By Malusi Msomi

Haval South Africa is one of those manufacturers that keep growing at a rapid rate in South Africa. We recently travelled to Cape Town to sample their latest offering, the rather striking H6 GT.

Styling

The H6 GT is in essence a Coupe version of the H6 SUV but much sportier looking thanks to its Coupe SUV shape, sporty front and rear bumpers, black 19-inch wheels, massive exhaust trims and a rear spoiler. The H6 GT definitely sets itself apart with its coupe-like design and colour options (KU Grey, Atlantis Blue, G7 Red, Hamilton White, and Son Black) matched with black wheels. It’s a head-turner of note.

Interior

The H6 GT comes with a unique sports interior accentuated by green trimmings, piping and stitching with alcantara inserts and heated seats. It also comes with a customizable digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We would like to see a physical volume knob instead of the one only found on the steering wheel. Although it has enough room inside for five passengers, the H6 GT’s boot space is less than the H6’s, at 392 litres as opposed to 600 litres.

The powerplant

It’s powered by a 2.0-litre engine that produces 155kW and 325Nm of torque. It sends its power to the front wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and also gets a Race Mode function. The ride is pretty good in the Haval H6 GT, and when switching it into Race Mode you get a more prominent exhaust note and a more aggressive throttle and transmission response. It’s no Lamborghini Urus in terms of handling as the front end tends to wash out during quick cornering.

Verdict

The H6 GT is the definition of balling on a budget and it looks quite epic. Pricing starts from R629,900. We can’t wait to get it on test for a more comprehensive review.