Test drive Haval F7x will compete with Renault Arkana
What's new in the Tula-assembled coupe-crossover, is it capable of off-road driving, can it be equated with Mercedes and BMW and how exactly the Chinese are going to blow up the market
Renault Arkana, BMW X4, Mercedes-Benz GLC. The newest Haval F7x assembled in Tula shares the presentation slide with these models, but the company representatives emphasize that we are not talking about competitors, but in general about the representatives of the mid-size coupe-crossover market.
At the top of the segment is the $ 52 GLC, the bottom is Arkana for a million. Haval F397x in this price hierarchy is at the bottom, but fundamentally higher than Renault. Above almost $ 7, although the journalists had time to dub the Chinese crossover almost "the killer of the Arcana."
But comparing the new Haval to Renault, referring only to the model's form factor, is as pointless as comparing it to Mercedes-Benz and BMW. In order to arrange these cars on their separate shelves, it is enough to transfer at least once to the F7x from Arkana or vice versa. Then it will become clear that the Chinese have not forgotten how to count, selling even the standard Haval F7 crossover at the price of the top Renault Arkana.
To begin with, it should be said that the Arkana on the modernized, but initially compact B0 platform is corny less than the "sevens" of the Haval brand. If from the outside the difference is not so noticeable, then inside you feel the difference immediately. The F7x has a deeper and more relaxed driving position, and it is almost impossible to reach the right door, since the cabin is spacious, and in the middle there is a massive central tunnel.
With an almost equal wheelbase, the Haval F7x simply provides a huge reserve of space for rear passengers, and the falling roof does not bother them at all. If you can still find fault with the need to bend your head for landing in the salon, then inside there are definitely no restrictions either in height or in space for the knees.
The trunk is really small, and from the driver's point of view, the rear window looks more like an embrasure, but this is already a price to pay for a stylish duck tail stern. At least, the decency in the design of the luggage compartment was respected: the backs of the rear sofa also fold, forming a conditionally flat floor, there is an underground with a stowaway, side niches and hooks.
Finally, in terms of interior arrangement and quality of finishing, Haval is a head or even two higher than Arkana. The Chinese model has a very designer salon, which, even taking into account a number of ergonomic absurdities like a strange dashboard and a cruise control hidden too deep in the bowels of the media system, I would like to call an adult. It has its own style, an abundance of soft and quite good-to-touch leatherette, a beautiful steering wheel and a lot of electronics. All this does not say absolutely nothing about the fact that Arkana is worse, but only emphasizes the difference in models, for which the Chinese ask for an additional conditional $ 6
The interior of the F7x differs from the standard Haval F7 in several fundamental details that make it even more personable. The dashboard is finished in carbon-like plastic, the seats have beautiful yellow stripes-inserts, and the place of the octagonal plug on the center tunnel, as promised by the dealer, was taken by an alternative media system control panel with a rotating washer and quick access buttons.
All of them duplicate the virtual keys of the media system, but make life easier for those who hate touch controls. But the buttons for the electric drive of the tailgate did not appear, as there is no electric drive itself. Unlike the Arkana, the trunk of the F7x is clearly secondary, but it is thanks to this that the coupe-crossover looks more elegant than the standard version, and the 19-inch wheels no longer seem too small compared to the high-set body.
The Chinese claim 190 mm of ground clearance, but the distance to the thresholds and units is clearly greater here. If you add neat bumpers to this, you get a good geometric cross-country ability. On broken ruts, the Haval F7x goes without difficulty, diving into deep ruts without loss. If before that you did not forget to choose the correct all-wheel drive mode, then you can also not conjure with traction, and the torque to the rear wheels in any case comes almost instantly.
Two-liter engine with 190 hp. does not suffer from a lack of traction either off-road or on the highway. The duo of a turbo engine with a preselective robot is very dynamic and fast, and the gearbox is more like a variator in character: it gently moves the car from a place and shifts very imperceptibly, but without the unnecessary chewing of the traction characteristic of a continuously variable transmission.
Renault Arkana does not have such a power unit, and the Haval F7x will not have an initial 150-horsepower unit, which also puts the Chinese coupe-crossover a notch higher. But what can and should be compared is the characteristics of the chassis. And here's a surprise: the F7x, it turns out, has very energy-intensive suspensions - so much so that you can indiscriminately drive on a bumpy road about as dashing as, for example, on a Renault Duster. And at the same time, passengers will feel quite comfortable.
The payback for soft suspension comes on the highway, where you want to go faster. Alas, the coupe-crossover, like the base F7, is not at all happy with trajectory clarity and sharpness of reactions: the car rolls strongly in long corners and slides outward with the front axle if the speed is higher than reasonable. On bumps, the Haval dances, forcing it to grip the steering wheel, but overall at least remains predictable. And the brakes on the test car no longer felt as tight as on the car in our video.
We can say that the Chinese have turned out a young and very ambitious product, in which both potential and lack of experience are felt at the same time. The ergonomics of the coupe-crossover did not improve even taking into account the washer of the media system, the body type did not affect the driving performance, although for an average Russian road they can be considered rather successful. A really powerful engine is attached to the insipid handling, and sound insulation, decent on first impressions, suddenly ends at the level of the rear seats.
The Chinese Haval F7x copes with the role of a stylish car, which can also be used for family needs, at least no worse than the conventionally European Renault Arkana, and in terms of dimensions, power and equipment, it surpasses it in many ways. In Russia, the F7x will be sold in the same three trim levels Comfort, Elite and Premium, only with a 2-liter turbo engine and a preselective robot with both front and all-wheel drive.
The basic set includes 17-inch wheels, single-zone climate control, instrument and media displays, heated steering wheel and parts of the windshield, light and rain sensors, tire pressure sensors, lift and descent control systems, and simple cruise control. A set at the level of the top Renault Arkana, which can be expanded with all-round cameras, electric front and heated rear seats. At the top are eco-leather trim, LED optics, a sunroof and a set of cruise control radars and auto-braking systems.
Initially, the Chinese were going to sell the F7x for 50-60 thousand rubles. more expensive than the F7 with similar equipment, but in the end they rolled out exactly the same prices. As a result, the most affordable front-wheel drive F7x will cost $ 20, all-wheel drive costs at least $ 291, and the most expensive option is $ 21.
"Arcana" for that kind of money is not and will not be, but this does not mean that customers will rush to order a large, powerful and stylish Haval Tula assembly. In the new segment of relatively inexpensive and stylish coupe-crossovers for Russia, customers will carefully look around and carefully count their money, so a balanced car of a well-known brand will seem more attractive to them than a still little-known car with radar cruise control. Especially considering that the latter is much more expensive.
| A type | Universal |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4615/1846/1655 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2725 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 190 |
| Trunk volume (max.), L | 1152 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1688/1756 |
| engine's type | Gasoline, R4, turbo |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1967 |
| Max. power, l. with. (at rpm) | 190/5500 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 340 / 2000-3200 |
| Drive type, transmission | Front / full, 7-speed robot. |
| Max. speed km / h | 195 |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | 9,0 |
| Fuel consumption, l / 100 km | 11,6/7,2/8,8 12,5/7,5/9,4 |
| Price from, $. | 20 291 |
