GWM Haval H6 vs LDV ET60

What's the difference?

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 eT60 presents as an electric vehicle clearly converted from a combustion vehicle to take advantage of being first in our market. 

It comes with some significant downsides, from the lack of key specifications and safety equipment to the downright average drive experience, but in other areas it’s specified right, with decent charging specs, and surprisingly good software on that centre multimedia screen. 

In some ways, these impressions are a reflection of how far the ute market has come in Australia in the last few years, with many commercial offerings now feeling just as complete as passenger cars in terms of specification and driving prowess.

LDV has left open the door for future tweaks and improvements to the eT60’s spec, ride, and features, and we’re keen to get it in for a longer test in the near future. Either way, though, the brand says it has no shortage of buyers lining up to be a part of the zero emissions future of commercial vehicles.

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.

The eT60 is hard to tell apart from its combustion equivalents from the outside. If you were expecting a blanked-out grille, aerodynamic wheels, or some other special EV-specific design flair, you’ll be surprised to find there are none.

To that end, the eT60 shares the exterior appeal of the combustion range, with a big, tough-looking grille, modern LED DRLs, sturdy looking alloy wheel designs, and enough chunky personality from the wide stance and additional bits like the sidesteps and sports bar.

Peeking underneath reveals the housing for the batteries, notably no spare wheel, and the tray is utilitarian with the spray-in tubliner. At least the ute scores colour-matching bodywork all around.

The same goes for the inside, which certainly feels like a commercial offering. Again, all the items in there mirror its base combustion equivalent, with the only giveaway of its electric nature being the dial-shifter which replaces the lever on the centre console.

The cabin surroundings are largely hard-wearing plastics, including the steering wheel, making the swish touchscreen with surprisingly fast software look somewhat out-of-place.

The analogue dash cluster, for example, looks a bit old-school for an EV, and in terms of look and feel, the T60 generally feels a bit behind the pace compared to its traditionally more expensive rivals.

While it lacks in some areas, though, it is worth something that this dual-cab flies under-the-radar. Fleet operators won’t need to worry about a strange-looking ute with unnecessary frills, and common body panels with combustion versions will make repairs easy, too.

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.

Your burning question here will be how much the eT60 can tow and haul. With the same suspension set-up as the Pro version, this ute is capable of carrying a 1000kg payload, or tow 1000kg braked.

This is limited, but when you consider its 2300kg kerb weight due to the addition of those batteries, reasonable.

Operators should keep in mind that the 330km driving range is unladen, so you can expect half of that or less when loaded to capacity.

Tray dimensions come in at 1510mm wide (1129 between the arches), 1485mm long, and 530 high. Axle load capacity at the rear is 2100kg, and the eT60 has a GVM of 3300kg.

The approach and departure angles, as well as the clearance are mostly the same as the combustion version, coming in at 27 degrees, 24 degrees, and 187mm respectively.

Technical stuff aside, the cabin is as hard-wearing and practical as you would hope for a working ute, with a total of six cupholders and four bottle holders, a glove compartment, and sunglass holder, two USB 2.0 ports, two 12V outlets, and the welcome addition of a full-size 220V household power outlet.

The synthetic seat trim is so-so for comfort, and the seat bases are quite high, leaving someone at my 182cm height quite close to the roof.

The lack of telescopic adjust for the steering wheel is a shame, but not unusual for products from LDV’s SAIC parent company (this problem is shared with the MG ZS, for example).

The rear seat continues to offer comparatively good space for this segment, even behind my own driving position, although it would be predictably quite tight with three abreast.

As this was a brief test, we can’t tell you what it looks or feels like when loaded up, but the spray-in tubliner is better than offering the eT60 with simply a painted tray, as it’s good-to-go from day one.

The eT60 is expensive. Shockingly expensive. The single variant which will initially arrive in Australia wears a before on-road costs price tag of $92,990.

To put that in perspective, its specification is equivalent to that of the base-model ‘Pro’ combustion version, which now wears a price-tag of $43,148.

Do the math. You could literally have two T60 Max Pros for the same cost as one of these electric versions, given the latter's price premium of $49,842.

To make matters worse, the eT60 is rear-drive only, and with its nearly 90kWh battery pack offers just 330km of driving range, and that’s without being loaded-up.

This price is puzzling for more than one reason, however. For a start, 90kWh of batteries certainly doesn’t cost nearly $50,000 (if you take the average price of a lithium cell per kWh in 2022, the battery should cost closer to $20,000).

In fact, even the electric Mercedes-Benz Vito van with a similarly-sized battery comes in at $85,353 before on-road costs.

To this you could argue many things, but perhaps the most salient point is the fact that big corporate commercial fleets with zero emissions targets are seemingly obliged to pay up given the eT60 has become the only zero-emissions option in the ute space.

Standard gear is mostly shared with the Pro grade of the combustion T60, but there are some real oddities.

Good things include 17-inch alloy wheels and a slick 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay connectivity, synthetic leather interior trim with six-way electric adjust for the front passengers, LED DRLs, and a sports bar over the tray, which itself has a spray-on tub liner pre-applied, and side-steps to make it easier to hop in and out.

A big bonus is the household-sized 220V power outlet on the back of the centre console, which can be used to power tools and charge devices.

Then things get a bit strange. For example, this is the only fully electric car I’ve ever driven which has a turn-key ignition (as opposed to a push-start system).

