There are moments when you are told: “Do it like this, do it as well as possible.” And in response: “OK.” It seems to me that such a request was somewhere inside the Haval concern. Then it was necessary to decide, but what will we copy, what is the standard? And the choice fell on the Kruzak Prado. Well, what happened there? And it turned out very well!
You ask here, but there was no newer car? They are being announced almost daily now, make sure to open notifications in telegram channels. But lay down the anger, not the youngest Haval H9 has a lot to offer! Consider that almost no one does this anymore, but you can still buy it new. Convinced?
All details below.
Characteristics
- Engine: ICE, 4 cylinders, in-line, 2 liters, turbo, 95th gasoline.
- Power: 218 HP s., 350 Nm.
- Gearbox: ZF eight-speed automatic.
- Drive: full.
- Average consumption during the test drive: 12.7 liters per 100 km.
- Drove: 1032 km.
Meeting
I’ll hold back on comparisons…
big guy! This is really a big car, and there will be a lot of demand from it. Well, one of the main features is the frame structure! Something so beloved by us is now rarely seen. The frame is a frame, it’s not particularly visible, but the appearance – yes, here it is, in front of you. Assess the diligence of borrowing. I don’t really like to focus on this, but here everything really looks like there was a clear technical task. Well, since the manufacturer was not shy, why am I?
How are you? Big gallery for your attention!
In such a big car, gosh, there is a lot of stuff inside. And then! There is even a third row. But according to the classics, I’ll start with the trunk. Here is a curtain that has nowhere to remove … hooks – excellent, and a full-fledged socket, 150 watts. Amazing. From the non-banal – the buttons for raising and lowering the third row (their duplicate is also on the third row). Luxury!
In the trim of the tailgate is a tool (there is also the entire pencil case is pulled out) and a niche for an emergency sign. But in the underground you can’t lay out almost anything, only two small pockets. Spare under the bottom.
So, now you need to make a hocus pocus – the transformation of the salon. I move the second row a little and you can press the buttons for raising the third row. I climb in through the right door … well, I would say that a height of 175 centimeters would be borderline for any kind of comfortable stay. And then, the knees are already pulled up. But here it has its own light and airflow from the ceiling! Another air duct in the legs, but only the right passenger. There are also a couple of cup holders, but the gallery was deprived of sockets. I put it back.
The second row here is very flexible in terms of setting: the sofa is “cut” 40 to 60, it is adjustable both in terms of reach and back. If no one is sitting behind, the second row is VERY at ease. It also pleases with a straight line of glazing. The Haval H9 has a three-zone climate, so the second row has its own control unit (the climate on the third row is also controlled by the second row). It blows in the legs and in the head from above. But there is only one heating button, which means, rightly so, the sofa here immediately heats up all at once.
In the center there is a folding armrest, at the bottom there is also a retractable unit with only one USB connector, but with a 12-volt outlet. What is the result? Spacious, good visibility and comfortable. Don’t pick on.
Well, the main thing here, of course, is the driver. Listing all available comfort items and driver assistants will take up the lion’s share of this material. But in order not to turn into Wikipedia, I will note the key points. So: the memory of the driver’s seat for three profiles, massage (the front passenger also has it) and airflow, excellent visibility in all directions, and also adjusting the length of the pillow. Yes, through the central mirror it is not particularly visible what is down there, the camera comes to the rescue.
But there is just one camera here (does the age of the model affect?). On such a big machine, I certainly wish there were more these days. Immediately, I note that there is not enough adaptive cruise control. This is for complete happiness, as you understand. The absence of Android Auto can overshadow the life of a modern spoiled driver, although CarPlay is available.
But all sorts of blind spot monitoring, reversing assistant. Everything is. It can even steer a little in the lane.
A few words about multimedia. The interface carries some retrofleur, but it matches this interior. There are no special questions about the menu. There is something to dig and forget. From the strange: the setting for folding the mirrors when the car is closed is in the menu with heated seats, so you also need to scroll down. Barely found.
Separate praise deserves a completely physical climate control in the car. Only the comfort of the seats is in the menu by pressing a physical button, after which you have to poke at the screen. But this is not so critical. But the heated steering wheel button on it.
Tidy, as now established, digital. You can change the subject, but, again, the imitation of an analog arrow fits perfectly here.
