SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.
Editor's note: SA Roadtests accepts multi-day vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide editorial reviews. All vehicle reviews are completed on our turf and on our terms.
For out-of-province vehicle launch features however, travel costs are covered by the manufacturer concerned. This is common in the motor industry, as it's far more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists.
Judgments and opinions expressed on this site are our own. We do not accept paid editorial content or ads of any kind.
Posted: April 16, 2019
The numbers
Price: R294 900
Engine: 1497 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder turbopetrol
Power: 105 kW at 5600 rpm
Torque: 202 Nm between 2200 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 12.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 180 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 10.1 l/100 km
Tank: 55 litres plus 2 reserve
Luggage: 300 – 1127 litres
Ground clearance: 185 mm
Turning circle: 10.7 metres
Dimensions: 4335 mm (l), 1814 mm (w), 1695 mm (h)
Wheelbase: 2560 mm
Standard tyre size: 235/55R18
Towing capacity (braked): 1200 kg
Warranty: 5 years / 100 000 km with 5 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years / 60 000 kmLet’s get oriented: Great Wall Motors, manufacturer of GWM Steed pickups and Haval SUVs, has been in South Africa for 12 years and has become well known. The local company, renamed Haval SA, is now under Chinese management. GWM-Haval says it’s here to stay, means business and does not make “second-class” vehicles.
The midsize H2 SUV, introduced here two years ago, is proof of that. It is solid, decently equipped, well built, boasts a five-star ANCAP safety rating and has most of today’s must-have features.
It comes in two trim levels, City and Luxury, and is offered with six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. All use a turbocharged version of the Mitsubishi Orion 4G15B, 1.5-litre, petrol engine. Prices range from R260 000 to R320 000. Our test car was a City model with six-speed automatic.
City spec’ offers front-wheel drive, disc brakes front and rear with ABS/EBD/EBA, McPherson strut- and multilink suspension and fabric upholstery. Standard equipment includes halogen lights; DRLs; electric power steering; six airbags; alloy wheels with fully sized steel spare; roof rails; polyurethane steering wheel with audio, Bluetooth and cruise control buttons; keyless entry with button start; ISOFix anchorage points and a 3.5-inch TFT screen with trip computer.
Let’s not forget automatic door locking; a pair of 12-volt sockets; 60:40-split rear seatbacks with armrest and cupholders; anti-glare rear view mirror, reversing alarm; tyre pressure monitoring; post-collision fuel cut-off; front and rear fog lights; filtered, manual air conditioning; speed defrosters front and rear; powered windows and mirrors and a 500-gram fire extinguisher as required under Chinese law. Automatic transmission adds an electric parking brake. Those are just the highlights.
Luxury level ups the stakes with auto-on headlamps and wipers; a sunroof; faux leather upholstery with six-way electrical adjustment for the driver’s chair; a leather steering wheel with left-side kerb view control for the reversing camera; electronic stability program; follow-me lights; dual zone climate control; a cargo curtain and puddle lamps.
Although engine performance was quite brisk, we could not shake an old, familiar feeling that Chinese kilowatts might not be quite as “big” as those from other countries. The H2 did not feel as quick as a 97-kW, naturally aspirated, Kia Sportage 1.6 GDi for example. Apart from that, its automatic box shifted smoothly, kicked down promptly and was very pleasant to use. Manual override is by means of the gear lever – no paddles. Three driving modes provide Standard, Eco and Snow settings.
The loading platform is 82 cm above ground level, measures a neat 77 cm by 1.0 metre and is fitted with a light. Seatback releases on top of the chairs are reached easily from behind to fold them almost flat. Head- and kneeroom is comfortable for tall passengers who are well catered for with three head restraints, three full belts and adequate storage space.
Proving its BRICS heritage, gravel road behaviour proved stable and uneventful. We could not fault it. Moderately high-speed handling and road holding along winding country blacktop was acceptable although the car felt somewhat “tall” at times. If you plan on indulging in shenanigans, it might be advisable to spring for the Luxury version with ESP.
While we’re whining, the driver’s chair does not adjust sufficiently downward for six-foot-something pilots. The editorial head bumped against the doorframe, while entering and exiting, a few times. And, despite a good fist-width of air between scalp and ceiling, eyes remained aimed above the centre-line of the windscreen.
Balancing that, fit and finish was as good as on most cars out of anywhere else, while doors and the hatch closed with a luxurious “thump”. As we said: No more second-class vehicles.
Test unit kindly loaned by Haval Pietermaritzburg
Read about the 2020 facelift and update here
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 or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.
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 ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle 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. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.
Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.
This site is operated by Scarlet Pumpkin Communications in Pietermaritzburg.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are courtesy of www.quickpic.co.za
Copyright this business. All rights reserved.
SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8