GWM Haval H6 vs MG Im5

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 MG IM5 Performance is fast, comfortable, quiet and super refined. Putting some minor spec and active safety niggles to one side, it offers the features, tech and price to match it with its well-credentialled and already popular mid-size EV sedan competitors. Is there room for one more? We think there should 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.

Playing spot the straight line on the outside of the MG IM5 is like an automotive design version of Where’s Wally? There aren’t many, in the midst of an unrelentingly curvaceous exterior treatment.

At close to five metres long and two metres wide the IM5 is appreciably longer (+211mm), a little wider (+27mm) and a bit taller (+33mm) than a Tesla Model 3. Think BMW 5 Series in terms of overall size.

And the soft-form shape is functional; the swoopy liftback boasting an ultra-slick 0.24 drag coefficient.

That said, I’m not convinced by the ‘Periscopic’ cameras informing the driver assistance systems from the front guards. They scream tacked-on afterthought. But a touch-only initial opening function for the flush door handles is cool and makes life easier.

The curves continue inside with soft-padded surfaces around the dash and doors, but the straight edge obviously came out for the 10.5-inch central media screen and vast 26.3-inch upper display. There are next to no buttons; even exterior mirror adjustment is directed from the screen to a multi-function steering wheel control.

System software (powered by a Qualcomm ‘Snapdragon’ chip) is lightning fast with a two-finger up and down swipe shortcut function on the central screen for ventilation and other functions.

The interior is light and bright thanks to the enormous panoramic sunroof. It’s been fine in cooler winter conditions during this test but it could be interesting to revisit in the heat of an Aussie summer

There are two interior colour schemes available - the ‘Highland Grey’ of our test car or ‘Dover Beige’ for those brave enough to live life with the threat of scuff marks on your shiny new car’s glamorous but vulnerably light interior.

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.

There’s plenty of breathing room up front and in terms of storage one of the first things worth calling out are the long but relatively narrow door bins. No good for anything above unusually slender bottles, even if they’re lying down.

No conventional glove box in the dash, but there is a large lidded box (cooled and heated) between the seats that doubles as a centre armrest. It’s supplemented by a big stowage area underneath the flying buttress style centre console.  

There are two cupholders in the centre console as well as a wireless device charging pad in front of them with a vaguely phone-shaped oddments bin alongside it.  

Move to the rear and the IM5’s 75mm wheelbase advantage over the Tesla Model 3 is clear. Heaps of knee and headroom for me at 183cm sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my position. 

But… the seat sits low which pushes your knees up into the air to the point where my thighs are not contacting the seat cushion. Even though the rear seat reclines to a certain degree it’s a problem compounded by a chronic lack of room for your toes under the front seat. Awkward.

There are map pockets in the front seatbacks, modest bins in the doors and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders. Adjustable ventilation in the rear of the front centre console always makes life in the rear seat more pleasant.

The car also houses ‘Strong Magnets’ at various points around the cabin and boot, with a configurable adapter able to lock a phone or tablet into place for the entertainment of, in our case, back seaters. 

Speaking of devices for entertainment, there are two USB-C sockets and a 12-volt outlet in the front and another USB-C and 12V in the back, so charging isn’t an issue. 

The IM5 is a liftback so the boot aperture is generous and a capacity of 457 litres with the rear seats up is decent for a car of this size, although that’s less than the Tesla Model 3 (594L) which has an additional well under the floor. 

Still, enough room for the largest (124L) and smallest (36L) suitcases from the CarsGuide three-piece luggage set with some room to spare.

The power tailgate can be operated hands-free via the key or an always welcome under bumper kick function.

Volume expands to 1290 litres with the rear seats folded and there’s a modest 18-litre ‘frunk’ under the bonnet.

The bad news is a repair-inflator kit rather than a physical spare wheel, but the better news is the IM5 Performance can tow a 1500kg braked trailer (750kg unbraked).

The IM range also features the ‘MG iSmart’ app allowing remote control of various functions including charging, checking vehicle location and route planning. 

At $80,990, drive-away, the IM5 Performance sits at the top of a three-grade line-up that starts with a 75kWh RWD Premium model at $60,990, followed by a mid-spec 100kWh RWD Platinum for $69,990, both drive-away.

Its most prominent competitor is arguably the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD ($80,900), with others including the BYD Seal Performance AWD ($68,798), Hyundai Ioniq 6 AWD Epiq ($86,500) and Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor Performance ($80,380).

Worth noting, too, the IM6 range - essentially the same car with a taller SUV body - has the same model walk-up and identical pricing.

Once you’ve crossed the $80K threshold it’s fair to expect a decent basket of standard fruit and aside from the dynamic and safety features we’ll get to shortly, the IM5 Performance comes to the party.

Highlights include a double-glazed panoramic roof, power-adjustable (12-way driver, six-way passenger) heated and ventilated front seats (also heated in the rear), dual-zone climate control, 20-speaker audio (with digital radio), 256 colour ambient lighting, a power tailgate (with hands-free function) and 20-inch alloy rims.

