As teased earlier this week, the GWM Haval H7 has made an appearance at the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS), signifying the brand’s growth into the lifestyle off-roader sector. In other words, this car has the surprise hit that is the Jetour T2 right in its sights.
Just like its rival, the H7 is a unibody SUV that looks like a 4×4 – in this case, it’s a facsimile of the body-on-frame H9. With its boxy design, upright stance, squared-off wheel arches and external spare tyre mounted on a sideways-opening tailgate, it certainly looks the part, even if it may not be quite as fashionable as the Defender-aping T2.
The car arrives in facelifted form, sporting rectangular headlights in place of round ones – putting some distance between it and that H9 – and a new grille with a horizontal light bar. At the back, the quad square taillights have been replaced by twin vertical clusters. The wheels measure 19 inch in diameter and come in a black multi-spoke design.
The rugged design continues on the inside with an angular dashboard and a chunky passenger grab handle. Ahead of the driver sits a rather cutesy two-spoke steering wheel and a 12.3-inch instrument display, the latter topped by a strange “hood” incorporating the P-R-N-D indicator.
Meanwhile, the infotainment touchscreen measures 15.6 inches and runs GWM’s latest Coffee OS. There’s a welcome row of physical air-con controls underneath and a wide centre console housing a smattering of physical controls and a rotary drive mode selector. Available features include a power-adjustable driver’s seat, cooled centre console storage, a head-up display, a panoramic sunroof and rear air vents.
Measuring 4,800 mm long, 1,950 mm wide and 1,843 mm tall, the H7 is 15 mm longer, 56 mm narrower and 27 mm lower than the T2, while its 2,738 mm wheelbase is 62 mm shorter. The extra length is thanks to the full-size external spare tyre, which beats the Jetour’s space saver housed in a slim “backpack”.
At KLIMS, the H7 is being shown in full-fat Hi4 plug-in hybrid form, powered by twin electric motors. The one at the front makes 109 PS and 170 Nm of torque, while the rear pushes out 204 PS and 350 Nm. This is paired with a 150 PS/230 Nm 1.5 litre turbo four-cylinder engine and a two-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) for a total system output of 370 PS and 750 Nm.
So equipped, the H7 is able to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, while the 27.54 kWh LFP battery – larger than the 19.09 kWh set to be offered in the Philippines – delivers a pure electric range of up to 150 km on the CLTC cycle, or 115 km on the WLTP cycle. All in all, GWM quotes a total range of over 1,000 km.
Aside from the Hi4, the H7 is also available in 2WD hybrid and PHEV forms, both with a 177 PS/300 Nm front motor for total outputs of 244 PS and 540 Nm for the hybrid and 322 PS for the PHEV. The latter is also fitted with a smaller 19.09 kWh LFP pack, maintaining an NEDC range of 105 km (circa 90 km WLTP).
Even though the H7 isn’t a pukka 4×4, GWM has still baked in some decent off-road capability, with an electronic locking rear differential and approach, breakover and departure angles of 25 degrees, 32 degrees and 20.1 degrees respectively. The max water wading depth, however, is only 580 mm, which is significantly lower than the T2’s 700 mm.
Pricing and availability have yet to be announced, but expect the H7 to arrive later this year, likely in CKD locally-assembled form. It will need to be to match the price of the T2, which retails at RM156,800 nett.
