Great Wall Steed vs GWM Haval H6

What's the difference?

If you simply want a new ute at a low price, the Great Wall Steed could offer a bit of appeal - it’s not terrible, but it’s also far from great…

My advice would be to see what sort of second-hand HiLux or Triton you could get for similar money.

The GWM Haval H6 has always been a value buy as a mid-size family SUV and although it previously wouldn’t have been at the top of my shopping list, this mid-life update has changed my mind.

It’s now more stylish inside and out, has more ergonomic storage and most importantly remains a cut-price offering.

Things aren’t perfect, as you still need to rely on the touchscreen for many key features and the suspension tune isn’t quite right.

The Great Wall’s exterior styling is reasonably contemporary, even if the proportions are somewhat ungainly. Consider this - the Steed is one of the longest, lowest utes out there.

The dimensions are 5345mm long on a huge 3200mm wheelbase, with a width of 1800mm and a height of 1760mm. There’s just 171mm of ground clearance for this one, which is the 4x2 model. 

The wheelbase looks enormous, and the back doors are quite small considering the length of the vehicle (plus the door handles are huge!). The B-pillars are set back further than they should be, and that makes it hard to get into and out of the second row seats. 

The interior design is pretty smart, though — compared with some of the other older utes out there, the Steed has reasonable ergonomics and the controls and materials are of a passable quality, too. 

But our car - which had just a couple of thousand kilometres on the clock - had a missing piece of exterior trim, along with a few loose bits and pieces inside. The quality is better than the first-gen Great Wall utes, but we hope the next-generation global ute from the brand will be better again. It’ll need to be.

Although the GWM Haval H6 has only received a mid-life update, it’s rather comprehensive.

At the front there’s a new front fascia that features a grille that's eerily similar to the outgoing Hyundai Palisade.

There’s also a new LED daytime running light signature that features a plunging light strip. You can tell it’s a little tacked on to the headlight unit which remains unchanged, though it’s a nice point of difference.

Around the side GWM has made a big point of removing all the pre-update car’s chrome highlights, which is a great step in the right direction. In its place is a swathe of black finishes. It’s noticeable around the wheel arches and door sills, as well as around the windows and on the roof rails.

At the rear there are more obvious changes, including the removal of the full-width LED light bar. This is fantastic to see because they're being done to death by car brands at the moment.

In its place are two regular LED tail-light units which still look great and inoffensive.

Other changes at the rear include a revised tailgate design that’s now more angular and sharp, plus there’s now ‘GWM’ badging where ‘Haval’ once was.

Inside there are even more changes. In fact, it’s hard to see what has carried over with this update.

One of the most obvious changes is the inclusion of a new cream synthetic leather upholstery option. It’s not to my personal tastes, nor would it be something I’d recommend for someone using this as a family car.

However, it’s a no-cost option and provides a nice point of difference from the drab-looking black synthetic leather that’s standard.

Ahead of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which now has a thicker rim than before and now features sculpted indentations at the 10 and two o’clock marks.

It’s nice, but I do prefer how the old thinner steering wheel feels in the hand, plus the spokes where the buttons are placed are still too thick and highly placed.

It’s clear GWM is still sticking with the screen-heavy approach with this updated Haval H6. There’s still a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, but a larger 14.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system that sits proudly on the dash like an iPad.

The centre console has been heavily redesigned and it now looks similar to the Leapmotor C10.

The rotary gear selector has been moved to a column-mounted unit behind the steering wheel, freeing up more space.

Overall the Haval H6 continues to present well inside with a wide range of soft-touch materials on the dashboard. There is now also a rubberised section on the centre console which feels modern and fresh for a car that’s so affordable.

As mentioned above, the interior of the Steed is acceptable for a budget ute, but that’s as faint praise as saying “you look fine” to the reflection of yourself in the mirror after a big night out.

The cabin has a few elements to it that are decent - the dashboard design is decent, and the controls are pretty logically placed. If you’re stepping up from a first-gen Great Wall ute, you’ll be blown away.

Things like the big media screen and leather-lined steering wheel, as well as electric front seat adjustment and leather seat trim that feels more like cowhide than repurposed garbage bags this time around will all count toward some positive first impressions.