There’s also adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED headlights, keyless entry and start, wireless device charging (50W), a 10.5-inch central control screen and a sweeping 26.3-inch upper screen; the right side for instrumentation and car data, the (touch-sensitive) left side for multimedia and other onboard functions.

There’s more and it’s clear this car at least matches or betters its direct competitors for included equipment.

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 MG IM5 Performance is powered by an electric motor on each axle - the rear (372kW/500Nm) more powerful than the front (200kW/300Nm), for overall outputs of 572kW (that’s close to 770hp) and 802Nm of pulling power.

The official term for that amount of grunt is… a lot. And we’ll get to what it means on the road in the Driving section shortly.

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 MG IM5 Performance features an 800-volt electrical architecture which means the 100kWh NCM battery can accept a DC peak charge of close to 400kW.

Only snag is the highest you’ll currently find in Australia is 350kW. But even at that rate you’ll still be looking at a 30-80 per cent charge in just over 15 minutes. Maximum AC charge rate is 11kW.

Claimed range is 575km (WLTP) which is less than the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD at 629km.

Over a week of city, suburban and some freeway running we saw average energy use of 20.6kWh/100km which is on the high side for an EV of this size but maybe not for one with this kind of performance potential. 

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.

First things first, the IM5 Performance is supercar fast. This 2.3-tonne five-seater blazes from 0-100km/h 3.2 seconds and with its dual motors combining to produce 572kW/802Nm, eye-widening performance always resides underneath your right foot.

But it’s not all about straight line speed. Ride comfort is excellent. Underpinned by an all-new platform, the IM5’s suspension is by double wishbones at the front and multi-links at the rear. But the key to its bump and rut smoothing ability is air suspension and ‘continuous control’ active damping.

Fold in double-glazing on the full-length glass roof and side windows, as well as active noise cancellation and you have a serene interior environment at any speed. Also worth noting the front seats are great; as grippy as they are comfortable.

Not only that, despite its relative heft, this mid-sizer steers well, too. Not the last word in road feel but it points accurately and the standard rear steering helps with prompt (but never jerky) cornering turn-in. Flick to ‘Sport’ mode and the IM5 is up for some enthusiastic running.

The rear wheels can turn up to 12 degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts at slow speed, which makes for a usefully tight 10-metre turning circle. But above that, at lesser angles, it adds extra stability and decisiveness in the way the car steers through even tight, twisty sections.

Rubber is top-shelf Pirelli P Zeros on 20-inch alloys (245/40 fr - 275/35 rr) and it grips hard, especially in the wet weather over much of the test period. Braking is solid, as it needs to be, with ventilated discs all around and four-piston callipers at the front. 

No adjustable regen braking but you can feel the ‘Cooperative Regenerative Brake System’ (CRBS) doing its thing when you lift off the accelerator. 

The physical rear view is modest thanks to the slope of the back window reducing its functional area for the driver to that of a 1950s VW Beetle. Even the interior rear-view mirror is tiny and folds up into a recess in the headliner if you’d prefer life without it.

But that’s where a rear camera view popping up on the upper screen display (accessed via the right-hand steering wheel click control) comes in handy. Side camera views are also available as is a 360-degree overhead view, which makes parking straightforward.

If you need more parking help there are various self-parking modes including a nifty ‘Curbside’ function that will realign the car hands-free if you’re parallel parked too far out from the kerb.

In a similar vein, a ‘Rainy Night’ mode projects left and right rear views onto the main screen using AI to enhance clarity and highlight pedestrians and cars.

Overall the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) are relatively unobtrusive but we found ourselves switching off the incessant overspeed chime that sounds for 10 seconds if you creep over the indicated speed limit, even when the system has misfired on the correct speed. For example, 40km/h school zones on a Sunday.

The over-zealous driver distraction warning also occasionally issued a visual and audible slap on the wrist when I was looking straight ahead. Tellingly, there’s a specific quick screen for turning both these functions off, but it kinda defeats the purpose of having them in the first place.

We also found the adaptive cruise control to be hesitant in multi-lane environments, reducing speed occasionally because the system seemingly believed a car was set to merge, when it wasn’t.

No independent ANCAP safety assessment at this point but there’s a full suite of active safety tech onboard including AEB, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert & braking, forward collision warning, lane-change assist, tyre pressure monitoring and heaps more. And we touch on how it all operates in the Driving section above.

There are no less than nine HD cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and three millimetre-wave radars on duty.

If a crash is unavoidable there are seven airbags including full-length side curtains and a front centre bag. Multi-collision brake also minimises the chances of subsequent impacts after an initial crash. There are also three top tether points and three ISOFIX child seats anchors across the second row.

All right on the pace for this part of the market and the IM5’s competitive set.

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.

The MG IM5 Performance is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, which is a plus, but the catch is it’s conditional on authorised dealer servicing. Go elsewhere and the term drops to a more common five years/unlimited km. The drive battery is covered for eight years/160,000km, which is the norm in the Aussie market

Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km with charges averaging $586 per workshop visit for the first five years, which is on the high side for an EV, even at this price point, the average bumped up by a more than $1400 doozy at year four.

MG IM models are sold (with service available) through all of MG’s 100-plus dealerships across the country, so no concerns there.