Just recently, Great Wall Motors Thailand (GWM Thailand), the parent company of Haval, organized a media drive for the new 2021 Haval H6 Hybrid – a model that could potentially find its way to Malaysia in the near future.

Seeing that our sister site Autofun has gotten up close and personal with Haval’s first entrant into Thailand, we can share with you their first impressions with it.

How well does it drive?

For the Thai market, the Haval H6 is offered exclusively with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. The combined system output of this powertrain, according to Haval, is 243 PS and a whopping 530 Nm. The latter is the highlighting feature of the Haval H6 Hybrid, as its torque figure surpasses not just every C-segment SUV in Thailand, but also pick-up trucks.

Also Read: Coming to challenge the X70 and CR-V in Malaysia, here’s all you need to know about the Haval H6

All these power help the Haval H6 Hybrid to boast a 0-100 km/h time of just 8.3 seconds. The abundance of torque also makes overtaking a breeze, according to Autofun. More impressive is its claimed fuel consumption; Haval claims that the H6 Hybrid does 5.2-litre/100 km. 

The brakes, on the other hand, are sufficient at low and medium speed, though braking at higher speeds require a bit more effort.

The Haval H6 Hybrid also comes equipped with an e-Pedal, allowing drivers to bring the vehicle to a stop without pressing the brakes. e-Pedal is essentially regenerative braking, as the moment the you lift your foot off the accelerator pedal, the electric motor will automatically switch to generator mode and the effect is similar to that of braking.

Then there’s the soundproofing aspect of the Haval H6 Hybrid. Autofun mentioned that the soundproofing of the H6 Hybrid is average at best, as there are wind noises coming from the front windshield.

The steering wheel is also on the lighter side when compared to contemporary rivals such as the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5. The light steering is also less confidence inspiring compared to the other Japanese rivals.

Is the Haval H6 Hybrid comfortable?

For the Thai market, the Haval H6 Hybrid’s suspension has been tuned on the softer side of things. While this bodes well for comfort, Autofun did mention that the soft suspension has a tendency of being too bouncy at times, especially if road conditions are poor.

As a whole, both the Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V are still better suited for keen drivers. But as a highway cruiser, it’s hard to fault the Haval.

The Haval H6 Hybrid is loaded to the brim with features

Separating itself from the competition is the inclusion of its rather comprehensive ADAS kit. It includes Integrated Auto Parking (IAP), Auto Reversing Assistance (ARA), and a curiously-named Wisdom Dodge System (WDS). According to Haval, which is able to steer the car to a different lane to overtake other vehicles and steer back to the original lane.

One of the features that Autofun sampled was the Auto Reversing Assistance (ARA). As the name suggests, ARA is an automatic parking system designed to park the H6 into a parking spot. When Autofun tried this feature out, they noted that it was rather unnerving, watching the Haval coming rather close to the cars around it whilst parking into a spot. Regardless, the SUV parked itself without a hitch.

What about the Haval H6’s interior?

Unlike the unit that was spotted in Malaysia, the Thai-spec Haval h6 gets a beige and rose gold-trimmed interior.

Also Read: Spied: Exclusive look at the Haval H6 on Malaysian soil - Be very afraid, X70

Autofun notes that the interior has very few physical buttons, as most of the vehicle’s controls are buried in the 12-inch infotainment display system.

Just like recent Proton models and their “Hi Proton” voice command system, the H6 also features an in-car assistant, which can be summoned by saying, as you’ve guessed, “Hi Haval”.

Compared to Proton’s voice command, the one found in the Haval H6 is rather advanced – Autofun tried to open the sunroof at 110 km/h via voice command (it understands Thai language), only to have the car saying “You’re driving too fast, the sunroof will only open halfway”.

Other niceties include an easy-to-read navigation system, plentiful of USB ports, and a wireless charger.

Good buy or goodbye for the Haval H6 Hybrid?

Now, as impressive as the Haval H6 Hybrid may be, the biggest question mark is the price. Autofun mentioned that official prices of the Haval H6 Hybrid will be announced on 28-June.  

Apart from its unconfirmed price, the issue of aftersales is another concern, more specifically the number of service centres. Haval said that there will be a total 30 service centres across the Kingdom, though it remains to be seen if this is sufficient for customers’ needs.

Much like the Proton X70 here in Malaysia, the Haval H6 appeals to those who wants a lot of advanced features in their SUV. Coupled with ongoing promotions, it’s no surprise why more than 2,000 bookings have been placed for the Haval H6 Hybrid in Thailand.

A more detailed review will follow after the model’s launch in Thailand. Its selling price is also another factor that could decide the H6 Hybrid’s fate in Thailand.

Also Read: Haval H6 Hybrid confirmed for Thailand, could dash X70's export hopes