Haval H9

While the design of the Haval H9’s exterior looks outdated, the same can’t be said about the interior. The cabin layout of the H9 might not be as tech-savvy as other SUVs of its price, but it feels very premium with several new-generation features on board. The Haval H9 comes with dual-tone black and brown leather upholstery, which looks further premium with faux wood finish across the dashboard and over the centre console.

The Haval H9 comes with a four-spoke old-school multi-functional steering wheel, which has a 7-inch TFT screen in the instrument console. The layout of the centre console accommodates an 8-inch screen for the infotainment system, which is flanked by vertical AC vents with silver surrounds and has a control panel of switches for the audio system below it. The lower centre console has conventional physical buttons for climate control, while the transmission panel has a faux wood finish and comes with a drive mode controller and concealed cup holders within it.

The other premium features available in the cabin of the Haval H9 are Nappa leather seats, an 8-way powered driver’s seat, a 6-way powered co-drivers seat, ventilated front seats with massage function, three-zone automatic climate control, paddle shifters, 10-speaker audio system and air purifier.

For a full-sized SUV, the Haval H9 looks generously sized and has a good road presence with the large dimension it has to offer. However, the overall design of the H9 looks quite dated, especially among other similarly-sized three-row SUVs with more global recognition and the latest design trends.

The front profile of the Haval H9 looks very simple and clean with a large trapezoidal grille in the middle, which has chrome surrounds and comes with twin horizontal chrome slats. The wing-like headlamp housings of the H9 have projector LED bulbs and L-shaped daytime running LEDs. The front bumper of the H9 has well-carved housings for the fog lamps and a tough-looking skid plate in the middle.

The hugeness of the Haval H9 is more evident when you view the SUV from the side profile. The tall bonnet line, high ground clearance and the large 18-inch alloy wheels contribute to the road presence of the SUV. However, the design of the alloy wheels looks old-school. The SUV, however, looks premium due to the chrome garnish around the windows and the fender element. The wheel arches also have a slightly flared design to accentuate the width of the SUV.

At the back, the Haval H9 has an old-school appearance, with it being one of the very few remaining SUVs in the world to come with a tailgate-mounted spare wheel with a body-coloured cover for it. The SUV comes with vertically-aligned tail lamps placed on the rear pillars, while the left part of the tailgate has a door handle and license plate housing placed on it.

The Haval H9 is offered with an intelligent four-wheel drive system as standard, which comes with four dedicated drive modes – Auto, 2H, 4H and 4L. This system works in conjunction with the suspension setup, rear differential lock and all-terrain control system to offer an uncompromised ride quality over rougher surfaces. The ground clearance claimed by Haval for H9 is 206mm.

The Haval H9 is solely available with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which is coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The engine is capable of producing a maximum power output of 215 bhp, while the peak torque output is rated at 380 Nm.

The Haval H9 might be old-school in its essence, but it is packed with many new-generation safety features, the list of which includes front collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear collision warning, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera, airbags all around, ABS with EBD, traction control, electronic stability program and traction control.

The Haval H9 might be an old-school SUV in the company of similarly-priced luxury SUVs from other established manufacturers. However, it makes a strong case for itself with its commanding road presence, plush interior and list of features.