Family SUV Comparison: Haval H6 Hybrid Ultra vs Mazda CX-5 Touring Active 2.2D AWD vs Subaru Forester Hybrid L vs Toyota RAV4 GXL Hybrid

At first glance at the prices in the table it looks as though the Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid is the most expensive competitor in our comparison test. But keep in mind this is the driveaway price for this SUV. That's right. At the time we did this test Haval had applied national driveaway pricing to the H6 Ultra Hybrid.

The prices for Forester Hybrid L, the RAV4 GXL Hybrid and the Mazda CX-5 Touring Active are all list prices, that is, the price before on-roads costs.

What is certain is that the RAV4 GXL Hybrid is the most affordable SUV of this bunch.

As you can see the H6 has more features than any of the others, from its ventilated seats and panoramic sunroof to its enormous display screens. All very impressive.

So, while the H6 isn't the cheapest contender, the value-for-money is excellent and I've awarded it equal top marks with the RAV4 which is priced so affordably and offers excellent value with plenty of great features such as proximity unlocking, sat nav and privacy glass.

These SUVs aren't performance cars, they're practicality cars. Well, they're supposed to be because they're made mainly for families who need space and utility.

All are mid-size, five-seaters, which will suit a family with one or two kids. If you have three or more children, a larger SUV such as a Hyundai Palisade or a people mover like the Kia Carnival will do a better job.

Some SUVs are more practical than others. The CX-5 may be beautiful to look at but it's the least practical here. Yep, it appears to be a slight case of form over function with a second row that's the trickiest to access due to a sloping roofline and intruding wheel arch and the least legroom and headroom in the second row.

The CX-5's cabin storage is good with a large centre console box, big door pockets and a fold down armrest in the second row with a compartment to stow books and devices.

That's not enough to make up for the lack of people space and the smallest boot, which means the CX-5 doesn't score well here.

The Forester is the opposite of the CX-5 in that its boxy shape has given it tall, wide door openings, and a spacious cabin. There's excellent leg and headroom in the second row, with wide seats in the back and up front.

Cabin storage in the Forester is good, with enormous front door pockets, a big centre console box, and four cupholders onboard. The Forester's boot isn't the biggest but it has a low load lip and is able to take tall objects.

The RAV4 shows flashes of practical brilliance with shelves moulded into the dashboard and chunky, rubbery, easy-to-use dials for climate control, but then the second row feels a bit cramped.

Cabin storage could be better with small door pockets, but there are cupholders and a big centre console bin. Boot space is excellent.

The H6 has the largest of the lot and cabin storage is good, too, with a floating centre console, but the door pockets are on the thin side.

The Mazda CX-5 is the only SUV in our test with a regular combustion engine, a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four. The Mazda uses a six-speed automatic transmission and is all-wheel drive.

The rest are hybrids, each with an electric motor teamed with a four-cylinder petrol engine.

The Subaru Forester's electric motor has the lowest power and torque, making it a 'mild' hybrid as opposed to the H6's system which uses an electric motor that produces a far greater output.

As you can see from the table, the combined output of the H6's engine and motor is enormous for an SUV in this class. These are the figures Haval supplied to CarsGuide.

Rarely, however, do carmakers calculate the combined output of a hybrid system by simply adding the motor and engine outputs together. This is clearly how Haval has calculated its official numbers.

If this combined torque output of 530Nm is correct, the H6 could qualify as the highest torque front-wheel drive SUV on the market. Haval has confirmed these figures are correct.

Toyota on the other hand doesn't calculate the output of its hybrid systems by adding the torque and power of its engines and motors together.

As you can see in the table, Toyota only supplies a power figure for the combined output of the motor and engine, and doesn't even offer a combined torque figure.

This is what it's all about, right? Well no, because while using less fuel is a benefit of a hybrid SUV, if it's not practical, or safe, not good value, or easy to drive, it doesn't matter if it is super efficient, because it's useless, right?

But if a hybrid SUV isn't very fuel efficient then it's pointless too, isn't it?

Unfortunately, I feel the Forester Hybrid L falls into that pointless category because its hybrid system is so mild that during our fuel test (which was applied to all our SUVs at the same time in a convoy) it used a staggering amount of petrol compared to the H6 Ultra Hybrid and RAV4 GXL Hybrid. Embarrassingly, the diesel CX-5 used less fuel than the Forester on exactly the same test.

Our fuel test took a route through the suburbs, into the hilly countryside, onto a motorway and back into the city between 8.30am and 5.30pm on a weekday. The amount of fuel consumed by each car was measured at the pump at the completion of the fuel test.

Our winner here is the RAV4 GXL Hybrid.

All of these SUVs are super safe. You're not going to make the wrong choice here no matter which you pick. That said, while all have the maximum five-star ANCAP rating, the CX-5 was awarded its score back in 2017 when the criteria for full marks wasn't as stringent as 2022, when the Haval H6 was tested.

Models are updated with safety tech over the years as the RAV4 was in 2022.

This CX-5 was ahead of many of its rivals from a safety tech perspective when it launched in 2017, and the same can be said for the Forester.

Strangely, the Forester doesn't come with front parking sensors, but it is well equipped with pretty much everything the others have.

All have AEB (forward and reverse), blind spot warning and lane keeping assistance.

The Haval H6, however, has an edge here with features such as junction assist, AEB, and auto parking.