2023 Haval H6 Hybrid Review

Here at CarSauce, our last review of a Haval H6 - specifically the Haval H6 GT - went viral on our YouTube channel.

However, it went viral for all the wrong reasons, and you guys let us know; so we’re trying again!

Today we take a look at the GWM (Great Wall Motor) Haval H6 Hybrid, the Chinese car manufacturer's answer to the hotly contested midsize SUV market dominated by the Toyota Rav4, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-Trail and Mazda CX-5 (just to name a few!). 

But can it take on the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid? Known by some as an enigma? (get it, because it has a 1-2 year waitlist!)

Let’s review the Haval H6 Hybrid!

Today we are testing the Haval H6’s most expensive variant, the Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid (the only trim available for now with the hybrid powertrain). 

Still, it will only set you back $45,990 AUD driveaway. For a top-spec, mid-sized family hybrid SUV - that’s phenomenally cheap in today’s money.

However, the entry point into the entire range is much cheaper still:

• Haval H6 Premium - $33,990 AUD 
• Haval H6 Lux - $36,990 AUD 
• Haval H6 Ultra - $39,990 AUD 
• Haval H6 GT Lux - $40,990 AUD
• Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid - $45,990 AUD 
• Haval H6 GT Ultra - $46,490

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What do we think of the exterior looks of the Haval H6 Hybrid?

Take a glance at the Haval H6 Hybrid, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a facelifted version of the standard H6.

The Haval H6 is genuinely a beautiful looking car from the front.

How can you tell the difference between the H6 Hybrid and a standard H6? All you need to do is take a look at the grille - it’s enormous, yes, but it has an amazing chrome effect the fades into the sides of the car.

I’d be lying if I said it didn’t look suspiciously Peugeot in design, but imitation is the greatest form of flattery!

You do get very bright LED lights up-front, always a good thing especially on Aussie backroads, and our tester here was finished in Sapphrie Blue which looks *chefs kiss*.

The H6 Hybrid also get’s unique 19” alloy wheels which are wrapped in thick rubber, which aids with ride quality as we’ll get into soon.

But most impressive is around back, where you get a lightbar that looks incredibly premium - especially at night.

How can you tell the difference between a standard H6 and a H6 Hybrid from the back? Well, apart from the badging of course - you do get a sci-fi looking third brake light up top.

The H6 Hybrid is a swish looking SUV, not groundbreaking but totally inoffensive - just how you want it to be.

What’s the interior and connectivity like of the Haval H6 Hybrid?

The interior is where I lost most fans when I last reviewed the H6 GT, and you guys definitely let me know that in the full YouTube review.

So when I got back into the H6 Hybrid for the week of testing, I really wanted to do a total reset and pretend that I hadn’t sat in an H6 before.

Let’s start with what I want to reaffirm - in my opinion, the seats don’t have enough support for my legs at 5’11” and could be at a bit of a higher angle of attack.

Jacob’s girlfriend at 5’1”, however, drove the H6 Hybrid and said “OMG I need one”. So clearly, to each their own here. Let’s settle this debate by saying, you may love it, just make sure you test drive on before you buy - like we recommend for any car!

That aside, the seats are covered in a vinyl faux leather, which is actually very convincing as being real leather, but more importantly are heated and cooled - even if you do have to turn them on through the screen.

Speaking of, the 12.3” infotainment screen in the centre is surprisingly great. I say surprisingly, because at this price point you would expect average at best - like the Nissan X-Trail ST-L we recently reviewed at the same price point.

It does have wired Apple Carplay and Android Auto, although plugging in your phone is a minor inconvenience as the connection port is on the left hand side of the centre console.

Still the screen is very responsive, colour accurate and has quick select functions if you pull down the menu - nice!

The leather steering wheel was another thing I had a gripe with, where I had said it was at a weird angle for me. Is it at an angle? Yes. Upon reflection, is it a weird angle? No. Could I have just lifted my electronically controlled seats upwards to get into a better position? Yes. Let’s leave that one there, again.

FYI the steering wheel is heated, we like that here at CarSauce.

