgate
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Electronic parking brake
• Dial-type gear selector
• Drive mode selector

Not to be outdone by its tech-heavy rivals, the H6 HEV received a sizable 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The said screen is linked to an eight-piece speaker system, and it can link with smartphones through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto or Bluetooth. 

The driver, on the other hand, gets to use a 10.25-inch instrument cluster and a heads-up display. 

Slick exterior styling

The exterior of the Haval H6 HEV was clearly designed to give off a good mix of sleekness and sportiness. 

At the fore, the hybrid model wears the intricately patterned Star Matrix grille, which is clad with a unique chromium finish. Flanking the aforementioned piece is a pair of sharp-looking LED headlamp clusters. Positioned lower on the front fascia, meanwhile, are distinctive-looking air vents. 

From the side, the vehicle showcases an elegant silhouette combined with a lot of visually appealing character lines. Added style is given by a subtle amount of chrome surrounding its window line. Plus, the top-spec trim rides on a set of stylish 19-inch wheels. 

The rear section of the crossover also gets added style points due to its roof-mounted spoiler, LED taillight bar, and chrome finishes for its trunk door trim and badges. 

Peppy powertrain

One of the key strengths of the GWM Haval H6 HEV is its powertrain. 

Consisting of a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-banger and an electric motor, the five-seater ride’s hybrid system can generate a total of 240 horsepower (hp) and 530 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque. 

The said engine output makes the vehicle one of the most powerful compact crossovers within its price range. 

To put it into perspective, the BYD Sealion 6 can produce 214 hp and 325 Nm of torque, while the Honda CR-V RS e:HEV can dish out 184 hp and 335 Nm of torque. So far, the only similarly sized rival that can match its engine output is the 238-hp GAC Emkoo Hybrid.

Cons

Air-conditioning could use physical controls

As established above, the H6 HEV offers a great amount of creature comforts. Its climate control system, however, can only be controlled via its central touchscreen display. 

Sure, minimizing the number of physical buttons inside a car can do wonders for packaging and make its center console look neat. On the flip side, having the vehicle’s air-conditioning controls tied to a screen will require a driver to momentarily shift his eyes away from the road just to fiddle with temperature or fan speed settings. 

Final thoughts

With its amount of features and its notably powerful hybrid system, the GWM Haval H6 HEV provides great value for its would-be buyers. Then again, folks who are serious about getting this model should give it a test drive first.  

Model	Haval H6 Max	Haval H6 Supreme
Exterior
Dimensions (LXWXH, in mm)	4,653x1,886x1,730
Wheelbase (mm)	2,738
Wheel size	18-inch	19-inch
Lighting system	LED
Interior
Material	Leather
Amenities	Eight-way power- adjustable driver’s seat Tilt and telescopic steering column Ventilated front seats Dual-zone automatic climate control 12-volt accessory outlet USB ports	Eight-way power- adjustable driver’s seat Tilt and telescopic steering column Ventilated front seats Dual-zone automatic climate control 12-volt accessory outlet USB ports Wireless smartphone charger Heads-up display
Instrument cluster	10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
Infotainment system	10.25-inch touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto	12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Seating capacity	5	5
Powertrain
Engine	1.5-liter turbocharged hybrid system
Fuel type	Gasoline
Transmission	Dedicated hybrid transmission
Horsepower	240
Torque	530 Newton-meters
Brakes	Front and rear disc brakes
Technology
ADAS	Adaptive cruise control Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection Blind-spot detection with rear-cross traffic alert Cross-traffic automatic braking Intelligent cornering control Lane keep assist Lane departure warning Lane change assist Rear collision warning Traffic jam assist Traffic sign recognition	Adaptive cruise control Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection Blind-spot detection with rear-cross traffic alert Cross-traffic automatic braking Intelligent cornering control Lane keep assist Lane departure warning Lane change assist Rear collision warning Traffic jam assist Traffic sign recognition Emergency lane keep assist Overspeed alarm
Safety	Six airbags Anti-lock braking Electronic stability control Hill descent control Hill-start assist Traction control Tire pressure monitoring ISOFIX child seat anchors 360-degree view camera
Security	Car alarm Engine immobilizer Event data recorder
Price	P1.788 million	P1.908 million

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