GREAT WALL MOTOR’s Haval brand is making its presence known Down Under with a broadened SUV portfolio that now extends to the Jolion, H6 and coupe-inspired H6 GT. It’s also venturing into the increasingly popular hybrid SUV market with the appropriately named H6 Hybrid – a variant based on the range’s flagship H6 Ultra and priced from a competitive $46,990 drive-away.

The H6 Hybrid is powered by GWM’s proven 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine in combination with a two-speed 130kW electric motor. It offers combined system outputs of 179kW and 530Nm, as well as a claimed average fuel consumption figure of 5.2 litres per 100km (on the ADR combined cycle), which gives the variant a single-fill range of approximately 900km.

Drive to the front wheels is via GWM’s electronically controlled Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), which harnesses the petrol engine and electric motor to provide “excellent acceleration and performance at low speeds with increased efficiency and power at higher speeds.”

The manufacturer further claims the H6 Hybrid's driving experience is similar to that of a battery-electric vehicle. The lightweight DHT, which offers drive modes such as EV, Series, Parallel and Regeneration, is optimised to provide “maximum efficiency across all speed and load conditions”.

Visually, the Haval H6 Hybrid can be differentiated from other derivatives in the medium SUV range by its bespoke grille, additional door-trim garnishing and centrally mounted brake lights.

The variant is equipped with 19-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go functionality, leather trim, six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, front-seat heating and ventilation, heated steering wheel, electric tailgate, self-dimming rear-view mirror, head-up display, panoramic sunroof, and inductive device charging pad.

Infotainment and driver information comes courtesy of 12.3-inch touch-sensitive- and 10.25-inch colour LED screens, with the former including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

The Haval H6 Hybrid’s safety- and driver-assistance features include a 360-degree camera system, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring with lane-change assist, driver-fatigue monitoring system, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic-sign recognition, and fully automatic parking.

All Haval passenger vehicles are backed by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years’ roadside assistance and capped-price servicing.

Haval capped price servicing covers the H6 HEV for the first five services. Service intervals are set annually or at 10,000km increments (whichever comes first) with pricing set at $225, $250, $400, $550 and $225 respectively.