Review: GWM Haval H6 GT PhEV
Nobody asked for a family SUV with 762Nm.
Let's establish that immediately.
Nobody was standing in a GWM showroom looking at the Haval H6 and thinking:
"Lovely interior. Plenty of space. Good warranty. But unfortunately, I simply cannot purchase it unless somebody gives this thing more torque than an old V8."
And yet...
Here we are.
The GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV combines a turbocharged petrol engine, a sizeable battery and multiple electric motors to produce the sort of numbers that sound faintly ridiculous when attached to a family SUV.
Around 321kW.
762Nm.
All-wheel drive.
And enough electric range to potentially complete most people's daily commute without using petrol.
That's an unusual combination.
Because traditionally, performance and efficiency sat at opposite ends of the automotive spectrum.
You could have one.
Or the other.
The H6 GT PHEV looks at that arrangement and asks:
Why not both?
Good question.
Price and Key Specifications
The H6 GT PHEV sits at the top of the H6 family and brings GWM's plug-in hybrid technology to the coupe-styled GT body.
Underneath is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine working alongside a sophisticated electric drivetrain.
Combined system outputs are approximately 321kW and 762Nm.
Again:
Seven hundred and sixty-two Newton metres.
In a Haval.
I feel like that deserves repeating.
Energy comes from a sizeable 35.4kWh battery, giving the H6 GT PHEV more than 100km of claimed electric-only driving under the relevant test cycle.
And that's important.
Because this isn't one of those early plug-in hybrids that proudly announced 35 kilometres of EV range before starting the petrol engine halfway through your morning commute.
There's enough battery here to fundamentally change how you use the vehicle.
If your normal daily travel falls within that electric range and you charge at home, there's a realistic possibility of doing most weekday driving without regularly using petrol.
Then, when you need to travel further?
There's an engine.
Simple.
Design
The H6 GT has always been the extrovert of the H6 family.
There's a lower, more aggressively styled roofline.
Large wheels.
Prominent spoilers.
Black exterior detailing.
And enough aerodynamic-looking appendages to suggest somebody within GWM's design department was having a particularly enthusiastic afternoon.
Subtle?
Not really.
But that's the point.
If you want sensible, buy the regular H6.
The GT is supposed to have some attitude.
From the front, there's a large grille and narrow lighting treatment, while the coupe-like roofline gives the side profile a noticeably sportier appearance.
At the rear, there's a roof spoiler.
And another spoiler.
Because apparently one wasn't enough.
Is the second one doing anything?
I have no idea.
But it looks committed.
And sometimes commitment deserves recognition.
The PHEV doesn't dramatically advertise what's happening underneath either.
There's a charging port and some relevant badging, obviously, but GWM hasn't painted half the body electric blue or written PLUG-IN HYBRID down the doors.
Thank you, GWM.
We can read the badge.
Interior and Practicality
Inside, the H6 GT continues GWM's recent habit of making you wonder where the money went in considerably more expensive vehicles.
There's a large central infotainment display.
Digital instrumentation.
Leather-appointed upholstery.
A panoramic roof.
Wireless phone charging.
Heated and ventilated front seats.
And enough technology to keep you occupied while waiting for somebody to finish shopping.
Material quality is generally impressive.
There are soft-touch surfaces where you expect them, the seats look and feel suitably premium, and the overall design has moved well beyond the “cheap car with lots of equipment” stereotype once associated with Chinese vehicles.
It feels modern.
Genuinely modern.
There are some ergonomic quirks.
GWM still likes putting more vehicle functions into the touchscreen than I'd prefer.
And regular readers already know how we feel about that.
If I need to access a menu to change something that used to have a perfectly functional button, somebody has made my life slightly worse in the name of minimalism.
Stop it.
Screens are excellent.
Buttons are also excellent.
We can have both.
But generally, the H6 GT cabin is a pleasant place to spend time.
Rear Seats and Boot
Despite that sloping roofline, rear-seat accommodation remains surprisingly good.
There's plenty of legroom for adults, helped by the H6's generous wheelbase, and the cabin is wide enough that three passengers can fit across the rear bench when required.
Headroom inevitably takes a small hit compared with the regular H6.
That's the coupe-SUV tax.
You wanted the swoopy roof.
Physics wants payment.
Boot capacity also needs to accommodate the packaging requirements of the plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but there's still enough room for normal family duties.
Shopping.
Suitcases.
School bags.
A pram.
The assortment of completely unnecessary objects children insist must accompany every road trip.
It works.
And that's more important than chasing the final few litres of cargo capacity.
Driving
Right.
762Nm.
Let's talk about it.
