THE 2021 Haval H6 Lux has a little something for everyone. Tested here in front-wheel drive (2WD) form, this mid-sized SUV is packed full of standard features, delivers a comfortable ride, and completes the package with its uniquely striking looks.
Since first hitting our shores in 2015, GWM Haval Group (formerly Great Wall Motor) have set themselves a high benchmark; to dominate the Australian SUV market. Six years on and they continue to produce quality vehicles, with very competitive price tags.
The big, bold and beautiful H6 Lux is no exception. Wannabe rappers will be envious with that bling front grille. It’ll make Cyclops (X-Men reference for the nerds) blush with the rear LED taillights, and there’s those big flared wheel arches.
The sporty front, elegant body and spatial ergonomic seating in the H6 offers high class elegance without the European origins. LED headlights, LED front and rear fog lights, DRL’s and 18-inch rims wrapped in Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 tyres, complete the look.
Inside the H6, we are spoilt with Comfort-Tek leather seat trim (it’s artificial, but you don’t have to tell anyone), a powered driver’s seat (sorry to all the co-pilots out there), front seat heating, leather steering wheel, and privacy tint.
There’s one-touch windows for all, and dual 10.25-inch screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment system. It’s always a thrill when a car has more than a pair of cup holders, and the H6 delivers on that front too.
Our back-seat squad were well sorted as they receive a set in their bonus centre arm rest. And in true Demtel fashion (Google Tim Shaw steak knives) we say “but wait, there’s more” – with door storage, back seat pockets, and dual USB charging ports back there.
But there’s still more, including air conditioning vents business class ‘style’ seating for both the small and tall; which means all the essentials are ticked no matter the length of your journey.
Now while it doesn’t come with that free set of steak knives, it does give you plenty of load space, with 600-litres when the second row seats are up, and 1,485 when they’re down. There’s even hidden space under the boot floor.
Okay, enough sounding like an 80s advert. On to some serious discussion about what’s missing. The interior presents as sleek and classy, until you begin to notice the lack of push button technology.
Whether you wish to adjust the climate control, engage one of the four driving modes, heat your seats or even turn off intelligent stop-start, everything must be done via the infotainment touchscreen.
This can lead to frustration and a potential incident if someone inexperienced with the Haval H6 attempts to navigate the infotainment system while driving. There isn’t even a volume knob to crank up the tunes.
Other than being the command centre for the majority of the H6’s functionalities, the infotainment platform includes AM/FM radio, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is unavailable at this time).
The H6 boasts 150kW of power and 320Nm of torque for its 2.0-litre turbocharged set-up, paired with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. It goes pretty well too. Claimed fuel consumption is 7.4-litres/100km. We managed 10.8-litres/100km.
It has a 2,000kg braked towing capacity. On the road, once you’ve gotten used to its size and driver visibility, the H6 offers a smooth, comfortable drive. You should familiarise yourself with the instrument cluster though as it can feel quite congested.
Like many other brands, Haval have adopted the rotary dial gear shifter and again, like many others, it can feel quite laggy at times. From a standstill, it could leave you blushing.
That’ll either be because you’re holding up traffic from the gradual feed of power, or you’ve managed to break traction, having awoken the beast, leaving some Hankook sponsored tread marks.
Once, you’ve figure out how to access the drive modes, you can choose from Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow. There are also three separate steering wheel settings, including Light, Mid and Sport.
The default options (Normal/Mid) are sufficient for the majority of your driving. The suspension will play knock, knock over the odd bump, however on average the ride was ‘just right’; not too stiff and with minimal travel.
Cabin noise is surprisingly quiet. Unless you’re blasting your favourite playlist through the six speaker DTS sound system like we were, then it’s quite an impressive auditory experience (note: the desire for a subwoofer is strong).
On the safety front, the new H6 is yet to be rated, but considering its H2 and H9 siblings have a 5-star ANCAP rating, we are fairly confident this mid-sized SUV will follow suit. It has seven airbags and a host of technology to keep you on the straight and narrow.
These include forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, lane centre keeping, automatic emergency braking, and traffic sign recognition, among many others.
We feel compelled to give special mention to the H6’s 360-degree camera system too. The picture is crisp and clear, with multiple angles in 2D and 3D views. It’s super impressive and the user friendliness makes parking an absolute breeze.
Our 2021 Haval H6 Lux was painted in Sapphire Blue, but you can also choose from Hamilton White, Ayers Grey, Golden Black, Energy Green or Burgundy Red. It’s great for those who want a lot for little.
Backed by a 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty, the H6 also comes with 5-years roadside assist and 5-years capped price servicing. It hits the road in this form, from $33,990 drive away.
Our test vehicle was provided by GWM Haval Australia. To find out more about the 2021 Haval H6 Lux, contact your local GWM Haval dealership.
Very compelling value proposition I must admit!
No mention if it is 2wd or 4wd. No mention about reliability and dealer support, topics which must be addressed by made in China cars which are attractive on price.
