SUVs have overtaken station wagons, sedans and hatches as the go-to family car over the past decade, but are they really the better option?
Review
Haval H2 Premium 2017 review
The Haval H2 small Chinese crossover SUV ticks most boxes, but misses some of the nicer touches that are critical in an ultra-competitive segment.
As a relative newcomer to our market, Chinese car maker Haval still has some work to do to match the class leaders. The small, budget-focused Haval H2 SUV, however, shows it’s heading in the right direction.
A modern body style is a good start. The Haval H2’s interior is neatly presented and the build quality of our test vehicle was better than expected. The H2, according to Haval, is a compact SUV, and while its wheelbase is similar to best-selling small SUVs such as Mazda CX-3 or Honda HR-V, body dimensions are larger, putting it between them and the equivalent medium SUVs, Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V. And that middle ground is about where the interior space sits as well. The Haval H2’s most direct competitor in terms of size is probably the Mitsubishi ASX.
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2017 Haval H2 price
At this lower end of the SUV market, price and value for money are critical. The Haval H2, which first arrived in late 2015, had five variants, including two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models plus a choice of automatic or manual, and overall the range was a little over-priced.
Since then Haval has sharpened the pencil on pricing and recently rationalised the H2 line-up to focus on its two most popular variants, the Premium and Lux grades as two-wheel-drive models, each with automatic transmission only.
The 2017 Haval H2 price – $24,990 drive-away was the starting point for the Premium grade model (the one we drove). The Haval H2 Lux model price is $26,990.
The Haval H2 significantly undercuts the prices of rival automatic versions and has some standard features that are only found in the competitor’s top-of-the range models. These include a sunroof, keyless entry with push-button start, cruise control, reversing sensors, rear-view camera, tyre-pressure monitoring, 18-inch alloy wheels and a full-size spare wheel.
Layout
Haval has tried to give the cabin upmarket appeal with soft-touch dash and trim materials, but it doesn’t have quite the same elegance as some of its peers. Likewise, the instrumentation, switch gear and infotainment screen all look the part but just fall a little short in functionality. The oddly marked speedo is not easily read at a glance, and the H2’s seven-inch multi-media touchscreen is not the most user-friendly unit.
The Haval H2’s front seats provide a good level of comfort for a base-model vehicle, while leg room in the rear and the luggage space are better than many of its competitors but are still not massive. The size and shape of the door openings can make entry and exit awkward, while for the driver the view to the rear also has a few blind spots.
How does it drive?
The Haval H2 is powered by a 1.5-litre turbo, direct-injection petrol engine driving the front wheels via a conventional six-speed automatic transmission. Both the engine and the transmission are designed and built in-house by Haval.
While maximum power and torque outputs of 110kW at 5600rpm and 210Nm at 2200-4500rpm are similar to its competitors, the Haval H2 is a significantly heavier vehicle. Operating in a relaxed manner around town or cruising along on a flat, open road, performance is adequate, but as soon as you ask for a little more effort to climb a hill or for safe overtaking, this extra weight becomes apparent. The engine starts to work hard and the transmission scrambles to help, and it can become a bit frantic and noticeably noisy.
Haval H2 economy
All this does not help the vehicle’s already high fuel consumption either, particularly given that the Haval H2 is specified to run on higher-priced 95 RON petrol. Official ADR fuel consumption is a rather thirsty 9.0L/100km, while on RACV’s testing week our H2 averaged 10.0L/100km, with a significant variation between the best figure of 8.7L/100km and a worst of 11.8L/100km.
The Haval H2’s suspension, which incorporates MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link independent system at the rear, does a respectable job, but a little more fine-tuning to suit Australian road conditions would help. Bigger bumps hit hard and the amount of body movement on winding, second-class country roads can get tiring.
Finally, the electric power steering is quite direct but the feel is not as progressive as we would like.
To help provide extra peace of mind for its customers, Haval is backing its vehicles with a five-year/100,000km warranty.
The RACV verdict
Chinese-made cars over the past few years have struggled to match the standard of the class leaders, so my expectations on picking up the Haval H2 SUV were not high.
But after using it for a week I was pleasantly surprised. Its technical refinement still isn’t high, but it looks smart, is attractively priced, relatively well equipped and as everyday transport it will satisfy the needs of many budget-focused buyers.
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Price |
Haval H2 Premium price: $24,990 drive-away. |
|---|---|
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Safety |
Five-star ANCAP rating. ESC. ABS. Six airbags. Reversing camera/sensors. Dusk-sensing headlights. Rain-sensing wipers. ISOFIX fittings. Tyre-pressure monitor. |
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Connectivity |
7” touchscreen. Sat-nav. Bluetooth. Music streaming. USB input. |
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Vehicle features |
Air-conditioning. Sunroof. Cloth trim. Halogen headlights. |
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Driver features |
Fully adjustable steering column. Keyless entry/start. |
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Specifications |
Drivetrain: 1.5-litre, 4cyl turbo-petrol engine. Front-wheel drive. 6spd auto. 110kW@ 5600rpm, 210Nm@2200-4500rpm. |
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Service/repairs |
12-month/10,000km services. |
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RACV rating |
✩✩✩ |
