Haval H2 2016 Review

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Chinese automaker Haval, is a subsidiary of Great Wall Motor Company and the newest manufacturer to enter the Middle East’s automotive space. With its sights set on Korean heavyweights such as the Hyundai Creta and Kia Sportage, the Haval H2 is one of just four models in the brand’s line-up and the most affordable, too.

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Exterior

Built in conjunction with Hyundai, influences from the Korean manufacturer are evident in the H2’s design. The Chinese crossover’s affable mien, is a by-product of the protruding chrome grille, prominent fog lamp housings and sleek LEDs that are integrated into the taut headlamp clusters.

The two-tone paint scheme, throws in a sizeable dose of flamboyance and helps highlight the bulging contours and flared wheel arches that embellish the bodywork. Possessing the aesthetic advantage over its rivals, the Haval H2 2016 is what some would refer to as a head tuner, and even more so, when swathed in promotional livery.

Interior

The cabin, which borrows bits and pieces from Hyundai’s parts bin, is well designed and restricts hard plastics to the lower-half of the interior. Home to a combination of smooth and perforated leather, complemented by black and silver trims, the cabin is not only pleasant to look at, but also to be within.

With a wheelbase of 2,560mm, the Haval H2 offers ample amounts of seating space and an additional 500 liters of boot space. The high seating position, combined with narrow A-pillars and large wing mirrors, all come together to offer excellent visibility and narrow blind spots.

Safety & Tech

On the safety front, the H2 offers front-row active headrests, a Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Electronic Stability Control, and is one of the very few Chinese crossovers to offer up to six airbags in the fully-loaded variant.

Illuminated in an azure ambient light, is a configurable digital display within the instrument panel, a push-start ignition system, and steering wheel controls.  Six audio speakers in the higher models, join Bluetooth telephony, USB connectivity, an AUX audio input and a CD player, on the feature list.

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Drive

Residing under the diminutive hood of Haval’s most affordable crossover, is an even smaller engine. The 1.5-liter turbocharged unit, produces 148 horsepower at 5,600 RPM and 210 Nm of torque from as low as 2,200 RPM.

As is the case with most turbo engines, the time required for the turbo to spool hinders instantaneous acceleration, but it makes up for that with a satisfactory fuel consumption figure of 8.2 liters / 100 kilometers.

The McPherson independent suspension up front and Multi-Link independent suspension at the rear, make for a wonderful combination and provide a ride that is stiff enough to curtail excessive body roll, yet supple enough to be comfortable.

Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the H2 directs its grunt to the front wheels and offers 133mm of ground clearance for some extremely tame off-road escapades.

Verdict

The Haval H2 is far, far superior than what most have come to expect from a Chinese automobile. Its design and quality are truly remarkable, and while there’s a long way to go before changing perceptions in the region, the first step could be to revise prices. Because donning a starting price tag of AED 64,500, while the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Creta are AED 63,000 and AED 65,500 respectively, seems like a move that is destined to do just one thing: increase resistance to the Chinese crossover.

Also See:

Haval H9 2016 Review

Haval H9 2016 In Detail

Tour of the Haval Factory