Haval H2 vs Mitsubishi Outlander

What's the difference?

How you define value will determine whether the Haval H2 City is the right small SUV for you. In terms of metal for money it delivers heaps of space, a reasonable standard features list and adequate safety. But it's let down by mediocre performance, sub-par dynamics and a surprising thirst for (premium) unleaded. Brand Finance may rank Haval high on the power index, but the product needs to climb a few rungs higher before that potential's realised.

Apart from the cramped third-row seating (for adults at least) and space-saver spare, it’s difficult to find anything else deserving criticism. The Exceed combines sharp styling, a plush interior and upmarket appointments with the performance, practicality and all-round competence required for the Outlander – particularly in Exceed model grade - to justify its place as a leading contender in Australia’s medium SUV market. Worthy of a test drive and serious consideration. 

Inoffensive but uninspiring is a blunt yet fair summation of the Haval H2 City's exterior design, especially when you think about rivals like the dramatic Toyota C-HR, edgy Hyundai Kona, or funky Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

The nose is dominated by a huge, slatted and chromed grille with bright metal mesh behind it, and vaguely Audi-of-10-years-ago shaped headlights either side.

The lighting treatment is elaborate with projector halogen main beams and reflector halogen high-beam units surrounded by a dotted-line string of LEDs looking uncomfortably like aftermarket inserts available via your online auction site of choice.

Standard fog-lights are recessed into a blacked-out area under the bumper, with another line of LEDs, functioning as DRLs, below that. And just to complicate matters, the upper LEDs only illuminate with the headlights, while the lower units come to life when the headlights are off.

A sharp character line runs along the H2's flanks from the trailing edge of the headlights to the tail, with an equally distinct swage line running from front to back, narrowing the car's mid-section and accentuating the bulge of its wheelarches, filled adequately by standard 18-inch multi-spoke alloy rims.

The rear is similarly reserved, the only hint of flash confined to a roof-top spoiler, cool typeface chosen for the prominent Haval badging across the hatch door, and a diffuser with chrome exhaust tips poking through either side.

Inside, the look and feel is early noughties plain, The dashtop is a nice soft-touch material, but there are lots of buttons and old-school analogue instruments combined with a media and ventilation interface that might have been acceptable on a mainstream model 20 years ago.

Don't even think about Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. The tiny LCD screen (sitting below a CD slot) wins the smallest, most basic graphics award. A miniscule scale reflecting the manual air-con's temperature setting is a particular low-light.

A small 3.5-inch screen between the tacho and speedometer displays fuel economy and distance information, but frustratingly no digital speed read-out. Standard cloth trim has a distinctly synthetic but tough feel, while the polyurethane plastic steering wheel is another throwback.

Sure, we're at the budget end of the market here, but be prepared for low-tech design combined with cheap and cheerful execution.

Exterior styling is richly contoured with fine attention to detail in the bold multi-element design of the grille and headlights that projects a prestige look.

The sumptuous interior, with ‘diamond-quilt’ stitching prominent on the seat-facings and door trims, adds to the upmarket appearance. Occupants are pampered by lots of soft-touch surfaces, exposed seam-stitching and a visually-pleasing mix of contrasting tones.

The interior has a bright and airy feel, particularly with the panoramic sunroof and optional light grey leather trim in our example. However, a darker upholstery shade might be more practical for young families, given inevitable scuffs and stains would be less visible.

Second-row legroom is spacious, even for my adult ‘kids’ (LOL) who are both more than 180cm tall. They have about 40mm of knee clearance when sitting behind the driver’s seat in my position, which shows efficient use of floor space.

However, the prominent contour in the roof lining required to accommodate the sunroof imposes on headroom for taller people.

Adding 5+2 equals seven so that includes a third row of seating, which folds flat but can be easily raised and head-rests installed (these are stowed beneath the luggage area floor) to allow seven-seat versatility.

However, providing adequate legroom for adults in these seats requires the second-row to be slid so far forward its occupants have their knees pressed into the front seat backrests. So, in real-world use, the third-row seats are strictly for small kids.

At 4.3m long, 1.8m wide, and just under 1.7m high the Haval H2 is a big small SUV, and there's plenty of room inside.

Up front, storage runs to a bin (with sliding top) between the seats, two large cupholders in the centre console and a lidded oddments tray in front of the gearshift, as well as a sunglass holder, average-sized glove box and door bins with room for bottles. You'll notice the pennies saved with non-illumination of the sunvisor vanity mirrors.

Rear seat passengers pick up generous head, leg, and importantly, shoulder room. Three large adults across the back will be tight but do-able for short trips. Kids and young teenagers, no problem.

A centre fold-down armrest houses neatly integrated dual-cupholders, there are bins with space for bottles in each door and map pockets on the front seat backs. No adjustable air vents for backseaters, though.

Connectivity and power runs to two 12-volt outlets, a USB-A port and an 'aux-in' jack, all in the front.