It also has an analogue dial cluster, a plastic steering wheel with no telescopic adjust, halogen headlights (in 2022, really?), a manual handbrake, and the example we drove didn’t even have a dedicated park gear. To exit the vehicle, you leave it in drive or neutral, rip the handbrake on, and turn it off. Very odd.

There’s some welcome items here, and it’s also nice that despite LDV’s clear focus on commercial buyers, the eT60 is a dual-cab, so you can actually use it for more than just hauling stuff, but there are just some things (the lack of a park gear in particular) which make it feel a bit pieced together on a tight budget. Rough for a vehicle which costs nearly $100K.

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 eT60 is rear-wheel drive only, with an electric motor producing 130kW/310Nm. That’s nowhere near as punchy as the 160kW/500Nm outputs of its punchy twin-turbo 2.0-litre combustion equivalent.

There are three driving modes - 'Power', 'Normal', and 'Eco', and driving performance seems tame. Again, as this was a quick spin in what was described as a pre-production vehicle, we didn’t have a chance to try it out with extra weight in the tray.

Suspension is the same as the combustion T60 Pro, consisting of ‘heavy duty’ coils at the front, and a leaf-sprung set-up in the rear. There are disc brakes all-round.

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.

The eT60’s WLTP-rated energy consumption figure comes in at 21.3kWh/100km, which for a passenger car wouldn’t be great, but seems about right for a commercial vehicle of its size and aerodynamics. As already mentioned, this gives it an official driving range of 330km.

LDV says the fleet buyers it has lined up for the eT60 understand its range is “more than adequate for their daily requirements”.

There is some good news on the charging front, with the eT60 being sensibly specified from the factory. The DC charge rate maxes out at 80kW, for a claimed 20-80 per cent charge time of 45 minutes on a compatible charger, while the slower AC charging rate (important for back-to-base operators) is 11kW, meaning a nine-hour 5.0-100 per cent charge time.

On a single-phase charger (maxing out at 7.2kW, but cheaper to install) the 5.0-100 per cent charge time is a claimed 13 hours. Expect more like a 40-hour charge time on a standard wall socket.

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.

I said some of the standard equipment on this car is odd. This continues through to the drive experience. Keep in mind that LDV reminded us that there were some pre-production quirks about the vehicle we briefly drove on this launch.

Setting off, the eT60 emits a rather unappealing artificial buzzing sound to alert nearby pedestrians of its presence. While the audible aid is welcome, particularly for a commercial vehicle which may be frequently operating in areas shared with pedestrians, does it have to be so grating?

Even the Mifa 9 electric people mover makes a more appealing science-fiction-inspired noise. Perhaps the eT60’s noise was designed to mirror the tone of a diesel engine?

The seating position leaves a lot to be desired for someone of my height and I would also love to have telescopic wheel adjust, although visibility out of the cab is good all-around, and the reversing camera is relatively high-quality.

Manoeuvring at low-speeds is only tarnished, then, by heavy steering, which annoyingly, also gets a bit vague at higher speeds.

Higher speeds also reveal this ute’s main weakness which appears to be its ride. Keep in mind we’re driving a completely unladen pre-production example. But the ride was harsh, busy, and unsettled in our short drive, which covered a portion of freeway and some bumpy side roads.

The suspension from the combustion T60 Pro appears to struggle with the additional weight of the batteries in the eT60. Harsh bumps were easily transmitted to the cabin, whilst undulations had it jiggling and bouncing around side-to-side.

Power from the electric motor seemed sufficient, but not exciting, with tame acceleration off-the line. The obvious benefit being instantaneous response without the need for a transmission.

It is hard to tell whether the 310Nm on offer will feel too heavily burdened when the ute is loaded up. In some instances, electric motors don’t feel additional heft at all, so stay tuned for a follow-up load test.

Unlike this car’s Mifa 9 or eDeliver 9 relations (which use an electric motor with identical outputs), the eT60 does not have adjustable regenerative braking, with a single strong tune, which cannot even be turned off.

While it is welcome for extending the ute’s range and reducing the stress on the disc brakes, it is not a single-pedal driving mode.

The three driving modes don’t alter the experience much, with the Power mode making the electric motor more responsive, and Eco mode taking the wind out of its sails.

Its maximum speed is limited to 120km/h which is more than can be said for the eDeliver 9 which is limited to 90, a recipe for freeway frustration.

We’re keen to spend more time with the eT60 in the future to better evaluate its range claim and how it deals with more commercial duties. Hopefully it can shape up a little better than it did our quick and less-than-ideal testing environment.

The eT60 lags behind the competition here with a notable lack of active safety equipment, now considered industry-standard.

There’s no auto emergency braking, lane support equipment, active cruise, or blind spot support. Instead, this ute has the standard array of six airbags, electronic stability and traction controls, with the addition of hill start assist, roll movement intervention, and hill descent control.

While combustion versions of the T60 have a five-star ANCAP rating from 2017 (before active items like AEB were considered necessary), don’t expect the same from the eT60.

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.

Ownership is a better story. The eT60 is offered with an industry competitive five-year/160,000km warranty, with five years and 130,000km of roadside assist. There is also a separate eight-year and 160,000km warranty for the battery (supplied by CATL).

The service intervals might be the most appealing attribute, with the eT60 only needing to visit a workshop once every 24 months or 30,000km.

Even better is the cost, which will set owners back an approximate average of just $145.80 per year for the first 10 years of ownership.