Haval H2 vs BMW X1

What's the difference?

Brand Finance self-effacingly describes itself as "the world's leading independent branded business valuation and strategy consultancy". And adds that it regularly picks apart the current and future value of more than 3500 brands across multiple market sectors around the world.

These London-based boffins reckon Delta trumps American Airlines, Real Madrid has knocked off Manchester United, and Haval is a more powerful SUV brand than Land Rover or Jeep. So, no surprise Haval promotes the research on its Australian website.

Just to split hairs, Land Rover leaps to the top of the rankings when it comes to overall value, but in terms of an upward trajectory and potential for future growth, Brand Finance says Haval is the one.

The irony is you probably wouldn't know a Haval if it ran into you, which obviously isn't good in any sense, but a factor of the Chinese Great Wall subsidiary's relatively brief time, and so far, limited sales in the Australian market.

One of three models released in late 2015 to launch the Haval brand locally, the H2 is a small, five-seat SUV competing against a hot bed of more than 20 established players including the segment-leading Mitsubishi ASX, ever-popular Mazda CX-3, and recently arrived Hyundai Kona.

So, is Haval's potential reflected in its current product offering? We spent a week living with the sharply priced H2 City to find out.

BMW’s X1 has changed. In a good way. Especially if you’re thinking about buying one as a family car.

Yep, last year the third-generation X1 arrived and after 13 years and three different attempts on a design, BMW has nailed it. And by ‘it’ I mean built a super practical and spacious small SUV that’s great to drive. 

See, as a dad of two kids, when it comes to cars and my family ‘it’ means something totally different to what ‘it’ meant 10 years ago.

And that’s what this review is about: does the BMW X1, and specifically this xDrive20i M Sport variant we’ve tested here, make a good family car?

If you're thinking of buying it for your family then you need to read this and also consider the likes of Audi’s Q3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLB.