Hongqi H9 in-depth video, what does this Chinese S-Class rival has to offer? 

The Hongqi H9 has been making waves on the internet recently, not only because Hongqi has launched the car in Dubai and South Korea, but also because of their great ambition to take a bite into the Japanese market. We’ve seen plenty of photos but now there’s an in-depth video about the car courtesy of YouTuber Wheelsboy.

Opinions remain split about the H9’s exterior look. Most of us can’t help but see shadows of a Rolls Royce Ghost, especially in the shape of the headlamp and the massive grille.

This can be explained by the fact that Hongqi hired previous head of design for Rolls Royce, Giles Taylor, back in 2018. So even though the H9’s design process started back in 2017, we’re pretty sure that Taylor had his say when it comes to the overall design of the car.

However, the well-appointed interior will make one forget all about how the car looks on the outside. You get plenty of legroom for the rear passengers, adjustable rear seats, and a switch to control the front passenger seat just to name a few.

Although there are shadows of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class like the split opening centre console, Hongqi has done their best to make it their own like the use of a unique accent material on the dashboard and the nicely integrated screen on the centre dashboard.

Fortunately, fit and finishing on the H9 is reportedly a huge improvement compared to the L-series predecessor but Wheelsboy did note that there can still be more improvements to be done.

The car that Wheelsboy featured in the video is the mid-spec H9 so it missed out on certain features like a refrigerator and rear infotainment screens. It also utilises the smaller 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

Mated to the engine is a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. Together, the engine makes 252 PS and 379 Nm, it’s not much but the power figures match those in the mid-spec BMW 7-series in China.

In China, the Hongqi H9 has a starting price of RMB 309,800 (RM 194,091) and climbs to the max price of RMB 539,800 (RM 338,294).

That’s about a third of the price of a BMW 7 Series that starts around RMB 795,000 (around RM 500,000). A Mercedes-Benz S-Class costs more than a million Yuan, so the H9 is about half the price of the S-Class.

The Hongqi H9 has come a long way in how car manufacturing has come in China, perhaps the next car that rolls out of the stable wouldn’t spark another debate of which car it obviously drew inspiration from?