Press the accelerator gently and the H6 GT PHEV can pull away under electric power.
Quietly.
Smoothly.
Very sensibly.
Press it harder...
And sensible leaves the building.
The response is immediate.
Electric motors don't wait for revs.
They don't wait for boost.
They don't need a gearbox to decide which ratio would best suit your sudden enthusiasm.
They simply produce torque.
And the H6 GT has rather a lot of it.
Acceleration is seriously strong.
The kind of strong that initially feels slightly absurd in something designed to carry children and groceries.
Put your foot down and the Haval gathers speed with genuine authority.
There's a moment where your brain has to reconcile the acceleration you're experiencing with the badge on the steering wheel.
Not because there's anything inherently wrong with the badge.
Simply because Havals didn't traditionally do this.
They do now.
Does It Need 762Nm?
No.
Next section.
...
Fine.
Let's discuss it properly.
No family SUV needs 762Nm.
But there's an important distinction between needing performance and enjoying having it available.
You don't need to use all of it.
Most of the time, you won't.
Instead, that enormous reserve of torque makes everyday driving effortless.
Motorway merge?
Easy.
Overtaking?
Done.
Full car?
Barely notices.
Steep hill?
What hill?
That's where performance becomes genuinely useful.
Not at a drag strip.
In the ability to ask a heavily loaded family SUV for acceleration and receive it immediately.
And if you occasionally happen to use all 762Nm because there's nobody in front of you at the motorway on-ramp?
Well.
We're not here to judge.
The PHEV Bit
This is actually the most interesting part of the car.
Not the performance.
Because for all the headline numbers, the H6 GT PHEV potentially spends much of its life behaving like an EV.
If you've got home charging, the routine is simple.
Arrive home.
Plug it in.
Go inside.
Wake up with useful electric range.
If your daily commute is 30 or 40 kilometres each way, there's a realistic chance the petrol engine barely needs to participate during the week.
That's compelling.
Especially in stop-start urban traffic, where electric motors are at their best.
Then comes the weekend.
Maybe you're travelling 400 kilometres.
No problem.
Once the battery reaches its lower charge threshold, the petrol engine becomes part of the equation.
Keep driving.
No waiting for a charger.
No route planning around infrastructure.
No explaining to the children why you've been sitting behind a service station for forty minutes.
This is where plug-in hybrids can make enormous sense in Australia.
EV during the week.
Petrol when you need it.
Please Charge It
However.
We need to have the conversation again.
If you buy a plug-in hybrid...
Plug it in.
Please.
The entire point of carrying a large battery is that you use the electricity stored inside it.
If you never charge the vehicle, you're carrying hundreds of kilograms of expensive battery around while asking the petrol engine to compensate.
We've already compared this to buying a dishwasher and washing the dishes by hand.
I'm standing by that.
A PHEV works brilliantly when it suits your lifestyle.
Home charging.
Predictable daily distances.
Occasional longer journeys.
Perfect.
If you live in an apartment with no charging and drive enormous distances every day?
Maybe buy something else.
Different tools.
Different jobs.
Ride and Handling
Despite the GT badge and enormous performance figures, this is still fundamentally a family SUV.
And thankfully, GWM hasn't completely forgotten that.
The suspension is firm enough to provide reasonable body control but generally remains comfortable during normal driving.
Larger wheels inevitably mean sharp road imperfections occasionally make themselves known.
Physics.
Again.
But overall, the balance works.
The battery also places substantial mass low in the chassis, helping keep the centre of gravity down.
Through faster corners, the H6 GT feels planted.
Not delicate.
Not particularly lightweight.
Planted.
There's a difference.
The steering doesn't provide enormous amounts of feedback, but it's accurate enough and pleasantly light around town.
Would I take one on a mountain road instead of a proper performance car?
Obviously not.
But that's not really the point.
The fact that it can comfortably handle a winding road while carrying this much power is enough.
All-Wheel Drive
The electric drivetrain also allows GWM to distribute power across both axles.
That matters when you've got 762Nm.
Trying to send all of that through two front tyres would be...
Entertaining.
Briefly.
Instead, all-wheel drive gives the H6 GT impressive traction when accelerating hard, particularly in poor weather.
Put your foot down on a damp road and the vehicle simply gets on with deploying the available power rather than turning the steering wheel into a suggestion.
That's exactly what you want.
The system works quietly in the background.
No drama.
No theatrics.
Just traction.
Thank you, GWM.
Technology
There's a lot of it.
The central touchscreen handles infotainment and numerous vehicle settings, while the digital instrument display provides the usual driving information.
