We ‘bought’ a Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid

Welcome to our new long-term review format. We don't actually buy these cars, but do try to replicate as much of the purchase experience as we can so that you get the full picture.

We’ve introduced a 2022 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid into our garage for six weeks.

Haval has exponentially increased its product portfolio – and its quality – over the past decade. In fact, next year marks the brand's tenth year in Australia, and we're already driving its first-ever hybrid vehicle in Australia. How's that for a rate of progress?

We plan to cruise our Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid like an everyday family would. That means we'll load it to the gills with children and the detritus that follows them, and also see if it fits in with an active lifestyle by moving around my bicycles.

I'll also use it to move furniture and the odd light fitting, too, considering I'm renovating my own home. These are all things that we expect you – as a genuine owner – would also be doing with your SUV.

Our goal is to discover what the Haval H6 is like to live with as an only car. And we’re going to condense a six-month immersion into just six weeks.

Although our editorial team covers a wide spread of those from different backgrounds, some locally made and some made overseas, it's impossible to truly represent the wide gamut of Australian drivers on the road.

So, if there's something you'd like us to do with the car, or simply have a question like "Can you measure the temperature of the seat heating function?" – just ask.

Email the team at askdrive@drive.com.au.

This is not our first experience with the 2022 Haval H6 range.

We've previously reviewed the H6 Ultra AWD and H6 Lux models, but also had a quick go in the new H6 Ultra Hybrid model – the same version as our long-term loan vehicle.

Visit the Haval H6 showroom to find all of Drive's previous reviews in one area.

The first test for our long-termer came naturally.

In my personal life, I'm currently relocating my family to a rural town an hour from Sydney. I say 'currently relocating' as the house I've bought is equally as beautiful as it is uninhabitable.

It's a 1960s mid-century home that needs love and has been an ongoing project for well over six months now. It means I'm forever driving to and from Sydney to the Southern Highlands district of New South Wales – usually in the evenings after work – covering hundreds of kilometres and hauling all sorts of things.

Our personal and five-month-old 2022 Mazda CX-5 has over 10,000km on it, just to give you an extent of my driving. Since taking delivery, our 2022 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid has slipped into our routine quite well.

We're seeing fuel efficiency figures around 6.2L/100km – which is okay for a conventional hybrid vehicle. The benchmark for regular hybrid vehicle efficiency are Toyota vehicles, and rightly so given its pioneering and 20-year career history making them.

On the same run down south, we've seen anywhere from 5.0–5.2L/100km in a Toyota hybrid vehicle, showing that the technically similar Haval is close but off the mark.

That means if you're covering around 20,000km a year and mostly on the freeway, the hip-pocket difference from picking a Haval H6 Hybrid is around $400 more a year, or about the cost of an annual service.

The powertrain is designed and behaves much like a Toyota, in that both the petrol engine and electric motor can work together in the name of frugality of performance.

And with a combined 179kW/530Nm offered by the H6 Ultra Hybrid, it's great also on the move. Speedy overtakes from 100km/h in 110km/h zones are easy to do, so don't feel concerned about having to (legally) cross the road and gap the odd right-lane doddler.

Crossover between each of the engines isn't as seamless as others on the market, but it's mainly heard via audible notification and not physical. What that means is you won't feel the engine turn on via vibrations as such, more just hear it whizzing and buzzing behind the firewall.

Some extra insulation between the engine and the cabin would go a long way. Speaking of which, I also had the chance to back-to-back the Haval H6 against the smaller Haval Jolion.

Despite both cars being on the same Kumho Solus tyre, the H6 was definitely noisier on the inside. Whatever the reason, the fact is you'll hear some road and wind noise at speed.

Ride comfort is good, with the suspension having enough muscle to keep the car sturdy and propped when you strike big potholes and crappy sections of road.

So far, so good.

I attempt to move everything from a vintage bicycle to vintage homewares with our 2022 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid to see if it could faithfully replace a wagon in your household.

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