What's the difference?
Not content with being China’s biggest auto brand, Haval is trying to win Australia over and is now throwing everything it’s got at us in the form of its H9 flagship SUV.
Think of the H9 as an alternative to seven-seat off-roaders such as the SsangYong Rexton or Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and you’re on the right track.
We tested the top-grade Ultra in the H9 range when it came to live with my family for a week.
The world of upper large luxury SUVs, like Infiniti’s latest-generation QX80, occupies that rarefied air, way up high in the car market, that I’ll never breathe – and that’s okay with me.
You see, as much as I admire these plush vehicles, even if I did have the cash and the inclination to buy one, I’d be so worried about incidental damage to the exterior (shopping trolleys or other drivers’ touch-parking) or children-induced damage to the interior (car sickness, spilled food or drink, blood from sibling punch-ups in the second row) that I’d never be able to fully relax while driving the thing. (Newsflash: I’ve heard from Infiniti that the QX80’s upholstery has a soil-resistant coating.)
These pricey wagons certainly do have their fans though and now, with extensive exterior changes and some interior ones, does the QX80, based on the Y62 Nissan Patrol, actually offer anything to set it apart from other large premium SUVs? Read on.
There's a lot to like about the Havel H9 - it's great value, practical and spacious, packed with advanced safety tech, and also darn good looking. More comfortable seats would be an improvement and so would a better feel to the cabin materials and switchgear.
As for the H9's on-road performance - the 2.0-litre engine isn't the most responsive and the ladder frame chassis limits its dynamics.
So, unless you need an off-road SUV the H9 is borderline overkill in the city, where you could step into something without four-wheel drive and with more car-like comfort and handling.
The petrol-only QX80, really a Y62 Patrol with shedloads of bling, is a curious beast; a big, bold status-boosting premium SUV, which is much better suited to the US and Middle East markets than ours. However, it has a real premium feel, is very smooth to drive and the exterior and interior changes have improved what has so far been a divisive model for a brand with a small but growing fanbase here. Infiniti sold 83 of the previous QX80 in 2017 and is hoping to move 100 of these new ones in 2018; they have their work cut out for them, but if brand confidence is worth a few sales, who knows, they might even top the ton.