That said, the screen is one of the most confusing ones I’ve encountered - you have to pair your phone by hitting the icon that looks like a PC tower linked to a phone. Why? Also, the load times on the screen are terrible, and when you put it in reverse the screen simply goes black. There is no reversing camera as standard, which is poor form. You can option it if you want, likewise the sat nav is optional - and it looks a lot like a UBD or Melways. Plus the volume levelling is very inconsistent. 

As mentioned above the ingress and egress for rear seat occupants is poor - anyone who has feet bigger than a size six will struggle to get in and out without getting tangled. Once you’re back there, the knee room is tight, but head room is fine. 

There is reasonable storage throughout - there are cup holders between the front seats, door pockets with bottle holders and a few loose item cubbies up front, too. In the rear there are map pockets but no other storage options unless you fold the rear seat backrest down.

As standard both the front seats in the top-spec Haval H6 Ultra have electric adjustment. In particular, the driver’s seat has six ways of electric adjustment, plus adjustable lumbar support.

The driver’s seat itself is comfortable enough, though on longer drives I look for a little more thigh support. You’re unable to adjust either front seat to get more thigh support.

However, there’s both heating and ventilation as standard for both front seats. The steering wheel is also heated which has been a godsend in the cold Melbourne weather.

The buttons on the new thicker steering wheel now control different functions. There’s no longer a stalk dedicated to the cruise control, instead this is now done on the steering wheel itself.

Also on the right-hand side of the steering wheel there are still buttons that change the volume, but when you click just above the volume rocker it changes their function to altering what’s on the digital instrument cluster. I’m sure you’d get used to this if you owned this car, but initially it messes with your head.

Another thing is given the gear selector is now behind the steering wheel, the wiper controls are now on the indicator stalk. This now also means there’s no proper buttons or stalk to adjust the headlights.

Instead you need to either use the touchscreen or press the ‘auto’ button on the dashboard. Unless you frequently change your headlight settings, this likely won’t be an issue.

The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster now has updated graphics and looks high-resolution. The interface is still dark, however, and you can only adjust the content on the right-hand side.

Moving across the larger touchscreen multimedia system looks fantastic and is a breeze to navigate thanks to the shortcut keys on the right and the handy swipe-down control centre menu.

There’s now wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality in this car which is fantastic to see. It’s particularly good because if you want to use the wired version of either, the USB-A port to access this is still on the passenger side of the centre console.

However, while you’re using smartphone mirroring you can’t access the handy swipe-down control centre menu. You need to exit and go back to the native interface to use it, which completely undermines its existence.

Another gripe is there still aren’t many physical buttons around the H6's cabin, with only a few for select climate control functions. To change the temperature, for example, you either need to use the touchscreen or the voice assistant, which isn’t always intuitive.

Thanks to the relocation of the gear selector, storage in the centre console has improved massively. There are two cupholders, a wireless charger that now features ventilation to keep your phone cool, as well as another storage nook for your keys.

Other storage highlights up front include a large space under the centre console, a centre console box, a glovebox, as well as big door pockets with bottle holders.

Moving to the second row, this is where Chinese SUVs shine. At a leggy 182cm I have plenty of space behind my own driving position.

The rear bench is reclined a touch and plenty comfortable enough for longer trips. You could easily fit three adults in the back thanks to the minimal centre tunnel intrusion.

Second-row amenities include centre console-mounted air vents, a USB-A and USB-C port, as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

At the back there’s now a hands-free power tailgate that’s standard across the line-up, except for the entry-level H6 Lux petrol trim. It’s very easy to use and particularly handy if you’ve got full hands.

The boot area in the Haval H6 is decent and there’s no load lip, making lugging items in and out a lot easier. GWM claims there’s 560L of boot space with the rear seats upright, which is great for the segment.

There are few boot-related amenities besides a single hook, 12V socket and a cargo blind.

Disappointingly there’s no spare wheel under the boot floor of the H6 Hybrid. Instead there’s only a tyre repair kit, which is surprisingly common among hybrids as the space where a spare wheel would typically go is taken up by the high-voltage battery pack.

The 2026 GWM Haval H6 range now only includes two trim levels – Lux and Ultra.

Pricing for carryover variants is down by up to $2000 over the pre-update model. The range now starts at $35,990 drive-away for the Lux petrol and extends to $50,990 drive-away for the new Ultra PHEV AWD.

