Sporty-styled Haval H6 GT enters SA market

While the hot hatch and sedan segments are virtually moribund, the performance SUV is on the march. The newest alternative to hit SA is the Haval H6 GT.

Based on the Chinese brand’s mid-size H6, the new GT is the hottest-looking in the range with its coupe-style roof, aggressively shaped front and rear bumpers, prominent deck spoiler and an integrated ducktail boot spoiler. Black 19-inch alloys with painted brake calipers add to the machismo and it’s quite appealing.

The belligerence is continued inside with tastefully sporty touches such as the GT moniker embroidered onto the backs of shapely Alcantara-swathed seats, faux-carbon fibre inserts and cloths, a 12.3-inch entertainment screen, electric seats, heating facilities, a 10.25-inch digital driver display, and a panoramic sunroof. The standard amenities also include a 360-degree camera, rain-sensing wipers, stop-start function, wireless phone charger, keyless start and entry, paddle shifters, a head-up display, eight-speaker sound system, and automatic dual-zone air conditioning.

It may be coupe-like but don’t be misled. The Haval GT is categorically a family SUV in the popular medium-sized SUV sector which has a heap of contenders including the Toyota Rav4, Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

The mechanical template doesn’t stray much. It’s a turbocharged 2.0l four-cylinder with all-wheel drive (AWD) managed through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The H6 GT doesn’t tear up the rule book in its performance category and it’s the same 2.0l turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine as in the H6 but tweaked for 155kW and 325Nm — a 5kW and 5Nm gain — and mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. An all-wheel drive system as also found in the Haval H6 Super Luxury model.

The addition of a sportier exhaust system gives the driving experience a deeper baritone when you thumb in Race mode. Other driving and terrain modes are standard, eco, sport, snow & sand, and off-road.

Race mode also changes the transmission ratios to be in a permanent, rabid hunt for lower gears resulting in a jerky drive as reward for wanting the more musical company.

However, the engine’s got some poke between the 0-120km/h speed ranges and the motorsport apparel and soundtrack make you want to drive it harder. The four-wheel drive system brings extra traction for tidier, more confident launches and cornering even in slippery conditions, but the damping was a let down, heaving and bobbing on bumpy surfaces.

It doesn’t have active dampers but the steering wheel feel can be adjusted via steering modes — sport, comfort, and light. It’s also suited to more everyday tasks like the work and school runs or hauling the family away for holidays.

In these situations the H6 GT is a comfortable, practical, good looking SUV with a raft of driver assistance systems such as lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, , automatic parking, rear-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, hill assist, front and rear parking sensors, and driver fatigue monitoring. Six airbags cover the crashworthiness.

The Haval H6 GT costs R629,950 and is sold with a five-year/60,000km service plan and five-year/100,000km warranty.