The market is so saturated with SUVs that it is getting harder to tell them apart. But every now and again, a newcomer comes along that tears up the copy-and-paste SUV design playbook, like the GWM Haval H7.

Featuring a square front end with round headlights, rounded rear and extended wheel arches with square mouldings make it stand out from anything in the Great Wall Motors stable, and most others too.

Its design is more rugged than its Haval siblings it presides over, the Jolion and H6, but less rugged and retro than the GWM Tank 300 it slots in under. As the Tank 300 and 500 are both ladder frame SUVs, the H7 is the Chinese brand’s flagship unibody SUV.

At 4 705mm, the H7 is 2mm longer than the H6. It’s boot size of 483l is 77l smaller than that of the H6 though.

GWM Haval H7 put to the test

The Citizen Motoring recently sampled the H7 in 2.0T 4WD Super Luxury guise, the only derivative in the line-up that offers all-paw grip. The all-wheel drive system does not come with a low-range transfer case. It does feature an electronic locking rear differential, five dedicated off-road modes, alongside Comfort, Eco and Sport diving modes, and off-road cruise control.

Power comes from the 2l T-GDI petrol engine that we recently tested in the GWM Haval H6 for the first time. The blown four-pot mill, hooked up to a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission, produces a very healthy 170kW of power and 380Nm of torque and is.

What we enjoyed in the Haval H7 is that the all-drive drive system negates the wheelspin we experienced in the front-wheel drive H6. With the generous power on offer, the latter’s sensitive throttle sent too much twist down to the wheels during hard acceleration. The H7’s throttle calibration is also not perfect, but one problem less is already a win.

Not the most frugal

Coating around town, the H7 is a comfortable car that is easy to operate. It has more power than you’ll ever need, but still a nice thing to have for overtaking on the open road.

GWM claims the H7 will sip 9.1l per 100km, but we have our doubts about that number. We could not keep it below 12L/100km, a number that further went up in heavy traffic.

While we thought that the designers could have also gone with square styling at the rear, we really liked the front. The retro upright grille and round headlights blend in well with the modern grille finishing. The aluminium bolts that holding down the black wheel arch mouldings also works very well along with the 19-inch alloys.

Old-school touches

The theme continues inside where rugged elements blend in with otherwise very plush finishing. One of the highlights is the aircraft-style gear lever straight from the GWM Tank 300.

The usual huge 14.6-ich infotainment system takes centre stage, alongside a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. A feature we thought worked well in the overall theme is the old-school gear linear gear indicator on the top strip of the instrument cluster which you see above the steering wheel.

The list of specifications is enormous on the Haval H7 Super Luxury. It comes standard with the likes of a hand-free electric tailgate, panoramic sunroof, leather seats, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, wireless smartphone charger, push-button start, ambient lighting, head-up an eight-speaker dts sound system, Auto High Beam Assist LED headlights, keyless entry, and dual-zone climate control.

The list of safety systems is almost longer than the creature comforts and range from six airbags and 540-degree surround-view camera system, to Lane Departure Warning and Reverse Automatic Braking.

GWM Haval H7 hits the spot

We did not take the Haval H7 off-road, as we reckon most of them will spend their lives in the concrete jungle anyway. While it will no doubt handle the dirt, its wheels are just too fancy for serious stuff. We think it will be regarded more as a softer-roader. For tougher stuff, the Tank 300 is the go-to vehicle in the GWM stable.

As customary with Chinese manufacturers, the price is another huge drawing card. At R674 950, the GWM Haval H7 2.0T 4WD Super Luxury is a compelling package. It is fully specced family-sized SUV that is as safe as a house, offers plenty of power and the skills to hit the gravel on occasion. And on top of all this, its unique styling is set to be the major dealer breaker.

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.