It’s worth noting the variant we have on test here is the Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid which costs $43,990 drive-away. That’s incredibly affordable in this segment.

As standard all variants get 19-inch black alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, LED tail-lights, heated and folding side mirrors, a hands-free power tailgate (exc. Lux petrol), 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 14.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice assistant, 50W wireless phone charger, synthetic leather upholstery and electric driver’s seat adjustment.

It’s fantastic to see the multimedia system in the Haval H6 now supporting wireless smartphone mirroring, while also gaining a more powerful wireless charger that has ventilation.

Stepping up to the Ultra, as tested here, it gains rear privacy glass, a panoramic glass sunroof, head-up display, front stainless steel scuff plates, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, as well as driver’s seat memory and lumbar support.

There’s a lot of nice kit in the Ultra that makes stepping up to it an easy choice. GWM even admits that’s what a lot of Australian buyers are doing, too.

Great Wall uses a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with 110kW of power (at 4000rpm) and 310Nm of torque (from 1800-2800rpm), which is only available with a six-speed manual transmission. There is no automatic transmission available. But you can get a petrol engine if you prefer, which is becoming rarer in the ute segment.

The payload capacity for the Great Wall Steed 4x2 is decent for a dual cab pickup at 1022kg, and it has a gross vehicle mass of 2820kg. The Steed has the standard 750kg un-braked towing capacity, but a meagre 2000kg braked towing rating.

Unlike the petrol and the soon-to-be introduced PHEV variants, the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid’s powertrain remains unchanged with this update.

It’s still powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that runs the Miller cycle, as well as a single electric motor that’s fed by a 1.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Total system outputs are a massive 179kW of power and 530Nm of torque.

This is mated to a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT) with drive sent to the front wheels only.

It’d be great to see an all-wheel-drive version of the Haval H6 Hybrid because it would be better able to harness the amount of power and torque better than the front-wheel-drive version can.

The Great Wall has a claimed fuel use of 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres in the spec we tested, and across our testing regimen - which included on-road driving laden and empty for a few hundred kilometres, it managed 11.1L/100km. Okay, but not great.

The fuel tank capacity of the Great Wall is 58 litres, which is small for the class, and there’s no long range fuel tank option.

GWM claims the Haval H6 Hybrid consumes 5.2L/100km on the combined cycle (ADR 81/02).

During my testing I matched this figure, according to the trip computer, which is surprising as not many hybrid cars actually achieve their fuel consumption claims.

All Haval H6 variants, excluding the PHEVs, have a 61L fuel tank and require a minimum of 91 RON regular unleaded petrol.

GWM claims you can travel 1000km on a full tank of petrol in the Haval H6 Hybrid, but using my as-tested fuel consumption you can theoretically travel up to 1170km.

A lot of utes these days are aiming to be dual purpose vehicles, with passenger-amenable ride, handling, steering and powertrain combinations that mean you can use them for work and play.

The Great Wall? Well, it’s more work-oriented. That’s a nice way of saying you won’t want to subject your family to this truck, but your workmates? Too bad for them.

The ride is harsh without weight in the back, bucking over bumpy sections of road and jolting after a sharp edge.

The steering is light but requires a lot of turns lock to lock, and the turning circle is large. You need to keep that in mind when you’re parking, plus the vision from the driver’s seat isn’t as good as it could be.

The engine enjoys using every gear but first, but the manual shift action isn’t enjoyable and the torque on offer doesn’t come on smoothly. 

I will say this - with 750 kilograms in the back, the rear suspension didn’t sag very much at all. The Steed offers a big payload, and the chassis can cope with it.

What can’t cope with the weight is the engine - we had 750kg in the tray and four adults on board, and it was worse than sluggish. I struggled to get it moving from a standstill, revving harder than I usually would in a diesel-engined ute. There’s a lot of lag to contend with, and the engine simply doesn’t like low-speed moves at all.

But at higher speed it got into a groove, and the ride was actually really well sorted with mass over the rear axle. Plus the fact it has four-wheel disc brakes - unlike many of its newer, more high-tech rivals - means the braking performance was pretty promising, too.

Starting the GWM Haval H6, it’s generally quiet, but if the engine is bone cold it’ll fire it up to get the fluids warmed up.

Once the engine reaches an operating temperature it’ll typically switch off allowing you to drive around on electric power alone.

