I hardly thought the Haval H2 would be much of a head-turner… or at least I thought it might be turning heads for the wrong reasons.
But, stop and look…. Even stare…. Some did.
The Haval SUV was an attention grabber and, among all the cars I have driven and reviewed, the H2 took the prize for most questions asked, predominantly: “Is it any good?”
Let’s be clear, it’s by no means exceptional, nor great… but it warrants a “good” for the price point.
One thing is certain, and apparent from the many comments I got, it looks the goods.
Haval’s designers have done an admirable job with both the exterior and interior styling, particularly when working with materials which make it a more cost-effective option — Haval owners legitimately get the look at a fraction of the price.
Performance, in only city conditions, also is admirable. While far from blown away by the 110kW of power from the 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, and at times concerned by the job the six-speed auto transmission was getting done, it is not a deal breaker.
Nor is the slightly less-refined suspension and handling.
In fact, at $23,990, there’s not much that is a deal breaker with the Haval H2.
I did question the odd rattle and squeak in the test drive model, but jumping into it with the knowledge that it had just done a 3000km run from Darwin to Adelaide in four days, you can forgive such little issues.
Is it any good? For the price… absolutely.
There’s something very special about owning a brand new car and Haval has the ability to deliver that dream for a lot more people.
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