2021 Haval H6 vs 2022 Nissan X-Trail comparison
It seems a little unfair to pit the ageing Nissan X-Trail against a brand-new tech-laden entrant into the Australian mid-size SUV market, but can the Haval H6 match the Nissan’s inherent quality?
Overview
Mid-size SUV buyers are confounded by choice in 2022. Against the Japanese/South Korean segment stalwarts such as the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Kia Sportage, shoppers must now go past cut-price entries from China which offer value in spades.
But one thing yet unproven with the Chinese alternatives such as the Haval H6 Ultra 2WD is whether they can match the polish of rivals such as the Nissan X-Trail, which have been in the segment for decades. Speaking of, the current X-Trail is nearing a decade-old.
If Haval wants to have its H6 mid-size SUV take a sizeable chunk out of the mid-size SUV market, it’s going to have to do it by toppling ageing alternatives such as the Nissan X-Trail.
Introduction
Haval H6
The pricing spread for the 2021 Haval H6 range puts it smack-bang in the middle of the established competition at the top end, but more affordable at the entry point. There’s a 2.0-litre AWD petrol H6 Ultra available from $38,990 drive-away, while the range starts at $30,990 drive-away for the 2WD Premium.
As tested, the H6 Ultra 2WD starts from $36,990 drive-away and serves as the range-topping two-wheel-drive variant. The Haval H6 is strongly equipped across the range in real terms, regardless of how much money you’re laying down, but as you’d expect the range-topping variant has everything the segment demands.
The competition we refer to is savage to say the least. The Toyota RAV4 goes in hard against the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and relative newcomer MG HS, just to name a few. Needless to say, every manufacturer wants their pound of flesh from the medium-SUV segment.
The exterior styling is sharp, modern and attractive. The H6 certainly gets plenty of attention on the street. The sharp styling is punctuated by 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, and an electric tailgate. One that doesn’t take an age to open and close too.
There’s some attractive chrome exterior trim to liven things up a bit, body-coloured bumpers and mirrors, and a full-width LED light bar at the rear. There’s no doubt this new H6 is altogether more modern than the outgoing model. It’s not the edgiest in the segment, but it’s up there with the most stylish on first impressions. You could have criticised old Havals for the design being an afterthought, but not anymore.
Nissan X-Trail
It’ll have passed eight years before the 2022 Nissan X-Trail is replaced by an all-new version.
Originally arriving in Australia early in 2014, the outgoing Nissan X-Trail – what we’re testing today – is still standing the test of time. And like any good product, it’s continually being tweaked and upgraded right up until the end.
The version we’re testing today speaks exactly to that point. The 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ is a new trim level that sits one step above the entry-level X-Trail ST, and was introduced for the final ‘model-year 22’ X-Trail that’s now available in Nissan dealerships.
It’s a clever trim level that plays to value and sandwiches between the entry-level X-Trail ST and mid-spec X-Trail ST-L. Our 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ test car costs $34,140 before on-roads – just $1475 more than an entry-level X-Trail ST auto at $32,665 – and introduces a decent 360-degree camera with moving object detection, front and rear parking sensors, plus a native navigation system.
For the frugal, it means you’re getting a decently sized family SUV for under $38,000 drive-away from a mainstream manufacturer. It does mean, however you’re looking at a run-out model, with a new generation X-Trail due to arrive in Australia in the second half of 2022.
| Key details | 2021 Haval H6 Ultra 2WD | 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ |
| Price (MSRP) | $36,990 drive-away | $34,140 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Golden Black | Ruby Red Metallic |
| Options | Metallic paint $495 | None |
| Price as tested | $37,485 drive-away | $37,733 drive-away (Sydney) |
Inside
Haval H6 The cabin looks stylish, but more important than that it’s comfortable. It’s also well equipped, with a heated steering wheel, heated electric exterior mirrors, and heated and ventilated seats. The passenger seat on this model grade is four-way electrically adjustable, and there’s also wireless smartphone charging, semi-automated parking capability, ambient cabin lighting, rear privacy glass, and an anti-glare rear-view mirror.Cabin storage is excellent, with plenty of clever space for the regular items we tend to lug around in 2021. There’s a shelf beneath the floating console, which is handy too. We liked the seating position, and visibility, aside from the rear three-quarter where the sloped styling does cut into your view a little. I found the front two seats to be comfortable; something that was noted by a few of the Drive testing team.
We didn’t love the way you have to use the touchscreen to adjust fan speed or temperature for the climate-control system. The heated seat controls are accessed from there as well. Touchscreens are rarely a better option than regular switches and dials for these major controls, and the Haval’s system is easy enough to work out, but we’d still prefer the older method.
The second row is a comfortable place for the family to spend time on a road trip, with two USB outlets, air vents, and a fold-down armrest that has cupholders. Noteworthy in this segment is the amount of second-row head and leg room, which betters segment favourites like the RAV4 and CX-5. There are two ISOFIX points and three top-tether mounts.
Into the luggage area, you get 600L with the second row in use and expanding out to 1485L if you fold those seats down. There’s a broad flat floor, and the retractable luggage cover is a sturdy-looking item.
The interior is presentable, but there’s no hiding its age or the fact it’s an entry-level trim either.
A tell-tale sign is the polyurethane steering wheel, thankfully a passing trend in even Australia’s cheapest cars. Another is the tiny 7.0-inch touchscreen that just looks old-fashioned compared to others in the segment.