Additional from James Millar — how come these China built cars are scoring higher than Korean and Japanese cars which have proven reliability scores whereas China cars are unrated. And warranty issues, how are they being handled by Chinese makers and distributors? These are essential information for potential buyers, particularly those on limited budgets.
Frankly, the scores do not match the reviews at all.
Hi James,
Apologies, you are right I didn’t go too much into the H6’s drivetrain specifics, noted.
I did however mention the dealership support and warranty/roadside periods. The coverage period alone should be substantial enough to solidify a decision.
Reliability factors could only be addressed over lengthy ownership periods. Like anything new, one can only speak of one’s experiences.
Thank you for the feedback.
The H6 we reviewed is FWD.
The AWD variant is the Ultra.
H6 Review
Having owned the 2021 H6 Ultra 4×4 (manufactured Sept 21, delivered Nov 21) for almost six months, I can add the following with confidence:
1. The loss of traction at quick take-off is definitely a 2WD issue, there’s minimal spin even when you put your foot down with the 4WD.
2. Ride is 7/10, I would put the RAV4 at 8-9/10. While it is great on freeways and suburbia, winding country roads are another story. The car lacks certainty when driving along somewhat rougher winding roads, somewhat vague (combination of steering and suspension – firm and bouncy).
3. Stereo is absolutely rubbish. DTS setting is the worst, sounds tinny, you have to spend at least an hour to go through somewhat different genre of music to manually adjust the stereo to your liking. Latest CarPlay firmware upgrade did however improve the sound (DTS still sounded the same). Additionally, no matter what volume the stereo is, every song starts at FULL blast for a microsecond.
4. The Cruise Control (both Radar and Traffic) was dangerous to say the least, until they upgraded the software for that a couple of months ago. If you’re an H6 owner, talk to your dealer about upgrading the firmware to fix the cruise control issue. Basically, you’re driving along the Hume Highway at 110km/h on cruise control and there’s a slight curve in the road, the car would slam the brakes and drop to 100km/h or less within a second to keep it in the lane while negotiating the curve, possibly getting you rear-ended by one of those enthusiastic semi-trailers riding right your arse. Since the upgrade, the variance in speed is minimal and not as frightful.
5. CarPlay and Android Auto would constantly disconnect. This is also fixed by having the stereo software updated.
6. Rear wiper water pump is somewhat noisy.
7. They could definitely have had included Temp +/- and Volume +/- included in the button panel beneath the Touchscreen. It is very hard to control the temperature while driving, as the +/- are very sensitive and if you miss the right icon, the screen takes you to Climate Control App. You can slide the Temp Bar up or down, but again, you have to be looking at it to know where to put your finger. With a physical button, you only need to glance at where it is and once the finger is on it, it’s way easier to control. Volume control on the steering wheel means the passenger has no control of the volume.
8. 360 Camera is extremely well resolution-wise.
9. The sensors stop the car from hitting another vehicle or object if you manage to ignore the ‘annoying’ beeps and it detects you are accelerating instead of braking as you get closer. 10/10.
10. Self Parking in the Ultra is too slow and I only used it once, as it holds up traffic and sometimes misses a parking spot. Only good for trying out in a no-traffic car park area.
Apart from above, I find the car to be extremely well built, haven’t had any issues apart from the two firmware updates (which were ready soon after I took delivery). The fuel consumption is at 9.4L/100km from 75% Freeway driving on E10 (94RON) and 9.2L/100km on 95/98RON on the 4WD variant. I assume it would be somewhere between 9.8-10L/100km in Suburban traffic.
I Plasti-Dipped the Front Grill – including the logo, Wheels (coated with Gloss Coat to protect them from wearing out easily), Chrome Door Trims and Rear Lettering and the Chrome Centre Bar and it makes it look a lot more aggressive on white. It is not paint, so will not flake. You can YT how to Plasti-Dip, it is relatively easy and lasts a long time if not vigorously scrubbed.
The car has since been ANCAP tested and rated at 5-Stars, the towing capacity is 1550kg and the wheels are 18″ for the first two and 19″ for Ultra Variant.
Downsides:
1. Can’t get a suspension upgrade to soften the bumps and improve handling.
2. Steering sensitivity keeps resetting to ‘Comfort’ (normal) every time you turn the car OFF. I like the Sport setting better as the steering is more responsive.
3. The G-Sensor is too sensitive and hazard lights keep coming on when hitting even the smallest of bumps while braking.
Hidden features:
1. If you have the panoramic roof tilted and forget to close it, it closes overnight or stays open on a hot day. It is also thermal so you don’t get sunburnt or hot with the shade open when letting some light in.
2. You can close the windows with the remote. Press and hold the LOCK button and the windows will start closing.
3. The hazard lights flash in a rapid manner warning you and the car behind you if they are coming in too fast. Happens a lot when a semi is approaching me too fast from behind. I don’t know why they love doing 120km/h and sit in the right lane harassing people doing the limit (no, I’m not a lane hogger, I can’t be in the left lane where everyone is doing 100 and there is not enough room for me to merge in safely, I “KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING”, truckies have a bad habit of trying to overtake overtaking vehicles).
Please feel free to ask any specific questions and be nice please.