NZ4WD mag Editor Ross MacKay wasn’t expecting much from Haval’s H9 SUV. Yet here vhe is saying that it’d still impress him at twice the price. What gives?
What gives indeed? Like many of you I am guilty of a sort of institutionalised bias against motor vehicles designed and built in China. As if, because they haven’t been in the car game for the 100+ years of Mercedes-Benz or Ford, or they don’t have the glorious competition history and back story of Ferrari or Alfa Romeo that they can’t be as good.
Try telling that to someone like Elon Musk of electric car industry mover and shaker Tesla, or the Swede, Christian von Koenigsegg, who has carved out a successful niche in the global hyper-car sector with his eponymously named creations and, well, I’m sure you get my point.
The bottom line these days is that it doesn’t matter where you are from, or how long you have been in the game... make something which looks good, goes well and represents fair value for money and they (buyers) will come.
Case in point, the Haval H9, which – to cut right to the chase – impressed the hell out of me on a recent 1000km+ weekend towing trip to and from Taupo’s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park for the annual Winter Drift Matsuri meeting.
Up until the Thursday before I thought I would be using a V6 turbo-engined VW Amarok for this particular assignment – however when it turned up sans tow bar I had a problem... solved, fortunately by my colleague Sean the Editor of NZ Company Vehicle, magazine.
In fact, when I phoned him to see if he had something – (anything!) – ‘in the shed’ that was up to towing my drifter and assorted wheels/tyres/fuel churns/body panels etc, from Auckland to Taupo and back, he had just been contemplating returning the H9 early because he had neither the time to drive it nor room to store it.
“Maaate,” I said, “I can solve both problems.”
So what exactly IS an H9? Good question, and one I don’t mind admitting I had to ask myself. The best way to describe it is ‘as a Prado-size seven-seat SUV’ sitting – like the Prado, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Isuzu MU - on a ladder chassis and coming complete with low-range 4L capability as well as a Ford/Land Rover-style electronic Terrain Management (Sand, Rock, Snow and Sport) system.
So far, so good, the only big surprise Haval’s choice of motive force... a turbocharged 2.0 litre four cylinder petrol engine!
“Hmmm, that’s going to make gettng there and back ‘interesting,’” I thought when Sean first told me. Yet not once did I have any ‘go-easy-on-me-mate-I’m-only-little’ moments on my trip to and from Taupo.
Even left to its own devices the eight-speed ZF auto trans did an excellent job of surfing the hard-working wee four’s broad torque peak (from 1800-4500rpm). Though as I always do when I am towing using an automatic transmission, I use the manualised settings (and in the Haval H9’s case the flappy paddles) to keep things on the boil.
Inside the H9 has a nice light, airy feel with more than enough wriggle room for driver and passengers front and back.
That said I made use of all 1457 litres of available luggage space behind the large, right-hand-side pivoting rear hatch door for my wheels, tools, etc. With both rows of rear seats folded flat I managed, in fact, to fit all my usual drifting essentials (two sets of spare rear wheels and tyres and low profile jack as well as a 10L fuel churn, helmet and gear bag ,etc.) without having to leave anything at home.
Ride – two up and without the trailer – erred, I felt, more on the side of stiffness rather than comfort. Yet with just me but all my gear and with the trailer and drift car latched on behind, the ride could hardly have been better.
The H9 also steered and braked very well, either unladen or well laden,
So, What do I make of this big, solid, well-built and specced newcomer from China?
It’s simple.
If I hadn’t known beforehand what the RRP here was, and you had asked me when I was down at Taupo, I would have thought, hmmm, ‘impressive to look at plus quality spec and manners on road... would be low $80s if it wore a Toyota badge, so let’s say low to mid $60s.’
At just $43,990 then it is not only a very good all-round family-size SUV it is – literally – a veritable bloody bargain! And you can quote me on that! Basics or bells and whistles, Haval has done the seemingly impossible, producing a deeply impressive true Kiwi family-sized knockabout 4WD SUV new and with a four-star ANCAP safety rating and five-year warranty at a used car price
