If approved, expect the subtle change to filter through to the South African-spec model sometime in 2026.
Introduced at the beginning of the year in South Africa as the Haval H7, Great Wall Motors (GWM) has revealed the facelift version in China where it goes under the Big Dog designation.
Change of look and name
Currently in its second generation, which went on-sale in the People’s Republic two years ago, the Big Dog’s revisions have come with a name change to Big Dog Plus to distinguish it from the regular “pre-facelift” model.
ALSO READ: Haval H7 shows why it can become GWM’s new Big Dog
Externally, the small but prominent changes include a new grille with a bigger, block letter, chrome HAVAL badge that can be illuminated, the same rivetted wheel arch cladding as the H7, a GWM logo on the tailgate and two new colours; Golden Flower and Armour Green.
Inside
Dimensionally unchanged from the standard Big Dog, inside, the Big Dog Plus’ main change is the removal of the aircraft-style gear lever on the centre console in favour of a steering column-mounted selector similar to the H6.
Kept is the physical switchgear, the 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a choice of two material colours and a 14.6-inch infotainment system, the latter fitted with the brand’s latest operating system and software.
No propulsion upgrades
Up front, the Chinese-market Big Dog Plus offers a choice of three powerunits, two petrol and one plug-in hybrid under the Hi-4 banner.
Making up the former, the 1.5 T-GDI develops 135kW/275Nm and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. As before, drive goes to the front wheels only.
For the second option, the bigger 2.0 T-GDI outputs 175kW/385Nm, which goes to the front or optionally all four wheels via a nine-speed dual-clutch ‘box.
Under the Hi-4 nomenclature, a detuned 115kW/243Nm version of the 1.5 T-GDI has been selected, albeit paired to two battery pack options.
In “standard range” guise, the battery displaces 18.7-kWh and powers a single 70kW/160Nm electric motor mounted on the front axle.
The result is a combined output of 268kW/750Nm and an all-electric range of 105 km based on China’s CLTC measurements.
For the all-wheel drive Hi-4, a second electric motor producing 150kW/350Nm has been added to the rear axle, however, the battery pack now makes 27.5-kWh.
In total, the Big Dog Plus Hi-4 AWD makes 272kW/750Nm, which translates to an EV-only range of 150 km.
Regardless of the outputs or electric motor count, a two-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT) is paired to both units.
Not likely for South Africa, yet
Now available priced from 135 800 to 156 800 yuan (R331 230 to R382 451) for the combustion engine model, and from 173 800 to 183 800 yuan (R423 916 to R448 307) for the Hi-4, the Big Dog Plus remains a no-no for South Africa based on the comparative H7’s launch having only happened in January.
However, if approved, expect the subtle tweaks to become available sometime next year.
As a comparison, the H7 range spans three variants priced from R604 950 for the 2.0 T-GDI Luxury to R734 950 for the self-charging hybrid Super Luxury.
Additional information from carnewschina.com.
NOW READ: Not 2024 but 2025: GWM Haval H7 teased ahead of January arrival