Depending on how much charge the battery has and also how cold the weather is, it can be surprising just how electric-heavy the H6 Hybrid can be. There were times where I accelerated all the way from standstill to 60km/h on pure electric power, then others where I was travelling along at 80-90km/h and the engine would shut off.

When you’re driving around in EV mode the car is super quiet. Under 20km/h though the car emits a noise that’s meant to alert pedestrians. You’re able to choose from two different noises and while neither bothered me, they did frustrate my passengers.

When the battery charge starts to deplete, or when you push the accelerator a little harder, the engine does naturally turn on. You can’t feel any drop off in terms of acceleration, though you can hear the engine turn on and start whirring away under the bonnet. Thankfully it’s nowhere near as loud and droney as a RAV4 Hybrid, for example.

With a massive 179kW and 530Nm, that’s a lot for a car that’s just front-wheel drive. In practice however, acceleration is rather linear, though if you do punt the accelerator the front wheels can get overwhelmed. It’s by no means a sports car.

There are three levels of regenerative braking available, including an additional one for one-pedal driving, which is quite rare for a hybrid car. For the majority of my driving I used the normal regen mode because it felt the most natural.

Unlike some hybrids, there’s no awkward interaction between the regenerative braking system and the traditional friction brakes. It can sometimes be a little jerky navigating in tight spots, but slowing down to a stop generally feels linear and normal.

There are also three settings you can choose for the steering feel. Although I sampled them all, the middle Comfort setting felt the most natural as the Light setting was too light and Sport was too firm.

Unlike some Chinese SUVs, the Haval H6’s steering feels like it has some connection to the wheels, though it’s not the most direct or fun to steer.

This feeds into the suspension. It’s clear the Haval H6 is still tuned for comfort because while it does iron out a lot of bumps, it gets overwhelmed easily with harsh or more continuous bumps. When this happens it can jostle and wallow around a bit, making it feel a bit like a boat.

Hopefully GWM is working on something for this because it did hire ex-Holden Lead Engineer of Vehicle Dynamics, Rob Trubiani, earlier this year as a Product Engineering Manager.

On the parking front, the Haval H6 comes with front and rear parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera with fantastic quality. There’s also a handy semi-autonomous parking assist and a reversing assist.

Despite this, the Haval H6 is on the upper limit of what’s typically regarded as a medium SUV and it feels like it. This isn’t helped by its wide turning circle, meaning you’ll likely have to do some three-point turns in tight carparks.

Visibility has always been a sore spot for the Haval H6 and this remains the case with the update. Although you have an elevated seating position, the bonnet sits high, making you feel like you’re sitting in the car, rather than on it.

This continues with the rear visibility as the rear window is quite small.

It’s nice GWM has gone to the effort of reducing the amount of bings and bongs the safety systems make in this updated Haval H6. There’s one for the speed limit assist, though it only chimes once and not very loudly.

However, when you activate or deactivate adaptive cruise control the car talks to you with an artificial Australian woman’s voice telling you it's either on or off and to pay attention. This feels a little unnecessary.

The pre-update GWM Haval H6 petrol and hybrid received a five-star ANCAP safety rating back in 2021. It remains unclear whether this rating will carry over to the updated model.

As standard there are seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue monitoring, a surround-view camera and rear parking sensors.

Stepping up to the Ultra gets you additional safety features like front parking sensors, semi-autonomous parking assist and reversing assist. It’s worth noting none of these features are offered on Ultra PHEV variants.

Great Wall introduced a five-year/150,000km warranty in April this year, which is good for a challenger brand but doesn't push the boundaries for the ute segment. There is three years of roadside assist cover as well.

There is no capped price servicing plan, but the Steed requires maintenance every 12 months or 15,000km (following an initial six-month checkup).

Concerned about problems, issues, faults, common complaints, transmission or engine reliability? Check out our Great Wall problems page.

The GWM Haval H6 continues to be covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, while variants with a high-voltage battery pack have that covered under an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

There’s also five years of complimentary roadside assistance and the first five services are capped priced.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, though the first service is required after 12 months or 10,000km.

During the five five years of ownership, servicing the updated Haval H6 Hybrid costs a total of $2145, which averages out to around $430 per service. That’s not bad but a Toyota RAV4 and a Honda CR-V are cheaper to service.