You can control the 10.25” digital instrument cluster using the steering wheel, which is extremely customisable and just works great. You barely even need to look at it though, because the heads-up display also is clear and functional.

At its price point, tech and connectivity here is frankly awesome. I did experience some minor lagging and system freezing during my week of testing, but it only ever lasted a matter of seconds so it was never an issue.

Storage is plentiful too, with hide-away cupholders in the centre, a wireless charger, extra storage in the centre tunnel, and so many more odds and ends it's hard to type them all out.

Overall, I’m really impressed with the Haval H6 Hybrid's interior. It is a remarkable step up from where they were even 5 years ago, so kudos for that.

What about the back seats of the Haval H6 Hybrid?

Again, my only gripe with the back seats is I wish there was more leg support.

Otherwise, you get the same nice vinyl faux leather seats as up front, with a centre armrest including more cup holders.

At 5’11”, I have heaps of head-room, leg-room and toe-room - so adults or even long-legged children will be totally happy in the back. It helps that the Ultra trim gets a panoramic sunroof!

You do also get air vents back there as well as 2 usb ports so your kids will be happy.

How much can it fit in the boot of the Haval H6 Hybrid?

First of all, you get a powered tailgate. That is A HUGE tick when you have your hands full, and often reserved for cars $10,000 more expensive than the Haval.

With the back seats in place, the H6 boasts an impressive luggage space of 600 litres, placing it among the top in its category. When you fold down the rear seats, this capacity increases to a substantial 1,485 litres.

• Rear seats in position: 600L cargo capacity
• Rear seats folded down: 1,485L cargo capacity

What’s under the bonnet of the Haval H6 Hybrid?

This is where the Haval H6 Hybrid is just better than its fellow H6’s in the range.

Yes, you pay a ~$5,000 premium over a standard Haval H6 Ultra, but you get a Toyota rivalling engine.

Powering the H6 Hybrid is a 1.5L turbo charged petrol engine, which outputs 110 kW of power and 230 Nm of torque.

Of course, it’s not alone - with an electric motor bolted on to contribute +300 Nm of torque from its 1.8kWh battery pack in the boot floor..

Together, Haval quotes a combined output of 179kW of power and 530Nm. That’s a healthy amount of power, and A LOT of torque.

All of that power is sent through to the front wheels via a two-speed Direct Hybrid Transmission, which essentially means it has two CVT transmissions - one for low speed driving, the other for high speed driving.

How does the Haval H6 Hybrid drive?

Let’s answer the question that everyone wants to know about ANY hybrid engine - is the Haval H6 Hybrid fuel efficient? Yes.

The claimed fuel economy is 5.2L/100kms of 91 RON unleaded fuel, which we did not get. However, we did get 6.0L/100km over the week of testing, which is frankly phenomenal - I have a lead foot.

And honestly, the Haval H6 Hybrid is weirdly fun to drive. I say weirdly, because usually hybrids are just boring. But not this.

The Haval H6 Hybrid must be THE ONLY fuel efficient car that has launch control. You can watch our reaction in our full review, but this thing launched from 0-100km/h in 8.12 seconds. Considering Jacob, myself and all our camera gear were in the car - that is very impressive.

However, let’s be honest, most people don’t drive the H6 Hybrid like idiots. And for around town driving, the Haval H6 does the job well. It has soft suspension, so driving around is a pleasant affair. That does mean that around a corner, there is plenty of body-roll - but again, no is buying a Hybrid vehicle for its corner handling dynamics.

Because it is front-wheel drive, as presumably AWD would contribute to a loss in drivetrain efficiency, it does tend to wheel spin when you put your foot down hard at the lights. It has a serious amount of power and torque going to the front wheels, so be sure you ease into the throttle!

When you do drive without the temptation of flooring it in urban environments, that’s when the H6 Hybrid really shines. Like Toyota’s hybrid system, it is a serene experience at speeds below ~50km/h because you often are just using the electric motor to potter along. You would think the small 1.8kWh battery would run out of juice very quickly, but it never does.

The H6 Hybrid has a trick power management system that uses the brakes and engine to recharge the battery as needed, and it works just as well as what you’d find on a Rav4.

