Haval H2 2015 Review

The city SUV has useful features, a certain improver - but the cons outweigh them.

It's good that Australia's newest car brand specializes in off-road vehicles, because it has room to climb.

Haval (pronounced "gravel") follows half a dozen Chinese brands that came, saw and failed to conquer the local market. Due to poor quality, poor crash test results and deadly asbestos-related vehicle recalls, the world's largest auto industry found Oz a tough nut to crack.

The H2 is a small, urban-style SUV that's about the same size as a Mazda CX-3 or Honda HR-V. It is the smallest and cheapest of the three Haval vehicles.

Design

If Haval is concerned about the lack of trust in badges locally, you won't know about it. There are five badges on the car, including one on the grille, two on the rear windshield pillars, and two on the rear. If that's not enough, one is on the steering wheel and the other is on the shift lever. And to make them really stand out, the silver inscription is printed on a bright red substrate.

The rest of the car is done in a conservative style, with simple graphics and a nondescript but functional dashboard. It looks well put together overall, and the designers have used soft-touch materials, while many competitors would have used hard plastics, including the rear doors and armrests.

There are some oddities, including a wheel on the steering wheel that doesn't do anything.

There's plenty of headroom both front and rear, but cargo space is small, hampered by a full-size spare under the floor. Rear visibility is limited thanks to thick rear cushions and a narrow rear windshield. There are some oddities, too, including a wheel on the steering wheel that doesn't do anything. We also found a strange quibble with the interior trim - there was a crease in the fabric of the windshield pillar that needed to be fixed.

As an introductory offer, buyers can get a two-tone body color scheme with a black or ivory roof to match the two-tone interior. After December 31, it will cost $750.

About the city

H2 - mixed bag in the city. The suspension generally handles bumps and potholes well, providing a comfortable ride over most surfaces, but the turbocharged engine needs revs on board to make measurable progress.

It gets tiresome in the city, especially in manual mode, which we rode. Turn a corner into a mountainous stretch of road and you'd almost rather be back in first gear than waiting for the turbo to kick in. It also sometimes makes a confusing buzzing sound, as if the suspension or engine components are in harmony with each other.

Aside from the rearview camera and sensors, the Haval also has little focus on driver aids. No sat nav and no blind spot or lane departure warning. Automatic emergency braking is also not available. There is, however, an annoying "parking assistant" that complements the visual parking guidance on the rear camera with a voice that tells you how to park the car.

On the way to

Try to turn at speed and the H2 will lean on its tires until they squeal for mercy.

It may look like an SUV, but the H2 is ill-suited to off the beaten track. Ground clearance is just 133mm compared to 155mm for the Mazda3 and 220mm for the Subaru XV. All-wheel drive is available, but our test car only powered the front wheels.

The H2 feels confident enough on the highway, where the engine, once it's found its place, improves impressively, save for the occasional hum. Noise cancellation is generally as good as many cars in this class, although rougher surfaces cause some tire roar.

However, the H2's steering is less than precise, and it will wander down the highway, requiring regular driver action. Try to go through a turn at speed and the H2 will lean on its tires until they squeal for mercy. It wobbles on wet tires.

Performance

The 1.5-liter engine is quiet and has a very limited useful power range (2000 to 4000 rpm). Run him at the sweet spot and he feels strong, get out of his comfort zone and he's either lethargic or buzzy.

The manual transmission is relatively easy to operate, although the shift lever travel is a bit longer than most would like. Official fuel consumption is low for this class of vehicle at 9.0 l/100 km (only premium unleaded petrol is required). However, we managed it in heavy traffic.

The Chinese auto industry is definitely improving and the H2 has some attractive features. But, unfortunately, they are outweighed by the negatives. The price is not high enough and the list of equipment is not large enough to overcome concerns about safety, quality, limited dealer network and resale.

That he has

Rear camera, parking sensors, sunroof, full-size alloy spare tire, electronic parking brake, keyless entry and start.

What is not

Satellite navigation, climate control, air conditioning, blind spot warning, front parking sensors, rear deflectors.

Property

The first paid maintenance is carried out after 5000 km of run, then every 12 months. The maintenance cost is reasonable at $960 for 42 months or 35,000 5km. The car comes with five years of roadside assistance and a generous 100,000 year/XNUMX km warranty. Resale is likely to be average at best.

Do you think H2 will fight in Australia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Click here for more pricing and specs for the 2015 Haval H2.