Haval recently launched in the UAE and brought 4 cars from China to the UAE market. In the past chinese products have been stereotyped as being cheap and cheerful. I can assure you that this is not the case with this brand. The cars are made to a high standard inside and out and are defiantly worth a test drive for anyone in the market for an executive 7-seater 4x4. The Haval H9 is the biggest SUV the company makes and is their flagship model. I arrived at their brand new showroom on Sheik Zayed road to test the car. I wasn't to sure what I would get or what it would be like, and was eager to find out.
Key Features:
Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged Direct Injection
Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic with manual Integration
Power: 220 HP / 324NM
Top Speed: 200Km/h
Price: AED 120,000
Exterior
The exterior of the H9 is in my mind, ok. I think they did a good job with the front of the car, as the lines on the bonnet and the headlights look smart. As for the back, hmm. I personally don't like the massive rear lights running up the back of the car but I understand this is just my take on it and you would have to check it out yourself to see what you think, which I would encourage. Overall the H9 is a good looking car and has a good presence on the road. I have to say while testing this car i went out for dinner twice and both times I had people asking me what it was as they had never seen it before and that it looked really cool, so there.
See more at: Haval H9 in Detail
Interior and Safety
The interior of the H9 is my favourite part of the car, they have made it feel like you are in a much more expensive 4x4 than you are actually in. It holds up to the likes of Range Rovers and Patrols. The H9 I tested was fully loaded and had loads of cool tech leaving me to fiddle around for hours. And the seats, you sink into them. The leather is luxurious and because they are ventilated, are always cold. This helps for when the sun is starting to make you wet. When the sun does eventually go down the H9’s interior comes alive with Mercedes like mood lighting pouring our of every crevasse in the car, leaving you again feeling like your driving something much more expensive than you are. Also with the third row of seats folded down the boot is huge, 747 litres huge, so it'll consume anything you put in there.
The H9 is very safe with 6 airbags covered the length of the vehicle. Its got 2 in the dashboard, one for the driver one for the passenger. Two more next to the driver and front passengers head and a curtain airbag that runs both sides the length of the car, protecting all passengers from side impacts. The H9 comes standard with an electronic parking brake and auto hold function, hill assist, ESP, as well as a large 8 inch TFT touchscreen system and a rear entertainment system. Overall the speakers are good but do distort within the 80-100% range. But not bad by any means.
See more at: Interview with Steven Wang to know more about Haval
Drive
The Haval H9 is suited well to highway driving, the reason for this is that the suspension is very soft so even at high speeds potholes and bumps are hard to notice. A downside to the suspension setup is that as soft and comfortable as it is, around corners the roll can be scary at times. This is probably due to the separate body frame body concept they have applied to this car. Its meant to make you feel as though your driving on a mattress, which is good but you never want to fall off your mattress. The suspension is a little too soggy for my liking the alternative is to drive in sport mode all the time as this stiffens the ride up a bit but will decrease fuel efficiency. The steering feels direct and the car is easy to drive consider the size. Where the H9 comes into its own is when you hit the dunes. The Haval H9 has a huge array of off road settings and they work really well, helping to keep the car riding a-top the soft sand. I didn't get stuck once in 2 hours of dune bashing. The 2.0L Turbocharged engine is good. Not great. For the size of the car it is underpowered which means leaving filter lanes on the highway can be sketchy at times and you have to plan ahead with the accelerator.
Verdict
Having said the H9 has a few downfalls i do like the car and think it is well built. The interior, off road ability, and cruising comfort gives this vehicle its value. All the tech and you get for your money makes this a good buy. I can say I don't look at Chinese cars the same anymore. Haval have done a good job with this and I'm looking forward to testing the rest of the 2016 range. As it stands i’d give the H9 3.5/5. If it had a slightly bigger power plant, 4/5.
Check out Car Prices and Specs for Haval H9 and Competitors
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