Haval H6 GT 2.0GDIT 4WD Super Luxury (2022) Review
Coupe' and GT styled vehicles seem to have quite the following locally. The odd ball styling cues and sloping rooflines may not appeal to the masses but they do have a place. Such is the case with sports SUVs like the BMW and Mercedes models that carry these traits. Chinese automaker Haval has jumped on the bandwagon and put forward a halo model, the H6 GT. We spent a few days with this quirky vehicle and found it to be rather complementary.
In this article:
Chinese GT makes its mark
Haval has been on a drive of note recently, releasing 3 new H6 models in short succession. First was the updated H6, then the H6 HEV, and now the H6 GT. The GT is a coupe-styled sports SUV that incorporates sporty styling with surprising performance. There is no doubt that it looks the part and has all the elements that would make it a sporty drive but all is not as it seems.
Related: Haval H6 GT (2022) - First Drive Impression
On the surface then, the GT has all the makings of the Haval model to have, but as we found during our test period, there are a few idiosyncrasies that may drive one crazy after living with the vehicle for a while.
Styling
One's initial reaction is that the vehicle is incredibly aggressive, this is due to the sporty styling front and rear and its coupe side profile. At the front, there is an aggressively styled front bumper with its angular air dams and chunky grille. Haval has made extensive use of faux carbon fibre trim panels and these are found inserted into both front and rear styling elements. The LED lighting is small and angular once again lending the GT an aggressive look.
At the rear, the sloping roofline includes not one but two spoilers, lower down the continuous light bar makes way for that faux carbon trim, chrome badging, and a rear bumper with its incorporated diffusor with its fake chrome exhaust exits. If you take a look down the side of the vehicle, you will find a set of 19" blacked-out rims, black side skirts with a strange-looking little fin, and a set of yellow brake calipers.
The GT is a sharp looker even though many of the trim features seem tacked on and pointless. It is definitely going to turn heads in your local parking lot but it is in fact the interior that surprises.
Space & Interior
Pop open a door and you get an interior that is very welcoming. The seats are covered in a mix of leather and Alcantara with colour contrasting inserts, embroidery and stitching. Our test mule came with a bright lime green colour scheme that almost matched the brake calipers but it is the sheer volume of materials found inside that make it so interesting. The aforementioned leather and Alcantara are joined by faux grey wood, chrome, alumiunium, and piano black inserts.
All the touch surfaces and soft and feel quality and one can tell that the construction is solid and well-finished. There is very little to critisise with the materials and construction but it is the ergonomics that cause the most consternation.
Comfort & Convenience
After spending some proper seat time in the GT you begin to notice comfort problems. You can never seem to get comfortable as the steering wheel is angled in a weird way, and the seat bottoms feel shallow with no leg support and no tilt functionality. What this does is make one feel like you are sitting on top of the steering wheel and constantly on the edge of the seat with the steering wheel in your lap.
The center console is a bit of a mess with the wired USB port for the Apple Car play or Android Auto being low down on the passenger side and difficult to reach for the driver. The Haval designers must also have a dislike of switch gear because it seems that if you want to control any of the convenience functions, such as climate control, it has to be done through the infotainment touchscreen and this makes effecting changes while driving very difficult. The system itself looks very attractive and for the most part works well but does have moments when it gets laggy and takes a few seconds to respond. It also does this annoying thing that whenever you make a selection to change something it flickers the hazards to confirm your selection.
Rear seating is a different story though and is rather comfortable despite the sloping rear roof. There is plenty of room for your various appendages and you can be assured of a comfortable journey. There are USB- A charging ports at the rear of the centre console as well as cooling vents to keep everyone happy.
From a driver's perspective, the digital cluster delivers all the relevant info, crisp and clear, and is easy to read in any light condition.
Performance
The H6 GT is powered by the same engine that you will find in the standard H6, except of course that power figures have been bumped ever so slightly. Powered by a 2.0l turbocharged petrol engine and mated to a 7-speed DCT transmission, the GT delivers 155kW and 325Nm, 5 more of both, than the base engine, and can do a 0-100 sprint in around 8 seconds.
It's not going to blow your hair back but for a vehicle of its size and mass, it is pretty decent. The GT is equipped with drive modes such as Road, Sport, Race, Eco, Snow, and Offroad because it is All Wheel Drive and although there is little discernible difference in performance, changing to Race mode does change the sound of the exhaust as the GT is equipped with an active exhaust system.
The familiar delay that you get when pressing the throttle does annoy you when trying to gap traffic but if you take this vehicle up at what its name suggests it is a brilliant GT cruiser, not a traffic light racer.
Fuel Economy
This is the area where the Haval falls flat. As we have found time and time again with Chinese-built vehicles, the fuel economy is horrendous. Haval claims the GT should return 8.4l/100km but realistically even with frugal driving in Eco mode we could not get the GT to drop below 11l/100km. Our average was 12.2 with the worst dropping to 15.8l.
Although this isn't a deal breaker, if you are looking at the Haval to help you save on fuel, you may want to look at the HEV derivative.
Safety
The GT is fully loaded with all the latest driver assistance systems. You get ABS, EBD, TSC, Hill Descent Control, Lane Keeping Assist, TPMS, 6 Airbags, ISOfix, and a 360-degree camera system. Adaptive Cruise Control coupled with the array of sensors brings this pretty close to entry-level autonomous driving standards.
Price
The GT is R40 000 more expensive than the base H6 and R40 000 cheaper than an HEV derivative. Compared to segment competitors of this size and engine displacement the GT is proper value for money with its comprehensive specification list and aggressive styling pack.
| Model | Price (incl. VAT) |
| Haval H6 GT 2.0GDIT 4WD Super Luxury | R 629 950 |
Competitors
The GT falls in a strange place in that its pricing and size places it in the mid-size SUV segment taking on the likes of Mazda's CX-5, Hyundai's Tucson, and Kia's Sportage but its styling and specification level would have it competing against the likes of BMW's X4 and Mercedes' GLC. It's a tough comparison to make, easier then to say that if you want the coupe sports SUV styling but are working on a budget, the H6 GT is the place to start shopping.
Verdict
The Haval H6 GT has left us a little torn, on one hand, it is a wonderfully styled and equipped vehicle but on the other has flawed ergonomics and terrible fuel economy. We highly recommend driving the GT for an extended test before deciding if it's the vehicle for you. If you simply must have an H6 in your driveway we suggest taking a look at the HEV hybrid which may just surprise you.