On the highway, like any Hybrid, it uses its engine mostly with short bursts from the electric motor as needed. So the H6 Hybrid’s fuel efficiency will mostly benefit those who are driving in mostly urban environments. It’s still very fuel efficient on the highway, but not as much as you would find in a diesel SUV like a Kia Sportage.

You might have noticed a lack of mention of CVTs from us. Talk about one CVT, and most journalists begin to cry in pain. Talk about two, and frankly us journalists don’t even know what to say.

As a generalisation, they are noisy, difficult to repair in many cases, and frankly suck the enjoyment out of driving. Their big benefit? Fuel economy.

In the case of the H6 Hybrid, you don’t even notice they are there. Of course, when you really plant your foot down, you can hear either one roaring away, but it's never annoying and aids in fuel economy.

At about 70km/h there is a handover between the CVTs, but it is imperceptible.

The Haval H6 Hybrid is not going to amaze you in its driving characteristics, but it can 100% hold its own against a Toyota Rav4. That really surprised me.

Is the Haval H6 Hybrid safe?

Yes. The Haval H6 Hybrid has a 5 Star ANCAP Safety Rating.

This ANCAP safety rating is applicable to all petrol and hybrid versions. 

To ensure the battery's integrity and the hybrid variants' high voltage electrical systems' safety, additional frontal offset (MPDB) and oblique pole tests were conducted. 

These tests confirm that the ANCAP safety rating extends to all Haval H6 petrol and hybrid models.

The Haval H6 Hybrid comes with dual frontal, side chest-protecting, and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags as standard features. A center airbag is also included, providing extra protection to front seat occupants in side impact collisions.

Standard safety equipment consists of autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, and Junction Assist), a lane support system (LSS) with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW), and emergency lane keeping (ELK), as well as an advanced speed assistance system (SAS).

Passive Safety Tech Inclusions:

• Dual SRS Airbags
• Front Side Airbags
• Centre Airbag
• Curtain Airbags
• Front Seatbelts with Pre-Tensioner (Two sides)
• Seatbelts with Pre-Tensioner (Rear Seats)
• Child Safety Lock

Active Safety Tech Inclusions:

• ESP (Electronic Stability Programme)
• TCS (Traction Control System)
• SCM (Secondary Collision Mitigation)
• CBC (Cornering Brake Control)
• RMI (Roll Movement Intervention)
• BA (Brake Assist)
• HDC (Hill Descent Control)
• HHC (Hill-Start Assist Control)
• BOS (Brake Override System)
• TPMS (Tyre Pressure Management System)
• DVR USB Port
• Front Parking Assist
• Rear Parking Assist
• MEB (Maneuver Emergency Brake)
• 360 Degree Monitoring System
• Full Auto Parking
• ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) with Stop and Go
• Intelligent Cornering Control
• Intelligent Dodge
• ELK (Emergency Lane Keep)
• RCTA (Rear Crossing Traffic Alert)
• RCTB (Rear Crossing Traffic Braking)

As an aside, we wish you could turn off the Intelligent Cornering Control. Essentially, it brakes the car around corners while your adaptive cruise control is active - but it slows down a little too much we reckon!

How much can the Haval H6 Hybrid tow?

When towing with trailer brakes, the petrol variant can handle a capacity of 2,000 kg, while the hybrid model is capable of towing 1,500 kg. 

Both the petrol and hybrid versions share the same towing capacity of 750 kg without trailer brakes.

How much does the Haval H6 Hybrid cost to service?

The Haval H6 comes with a comprehensive seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with five years of roadside assistance.

For the initial five years, the total cost of servicing amounts to $1,650 with the first service scheduled after 12 months or 10,000km, while subsequent services have intervals of 12 months or 15,000km.

Final thoughts - should you buy a Haval H6 Hybrid?

I don’t know about you, but I am getting sick of all the really expensive cars.

It shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy a family SUV, and the GWM Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid is proof of that.

It does everything that a Toyota Rav4 does, but with some really premium touches that make it a great, and more importantly budget friendly, package.

So if you are in the market for a fuel efficient family SUV, I can definitely recommend the Haval H6 Hybrid.