Although a strong seller in the small SUV segment, the Mazda3's Achilles heel is its modest 264-litre boot, and while the H2 exceeds that number, it's not by much.

The Haval's 300-litre capacity is way less than the Honda HR-V (437 litres), Toyota C-HR (377 litres) and Hyundai Kona (361 litres). But it's enough to swallow the bulky CarsGuide pram or three-piece hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 litres), and (as with all contenders in the segment) a 60/40 split-fold rear seat increases flexibility and volume.

If you're into towing, the H2's limited to 750kg for an un-braked trailer and 1200kg braked, and the spare tyre is a full-size (18-inch) steel rim shod with narrower space-saving (155/85) rubber.

With its 1760kg kerb weight and 2355kg GVM, our test vehicle has load capacity of 595kg, of which up to 80kg can be carried on the roof.

However, given five adults and two kids could use up most of that seven-seat load capacity before you could think of adding luggage, it’s important to keep an eye on these load ratings when preparing for a trip.

The Exceed is also rated to tow up to 1600kg of braked trailer and with its 3955kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), it can legally tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum car-load. That’s a handy set of numbers for most recreational tasks.

In addition to USB-A and USB-C ports plus a 12V accessory socket, storage for driver and front passenger includes a large-bottle holder and bin in each front door, a single glove box and an overhead glasses holder.

The front of the centre console has open storage up front, two cup/small-bottle holders in the centre and a box at the rear with padded lid that doubles as an elbow rest.

Second-row passengers, in addition to USB-A and USB-ports, air-vents and a climate control panel on the rear of the centre console, get a bottle-holder and small bin in each door. There are also large lower pockets on each front seat backrest, plus two small upper pockets handy for loose items.

The 60/40-split second-row seat also has a fold-down centre armrest containing two cup/small-bottle holders.

When folded flat this also provides a handy opening in the seat's backrest through which long and narrow items can be carried (suitably secured of course), stretching from the tailgate to the dash if need be. Third-row passengers have small storage bins on each side.

The carpeted luggage area offers another 12-volt outlet and retractable load-anchorage hooks. Load volume starts at (VDA) 163 litres with all seats upright, which expands to 478 litres with the third-row folded and up to 1473 litres (or more than 1.4 cubic metres) with the second and third rows folded.

Our test vehicle is the Exceed 5+2 Seat (fancy name for a seven-seater), which is one rung below the premium Exceed Tourer 5+2 Seat on the Outlander’s nine-model petrol-only ladder comprising 2WD and AWD variants.

It’s available only with a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, eight-speed CVT auto and all-wheel drive transmission for a list price of $52,640. Our example is equipped with light grey leather-appointed seat trim and 'White Diamond' prestige paint which are extra-cost options.

Being a sub-prime model, you’d expect it to come loaded with features and the Exceed doesn’t disappoint, starting with 20-inch two-tone alloys with 255/45R20 tyres plus a space-saver spare. We’d prefer a full-size alloy spare as found in lower-grade models, given the Exceed's AWD rough road capability.

The Exceed includes all the features in the well-equipped Aspire AWD 5+2 Seat petrol model below it and adds tri-zone climate control with rear seat control panel, panoramic sunroof, hands-free power tailgate, power front passenger seat as well as driver and front passenger seat memory and heating.

There's also an aluminium gearshift trim panel, rear door roll-up sunshades, unique illumination in front door trims, 10-speaker BOSE premium sound system, 12.3-inch digital driver display, heated steering wheel, front LED sequential indicators and 'Mi-Pilot' driving assistant (see Driving).

Plus, there’s a leather-rimmed and heated steering wheel, leather-wrapped gearshift, wireless phone-charging, full LED lighting including DRLs and front/rear fog-lights, 360-degree camera view, front/rear parking sensors, driver’s head-up display and much more.

The Haval H2 City (as tested) is powered by a 1.5-litre direct-injection, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

Peak power (110kW) arrives at 5600rpm, with maximum torque (210Nm) delivered at 2200rpm.

The Exceed’s refined 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 135kW at 6000rpm and 244Nm of torque at 3600pm and can use 91 RON fuel.

The smooth and responsive CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) 'eight-speed' has overdrive on fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth ratios which ensures low rpm and fuel consumption at highway speeds. Sequential manual-shifting is also available using steering wheel-mounted paddles.

Mitsubishi’s full-time all-wheel drive transmission offers six drive modes controlled by a console dial. These comprise 'Normal', 'Eco', 'Tarmac', 'Gravel', 'Snow' and 'Mud'.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 9.0L/100km, the 1.5-litre turbo four emitting 208g/km of CO2 in the process.

Not exactly outstanding, and over roughly 250km of city, suburban and freeway running we recorded 10.8L/100km (at the bowser).

Another rude surprise is the fact the H2 requires 95 RON premium unleaded fuel, of which you'll need 55 litres to fill the tank.