There's smartphone connectivity, wireless charging, surround-view cameras and a broad suite of driver-assistance technology.
The camera system deserves particular praise.
Visibility from coupe-style SUVs isn't always brilliant, particularly towards the rear.
A good surround-view system solves much of that problem.
That's useful technology.
The driver-assistance systems?
Mixed.
As we've found with other GWM products, some can be overly enthusiastic.
Lane warnings.
Driver monitoring.
Various alerts.
Occasionally the H6 GT behaves like an anxious parent sitting beside a learner driver.
Yes.
I know there's a line there.
Yes.
I saw that car.
No.
I'm not asleep.
Please relax.
GWM has improved these systems considerably over time, but there's still room for calibration refinement.
Safety
The H6 family offers the extensive collection of active-safety equipment expected in a modern family SUV.
Autonomous emergency braking.
Adaptive cruise control.
Blind-spot monitoring.
Lane-keeping assistance.
Rear cross-traffic alert.
Surround-view cameras.
And multiple airbags.
It's an important reminder that despite the performance figures and GT styling, this is fundamentally designed to carry families.
And on that front, there's plenty of technology watching your back.
Sometimes perhaps a little too enthusiastically.
But I'd rather complain about an overprotective system than explain why an important safety feature wasn't fitted.
Ownership
GWM's Australian ownership proposition remains one of its strongest weapons.
There's a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, backed by roadside assistance and capped-price servicing provisions.
The high-voltage battery receives its own dedicated warranty coverage.
And GWM's dealer network continues to expand as the brand's Australian footprint grows.
PHEV ownership does bring additional complexity.
You've got a petrol engine.
Battery.
Electric motors.
Power electronics.
Cooling systems.
And plenty of software managing the relationship between them.
That's considerably more complicated than a conventional petrol H6.
Whether that complexity creates meaningful long-term ownership differences remains something time will establish.
But in return, you're potentially getting EV-like daily running with petrol-powered long-distance flexibility.
That's the trade.
The Competition
The H6 GT PHEV enters a rapidly expanding part of the Australian market.
Plug-in hybrid SUVs are suddenly everywhere.
There's competition from BYD, Mitsubishi, Chery, and an increasing number of established and emerging manufacturers.
Then there are conventional hybrids.
Traditional petrol SUVs.
And full EVs.
Which means the H6 GT can't simply rely on being electrified.
The technology needs to provide an actual benefit.
And here, it does.
Strong electric range.
Enormous performance.
All-wheel drive.
Long-distance petrol flexibility.
A huge equipment list.
And GWM's aggressive value proposition.
That's a compelling collection of attributes.
The Bigger Picture
Something interesting is happening with GWM.
Within essentially the same showroom, you can now find very different answers to the same question.
Want a traditional diesel 4WD?
TANK 300 Diesel.
Want a plug-in hybrid ute?
Cannon Alpha PHEV.
Want a high-performance plug-in hybrid family SUV?
H6 GT PHEV.
Rather than betting everything on one powertrain, GWM seems perfectly happy to let buyers decide what works for them.
I like that.
There's far too much ideological nonsense surrounding automotive powertrains.
Diesel isn't universally good.
Electric isn't universally good.
Hybrid isn't universally good.
The right answer depends on what you're doing with the vehicle.
Build different tools.
Let people choose.
Thank you, GWM.
Verdict
The H6 GT PHEV is a strange combination of sensible and completely unnecessary.
And I mean that as a compliment.
The plug-in hybrid system?
Sensible.
More than 100 kilometres of electric range has the potential to dramatically reduce everyday fuel use.
Petrol backup for longer journeys?
Sensible.
All-wheel drive?
Sensible.
A spacious family-friendly cabin?
Very sensible.
762Nm?
Completely unnecessary.
Wonderful.
Because underneath the numbers is a vehicle that demonstrates why plug-in hybrids are becoming increasingly interesting.
You don't need to choose between electric commuting and long-distance flexibility.
You can have both.
The H6 GT PHEV can quietly take the kids to school without using petrol in the morning, travel hundreds of kilometres when required, carry the family comfortably and then produce an entirely inappropriate amount of acceleration when you put your foot down.
Is it perfect?
No.
Some touchscreen functions would be better served by physical controls.
The driver-assistance systems could calm down.
And long-term PHEV complexity remains something buyers should consider.
But the fundamental idea?
It works.
The H6 GT was already the slightly ridiculous member of the H6 family.
Giving it a plug and 762Nm has somehow made it both more sensible and more ridiculous at exactly the same time.
And strangely...
That's precisely why I like it.
Nobody asked for 762Nm.
But thank you anyway, GWM.