SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our archived road tests, just select from the alphabetical menu of manufacturers' names on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu that appears.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
Pics supplied
Posted on 26 April, 2014
Great Wall Motors’ H6 medium SUV was launched at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2011 and shown here for the first time at the 2012 Durban Motor Show.
Whereas H5 could be described as “Chinese, but getting there,” H6 is a smoother and neater vehicle with fit and finish rivalling most other brands. One could say “it may be Chinese but it’s totally there.” Wages in China are rising with the expectations of a burgeoning consumer base, so these new GWMs are no longer bargain basement plebmobiles. Price-wise they now slot in among some heavyweight Japanese, Korean and European competitors.
But they do so quite easily. No longer relying on hand-me-down engines sourced in terms of knowledge-sharing agreements, GWM now designs and builds its own. And they’re as sophisticated as most rival offerings. Two versions of H6 are presently available here with 4x2 drivetrains and six-speed manual gearboxes; 2.0-litre turbodiesel and 1.5-litre turbopetrol. While other KZN journalists have been making do (he grins) with the diesel version, yours truly was the first to be set loose in a brand-new, delivery mileage only, petrol burner.
Its engine is an oversquare (84.7 x 75 mm), all-aluminium, chain driven DOHC, 16-valve unit with VVT, boosted by an MHI electrically assisted turbocharger with intake intercooling. Power output is rated at 105 kilowatts with maximum torque of 210 Nm. As a matter of interest the 2.0-litre diesel puts out the same power but its torque figure is exactly 100 Nm greater.
I respected the fact that the brand new engine had not yet been properly run in, so refrained from bullying it. Despite that, it showed promise of being a willing performer as its parts loosen up; hinting at something hitherto unusual from the brand – a GWiM with vim if you like. OK, I won’t give up my day job to try comedy just yet.
Where this vehicle shines is in its high equipment levels although, in the interest of balanced reporting, I need to point out that we get only two airbags in our cars although as many as six are available in overseas versions. Kit we do get includes disc brakes all ‘round, automatic climate control, tyre pressure monitoring, rain-sensing wipers, a colour touch-screen media centre, cruise control, rear park assist with camera, proximity unlocking, automatic locking on the move, leather upholstery, keyless starting, Bluetooth and the usual powered windows and mirrors. ABS, EBD, brake assist and ISOFix? Check, check, check and check.
On the open road it ticks over gently at about 2600 rpm at 120 in sixth, which is rather long legged, so it doesn’t have much roll-on energy at that speed unless you change down. Another small frustration is that the onboard computer provides instantaneous fuel consumption only; no trip averages, so I had to rely on Car magazine’s Fuel Index for the numbers box. It made up for these shortcomings by feeling very solid and acceptably comfortable over my latest favourite stretch of rough track through the forest, though.
GWM quotes a fully laden ground clearance of 180 mm with approach and departure angles of 26 and 22 degrees. Those numbers aren’t at all bad for a soft-roader, so I await 4x4 versions with interest. The comfort mentioned above is courtesy of McPherson struts in front, with a multilink rear end. Brakes are ventilated discs at the front and solid aft.
Getting practical, the load volume is 808 litres with seatbacks up and 2010 with them folded down and tumbled forward. Those numbers are presumably to the roof, but generous nonetheless. The hatch opens at upper thigh level to reveal a large square space with a pair of side nooks, four lashing rings and a 12-Volt socket for accessories. Loading and unloading is easy thanks to a shallow, 11-centimetre, loading lip.
A full-size alloy spare wheel is in the usual spot under the floor board. The H6’s party trick, though, is a removable shelf about 30 cm above the floor and 21 cm below the pull-out cargo cover. Making it even cleverer, the shelf hinges up on the left so you can place small objects on the lower level or leave them standing up through the space.
The rear seatbacks have a few degrees of recline ability, so the standard tall passenger could choose between allocating 8/10 for headroom or a full ten. Knee space earned ten points as well with foot room, beneath the lowered driver’s chair, getting a reasonably comfortable 8/10. Thanks to its flat passenger floor in the rear, entry and exit was easy.
Two seatback pockets, door bins with bottle storage, cup holders, a generous CD box, a medium cubby, a sunspecs box for the driver and a couple of open trays provide more than the usual amount of storage. A word about the CD box: It houses the USB and auxiliary plugs beneath a lift-up flap, but you have to twist yourself into an odd shape to find them on the front edge of the box and under a lip. A neat touch, one I used before managing to find the USB, is a micro-SD slot behind the GWM badge on the front of the music centre.
Apart from that, the steering wheel adjusts both ways and has a full house of buttons, the driver’s chair adjusts mechanically and the air conditioner is a straightforward single channel unit. Being Chinese, a cigarette lighter and ashtray are provided and so is a 2-kg fire extinguisher just under the front of the driver’s seat. The gearshift, mounted bus-like on its own mini-console, is positive if a little notchy. Pedals are well spaced and the footrest is easy to get at.
Dashtop fit and finish is much better than on the H5 thanks to a new, one-piece moulding that makes up about three-quarters of the structure. The plastic is hard but not noticeably so and the overall ambience, grey over black, is pleasant. Instruments are big and clear, the parking brake is well placed and two lighted makeup mirrors are provided. If you didn’t know it was Chinese, you really wouldn’t think about it.
Test car from GWM SA press fleet.
The numbers
Price: R309 999
Engine: 1497 cc, turbocharged, inline four cylinder
Power: 105 kW at 5600 rpm
Torque: 210 Nm between 2200 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: n/s
Maximum speed: n/s
Fuel Index: 10,2 l/100 km
Tank: 58 litres
Luggage space: 808/2021 litres
Off-road specs: See text
Warranty: 5 years/100 000 km; with 2 years roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/60 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8