Haval H8 2015 Review

Haval H8 Premium
Road Test

Haval's five-seat rival to the Jeep Grand Cherokee presents as a well built and handsome family-sized offering. However, with a thirsty and sluggish petrol driveline, and unknown safety and resale qualities, the H8 is an anonymous offering that can't even claim to compete on price. Dearer than most in its segment, the Chinese-made SUV is an odd proposition, and in spite of its strong equipment levels has little to offer that isn't already available elsewhere. It's a tough sell, especially when you consider its $41,990 starting price is $4000 more than an equivalent Ford Territory's.

It'd be pretty easy to take a mordant view of newcomer Haval. The Chinese luxury SUV brand has arrived Down Under with a three-model line-up – all of which are priced as-near-as-makes-no-difference to their rivals.

Haval doesn't boast the support of a strong dealer network and lacks any sort of provenance in Australia except that it's owned by Great Wall Motors, and based on that brand's reputation here, that isn't saying much.

So you might say the brand finds itself in much the same position as Toyota in the late 1950s or Hyundai in the early 1980s. Unlike those importers, however, Haval doesn't seem interested in working its way up where price is concerned.

Take the H8 on test, for example. The large five-seat wagon is roughly the same size as a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Ford Territory, but it's priced from $41,990 (plus ORCs) in entry form, jumping to $44,990 for the Premium model on test.

Add a couple of options – a Premium Seat pack ($1000) and rear-seat DVD player ($1500) – and you're looking at $46,990 (plus ORCs). For that money you're in a seven-seat Nissan Pathfinder, mid-spec Hyundai Santa Fe or top-drawer Holden Captiva 7 diesel – with $5000 in change.

Of course it's not all bad news. Look past the price tag and the Haval H8 presents as a well-built and reasonably handsome family-size SUV.

Equipment levels are strong, the Premium grade variant on test featuring ventilated and heated electronically-adjustable faux-leather trimmed seats with massage function, three-zone climate-control, sunroof, powered tailgate, folding power mirrors, an electrochromatic rear-view mirror, xenon headlights with cornering function, rain-sensing wipers and a full-function trip computer.

The infotainment system offers sat-nav, Bluetooth telephony, audio streaming via a full-colour touch-screen and a premium sound system from American audio specialist, Infinity. For rear-seat passengers there's individual climate-control switches and an optional pair of DVD screens.

Haval seems to have put a lot of thought into the operation of its infotainment system. The menu layers are logical with finger-friendly landing buttons. The navigation system is simple but easy to follow, while the audio quality is excellent when streaming music from a portable device.

It's also refreshing to find simple and logical controls for the H8's secondary functions. The switchgear is clearly labelled and easily accessible. Everything operates as it should, though we'd prefer a little more sensitivity from the auto wipers which need to be overridden in rain stronger than drizzle.

On the downside, the climate-control system does seem to have a mind of its own. Even when set to single-zone the H8 will distribute vastly different air temperatures left to right. The cabin manages to keep a consistent temperature, but to avoid upsetting passengers we found it best to operate the HVAC system manually.

Cabin space is generous with very good outward visibility. Fortunately the driver's seat is not as high-set as the smaller H2 we sampled recently, and offers enough support in all areas bar under the thigh. The foot-operated park brake only slightly impairs footwell space.

The rear bench is generously proportioned and easy to get in and out of. However, the backrest is quite shallow with taller passengers' shoulder blades sitting above the top of the seat.

We found the cabin decor a little Pinto for our liking. The mix of a chamois-coloured roof with black plastic dash and door cards conflicted with the deep grey woodgrain and painted plastics of the dashboard and centre stack, and again with the tobacco-coloured faux leather seats and brushed metal trim garnishes. The designers could afford to lose a few elements and still retain the H8's 'premiumness'. In short, it speaks of trying a little too hard.

Up back – and accessed via an electric tailgate – the H8's cargo area is generous (Haval claims 1457 litres), though the floor is a little high. There's a spare wheel under the rear floor, and adjustable and seemingly sturdy tie-down anchors beside it. Like most in this class the Haval's rear seats can be split 60:40.

Again like the H2, the H8 is quiet inside; though we did find more road noise from the 235/60-section Cooper tyres (on 18-inch alloys). There's also a very annoying wind whistle generated over the driver-side wing mirror arm between the mirror body and the A-pillar (it can even be heard with the window down). Place your fingers there and it goes away, illustrating that the issue could be addressed simply by moulding ribs into the mirror scalp's inboard edge.

But the H8's handling surprised, feeling taut and secure. This security does come slightly at the cost of ride comfort, though it's no worse than the Hyundai Santa Fe in this respect. The steering is well weighted, leaning towards the heavier side, but appropriate for the class.

We noted a little vibration at freeway speeds which Haval assures us is a result of the rear toe-in being set for left-hand drive markets, and that this will be addressed in customer-delivered cars. Let's hope they also fix the airbag warning light...

And speaking of lights, the H8's active bending headlights are terrific on country roads. Both low- and high-beam provide a good spread of light with generous reach. It's refreshing to see a newcomer get this right.

So, the big one: the engine. The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four feels slightly overwhelmed in the H8, its 160kW and 324Nm outputs struggling to motivate the car's 2128kg (tare) mass with conviction. The six-speed auto does its best to keep the mill in its useable zone (2000-5500rpm), but is hampered by significant turbo lag which rears its head both on step-off and during throttle reapplication.

The use of SPORT mode doesn't seem to improve things – simply holding gears but not adjusting throttle response – while ECO mode only shortens gears, running the transmission more quickly to top gear and creating lethargy when called to kick down.

A week of freeway-biased commuting returned an average fuel consumption figure of 14.2L/100km. The H8 is not equipped with an idle-stop system; not that it would have helped in this instance.

Were it cheaper, we'd have more readily excused the H8's foibles. But with established players offering more resolved products at the same price or less, it's hard to be convinced that this Haval is solid value.

In its own right, the H8 is a solid first offering from a fledgling brand, but there's no diesel yet, and let's hope the shortfalls mentioned here are addressed once the car-maker gathers momentum.

Measured against either its mainstream or luxury SUV competitors, however, it's very much let down by the brand's failure to understand its natural position in the local market.

2015 Haval H8 Premium pricing and specifications:
Price: $44,490 plus on-road costs ($46,990 as tested, plus ORCs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 160kW/324Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.7L/100km (ADR Combined), 14.2L/100km as tested
CO2: 291g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A

Also consider:
>> Ford Territory (from $37,490 plus ORCs)
>> Holden Captiva 7 (from $33,490 plus ORCs)
>> Nissan Pathfinder (from $39,990 plus ORCs)