What is the result? There is a lot of space, in general, everything is thought out, there is even a cradle for a smartphone. The lack of USB outlets for charging will have to be compensated by chargers from 12 volts, but there are already three of these outlets in the cabin. Someone will say “fi” to the plastic tree, in general, I agree. And there is also this monochrome screen with an altimeter, rolls and a barometer, cute to the eye of any lover to move off the asphalt! In general, like.
Let’s hit the road
He really calls to go away
And it is true. A lot of space allows you to comfortably place all your luggage, put small things in niches, jackets on the hook of the second row. Large luggage in the trunk (747 liters with the third row folded). The high seating position and excellent visibility set up for a relaxed long-distance ride. By the way, there is also a lumbar support. It is, curiously, “airy” and deflates every time the car is turned off.
The Haval H9 has several driving modes that are controlled by a puck on the center console. Empirically, it turned out that in the city (only if you are not a fan of driving at traffic lights) Eco-mode is enough. But on the track it is already better to switch to Auto. Yet, with a weight of almost three tons, 350 Nm, he is a little lacking. Perhaps things are different in the diesel version, but I had a gasoline one on the test.
There is also a sport mode, with paddle shifters, as well as a mode for mud, sand and snow. I have a winter test, so I did not deny myself the pleasure of trying out the “Snow” mode. Most of all, it is noticeable when starting from deep snow – if in Auto mode the H9 at first dulled and did not want to go, then in the mode the snow immediately started off confidently. I noticed that he did it from the second gear, well, he obviously correctly distributed the torque. But in Eco mode, in the snow, on the slope, the car didn’t really want to drive at all. So keep that in mind.
After the first trip out of town, it became clear that this Chinese SUV would not be economical. With very optimistic and economical use, you can get 10.5 liters per hundred, in reality it’s closer to 12. And in traffic jams … even Eco won’t help here. But the tank is 80 liters!
Here’s what else I want to praise, so it’s for soundproofing. In the cabin, you can’t even hear the spikes, only the monotonous noise from the wheel arches and, occasionally, the engine. And yet, suddenly, a very well tuned electric power steering.
Plump tires and linkage (independent front and dependent rear) suspension is a great duo for a comfortable ride. Surprisingly, there are not even very critical rolls here! Although, if you enter the turn too boldly, the car will even turn on the emergency gang. Small pits the car slips with a bang, but large ones do not bring the suspension to a breakdown. True, with a certain geometry of the roadway, sometimes there are longitudinal swings.
There is more to blame. I have already said that there is only one camera, but there are not even parking sensors in front, which is a very significant minus for such a large car in the city. And here’s another joke (I won’t call it otherwise): if lane hold is on, you can’t get into any menu on the digital tidy!
A few words about the steering wheel and general ergonomics in motion. There are no complaints about the steering wheel itself, although I would say that it is overly sensitive to everything that gets under the wheels. Buttons and joysticks are well read, you won’t find fault. But there is one fad that is not the most convenient – cruise control hangs on a separate lever behind the steering wheel at the bottom left. And it’s not very convenient to use it, but you get used to everything.
Well, about the most delicious! The Haval H9 has good off-road equipment in the form of as many as three differential locks and a downshift. Amazing. I didn’t have any very harsh routes on the way, and there is always a risk of scratching someone else’s car (after all, there are no unpainted plastic skirts here).
Review
On this only way
The most interesting thing for me is always the aftertaste. Do you want to get back in the car, will I miss you? And here’s the fact, I want to return to Haval H9. I want to ride it farther out of the city, visit new cities and natural places and return home in a week or two.
What is the secret? In good old school? It seems to me, in a very good thoughtfulness and the absence of serious shortcomings and arrogance, which modern cars from the Middle Kingdom do not hold.
Comfortable ride, good Shumka and decent multimedia sound, what else do you need? Expenditure is less.
Pros:
- spacious interior and good visibility;
- good sound insulation;
- excellent ergonomics of the cabin;
- three-zone climate control.
Minuses:
- no front parking sensors;
- no adaptive control;
- only one camera
- fuel consumption.
May not like:
- plastic tree;
- the sofa of the second row is heated all when the heating is turned on.
A few more photos. You curious ones!