Haval H6 GT Ultra review: price, specifications, drive impressions

This brand has had a chequered past in Australia, with safety recalls and quality issues, but its latest offerings are worlds away from earlier efforts.

You get plenty for the money

The GWM Haval H6 GT Ultra is currently priced at $44,990 drive-away, about $4000 more than the regular H6, which has a more traditional SUV shape. You’re essentially paying for the look, which is sportier courtesy of the sleeker roof profile and some design tweaks, such as black highlights in lieu of silver and some GT logos inside. It’s nicely presented, too, with quality plastics, suede-like trim and faux leather. It also comes packed with gear, including a head-up display, panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled front seats and 19-inch alloys with more black highlights (ours also had yellow brake calipers).

The GT costs about $4000 more than the standard model. Picture: Supplied

Turbo power, sluggish shifts

Unlike the regular H6 there’s no hybrid in the GT. That means a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo mated to a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic driving all four wheels (you have to step down to the lesser equipped $40,990 Lux for a front-drive version). With 150kW and 320Nm the engine is hearty enough, albeit not as fiery as some may expect in a car wearing a GT badge. Choose Race mode via the asterisk button on the steering wheel and it sharpens the throttle and gearshifts and adds some beefiness to the exhaust. But the twin-clutch auto can be dozy and slow to respond, or in Race mode it’s too touchy. It’s often caught in the wrong ratio and hesitates or stutters off the line. The way the suspension deals with bumps can also be clumsy, although grippy Michelin tyres win back points.

The Haval isn’t as sporty to drive as it looks. Picture: Supplied.

The infotainment can be frustrating

There’s no shortage of pixels in the H6 GT Ultra. A 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster nicely delivers information to the driver and adjusts its layout depending on the drive mode. The 12.3-inch central infotainment screen is also crisp and clear. But often simple tasks can be trickier than they need to be. Adjusting the temperature or airflow requires delving into menus rather than just pressing a button. And adjusting the volume can either be done via the steering wheel buttons or a virtual slider that only appears on some of the screen’s displays.

The cabin is well presented but the tech can be frustrating. Picture: Supplied.

It’s spacious, but compromised

The GT body style certainly looks slick with its heavily raked rear windscreen. But that rear window does without a wiper (no biggie) and is narrow and high, making it very difficult to see what’s going on out back. The falling roof line also takes its toll on boot space, which is down from 600 litres in the regular H6 to 392 litres in the GT. At least there’s a 60/40 split-folding back seat. And those in the back have plenty of head room. Combined with a nearly flat floor it makes life easy for larger adults.

The sloping roof takes its toll on rear head room. Picture: Supplied.

Warning! It loves to beep

The H6 GT has the latest active safety systems but not all are well calibrated. The lane departure system loves a beep and tries to take over too often. And the auto braking can get a tad excited, suggesting you’re about to crash when you’re not. There’s even a rear crash warning when cars arrive too quickly on your tail; the hazard lights flash and you’re warned of imminent doom in the instrument cluster. We even had the hazard lights flicker after pounding through a large bump.

Originally published as Haval H6 GT Ultra review: price, specifications, drive impressions