Mitsubishi claims combined cycle average consumption of 8.1L/100km and the dash display was showing 9.0L/100km at the completion of our 378km test, which comprised mostly city and suburban driving with up to five adults on board.

Our figure, calculated from fuel bowser and trip meter readings, was not far from the Outlander’s at 9.8L/100km. So, based on our numbers, you could expect a real-world driving range of around 560km from its relatively small 55-litre tank. That range extends to 680km based on the Mitsubishi's official consumption number.

And the good news is the Outlander Exceed runs happily on 91RON 'standard' unleaded.

Cold weather and internal-combustion engines are usually firm friends. Lower ambient temperature means denser air entering the cylinder (even under the extra pressure of a turbo), and as long as more fuel arrives at the same time, you'll have a bigger bang and more power.

But the H2 City's 1.5-litre four must have missed the memo, because cool morning start-ups result in a distinct reluctance to proceed at normal pace.

Sure, there's forward motion, but pinning the right-hand pedal to the floor won't shift the speedo needle much above a brisk walking pace. Unsettling.

Even after a few minutes, when things settle into a more predictable pattern, this Haval hovers at the sluggish end of the performance spectrum.

Not that any of the compact SUVs it competes with are rocketships, but you can generally expect a turbo-petrol engine to serve up a decent dose of low-down grunt.

However, with a maximum output of 210Nm delivered at a relatively high 2200rpm the 1.5-tonne H2 won't be threatening the land speed record anytime soon.

Suspension is strut front, multi-link rear, with the H2 City riding on (235/55x18) Kumho Solus KL21 rubber, and on typically pock-marked and bumpy urban roads ride quality could be better.

The steering displays some nervousness on centre, which combines with a lack of road feel and a mildly disconcerting top-heavy sensation in cornering. It's not that the car lurches or suffers from too much body roll; more that something isn't quite right in the front-end geometry.

On the upside, although firm, the front seats are comfortable, the exterior mirrors are nice and big, overall noise levels are moderate, and the brakes (vented disc front / solid disc rear) are reassuringly progressive.

On the downside, the media system (such as it is) is woeful. Plug your mobile device (mine's an iPhone 7) into the car's single USB port and you'll be met by a 'Loading-USB error' message, the heating and ventilation read-outs on the letterbox slot screen are a joke, and to top it all, select reverse and the audio cuts out altogether.

Drivers of different stature can find comfortable driving positions, as confirmed by the 20cm difference in height between my wife and me.

With ample adjustment available in the steering wheel and multi-way powered seat, she enjoyed driving the Outlander and praised the seat memory function, which could quickly change from my settings to hers with the push of a button. Very handy when you share driving duties.

The driver’s seat is comfortable and supportive, with ample side-bolsters on the backrest providing good lateral support for the upper torso.

A large left footrest provides a solid platform to brace against and padded elbow-rests on each side enhance driving comfort, particularly on long trips.

Overall, it’s a refined and comfortable vehicle which feels like it has solid build quality. The ride quality is smooth and supple over bumps with negligible tyre, engine and wind noise, particularly at highway speeds where the engine requires a leisurely 1800rpm to maintain 110km/h.

The driver’s head-up display on the windscreen works efficiently, by displaying signposted speed limits and the vehicle’s road speed in your line of vision. It would be hard to come up with a viable excuse for exceeding the speed limit using this system!

We also trialled the numerous selectable drive modes. Although the Normal setting provides ample performance for most requirements, we found the Tarmac mode was the most engaging and rewarding for road use wet or dry, with all-wheel drive traction and optimised gearshift calibrations combining to provide spirited performance.

We also had an ideal opportunity to test the Mi-Pilot semi-autonomous driving assistant while crawling along in dense freeway traffic triggered by major road maintenance works.

Given this required lots of stop-start driving, the Mi-Pilot maintained a safe distance from the car in front and slowed, stopped and accelerated in unison, without driver input. And only light hand-contact with the steering wheel was required for the Mi-Pilot to maintain its lane-keeping function.

The Outlander scored a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment in 2022 and features a comprehensive menu of passive and active features as you’d expect, including front, side and centre airbags for driver and front passenger, plus driver’s knee and side-curtain airbags.

There’s also AEB plus lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic emergency braking (when reversing), trailer stability assist for safer towing and lots more. Plus there’s two ISOFIX child-seat anchorages and three top-tethers.

Haval covers all new cars it sells in Australia with a seven year/unlimited km warranty with 24-hour roadside assistance provided for five years/100,000km.

That's a strong statement from the brand, and well ahead of the major players in the mainstream market.

Service is recommended every 12 months/10,000km, and no capped-price servicing program is currently in place.

Mitsubishi covers the Outlander with a five-year/100,000km warranty with 12 months roadside assist.

Extended 10-year/200,000km warranty and 10 years capped-price servicing is available if the car is always serviced within the Mitsubishi dealer network.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km, whichever occurs first. Capped-price servicing for 10 years totals $4340, or a reasonable $434 annually.