But this is a $38,000 medium SUV from a mainstream brand, so what’s more important is quality. Despite some rather basic and shallow-grained plastics letting down the material selection, it’s honestly a well-built and rattle-free cabin.
At first glance it also looks nice enough, with glittery and glossy plastics, and some faux-stitching elements breaking up the usual sea of black plastic and fabric.
After spending time with it, you realise it’s well thought out, too, with the engine start button located logically next to the steering wheel, a pair of cupholders placed away from where you interact with the dashboard, and plenty of buttons ensuring interaction with in-car technology remains uncompromised.
Even the small things count, like a smart open-air storage tray – next to power outlets and connectivity – that’s deep enough to safely hold a phone, wallet, and keys, plus a well-sized armrest that’s perfect for someone’s clutch or small bag.
The seats are really comfy, too, despite not offering key adjustments like lumbar and squab tilt. You sit upright, and its tall and traditional glasshouse means it’s easy to see out of, if you’re tall enough.
My vertically challenged wife (160cm) added that the driver’s seat doesn’t go quite high enough for small people, and after viewing it from her perspective, I got the point. However, as the more horizontally challenged one (180cm), I found the adjustment and position to be right on.
The seats are trimmed in a boring-looking black cloth, but hey, at least it’s child-proof and appears to be hard-wearing. I say child-proof because over in the second row, don’t be surprised if your kids get carried away.
Opening the door reveals a light, airy and easily accessible second row, with its almost-flat floor doing the heavy lifting in terms of perceived space. In my case, it encouraged my three-year-old to climb in and muck about in the rear foot well given how spacious it is.
However, the good side is that it encourages children to climb into their support seat themselves, both making the buckle-up easier and giving them some independence. If you’re loading kids yourself, you’ll find acres of room to swing by with either a forward- or rearward-facing baby seat.
As an adult, you’ll still have a good time. The hip height is okay, but once you’re in, you benefit more from the great vantage point you’ll discover. Its slightly elevated second row means you can see what everyone is doing, including the driver. It also means you have great visibility externally as a passenger, so the space feels open and light.
In terms of comfort, adult-sized occupants in the back still benefit from stacks of knee, foot and head room. In a quest to find the breaking point, I was able to fit two slimline child seats alongside one adult in the back comfortably, which speaks volumes about its size.
Other than some small storage in the doors, a pair of rear air vents are all you have to play with. In the boot, there’s 565L of storage with five seats in play or 945L with the second row folded.
What that means in real life is the boot is fantastic and well-proportioned for family life. A stroller will fit both longways and lengthways with ease alongside a weekly shop after the nine-to-five.
During the school holidays, you could easily pack a week away for a family of five in the back, if not with some organisation and planning. The only issue with the second row is an odd-mounted cargo blind that just makes the space awkward when using the sun shade.
Another golden oldie – the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee – suffers from the same issue, which I put down to old bones. Under the boot floor lies a surprisingly large storage area, as well as a space-saving spare wheel.
| 2021 Haval H6 Ultra 2WD | 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ | |
| Seats | Five | Five |
| Boot volume | 600L seats up / 1485L seats folded | 565L seats up / 945L seats folded |
| Length | 4653mm | 4690mm |
| Width | 1886mm | 1820mm |
| Height | 1724mm | 1740mm |
| Wheelbase | 2738mm | 2705mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Haval H6 The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster is excellent and feels like something from a vastly more expensive vehicle. Likewise, the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, which features Apple CarPlay but not Android Auto (or at least, not yet). There’s also a head-up display and an eight-speaker DTS sound audio system.We had a few issues with feedback when using Bluetooth for phone connectivity, but none when using CarPlay. Not a great solution for Android users, though, is it?
Nothing shows a car’s age better than infotainment.
The Nissan X-Trail’s 7.0-inch infotainment display is small by today’s standards, especially compared to others in the same segment that offer one or sometimes two displays larger than 10.0 inches each.
Also, despite the software having been kept somewhat up-to-date – with wired Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and digital radio on offer – the hardware hasn’t.
When using smartphone mirroring, I found touchscreen input sometimes taking a whole second to register, which can lead to frustration and mindless tapping. It’s clear the hardware needs a boost.
The standard six-speaker stereo does a fair job considering the price tag, and the quality of its microphone for handsfree calling is also still cutting the mustard.
Safety & Technology
Haval H6The Haval H6 has not been crash-tested by ANCAP, so it has no safety rating.
The H6 packs in plenty of standard safety kit – something we’d expect for this family-focused segment and for current safety requirements.
Buyers get front and rear cross-traffic alert, forward and reverse AEB, front-facing pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, drive fatigue monitor, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, intelligent cruise assist, traffic-jam assist, 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, electric parking brake, rain-sensing wipers, tyre pressure monitoring and hill descent control.
The 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ benefits from a five-star ANCAP safety rating having been scored under 2017’s testing regime.
Disappointingly, the only forms of active safety offered by the X-Trail ST+ are forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking. Good to have, but off the pace as the market quickly moves to rear cross traffic alert, junction-detecting AEB. lane-keep assist and more.
Sadly, you have to step up to the ST-L for blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, and to the top-spec Ti for adaptive cruise control and any form of lane-keeping assist.
When compared to others in the same class, our particular X-Trail ST+ is missing some important equipment.
| At a glance | 2021 Haval H6 Ultra 2WD | 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ |
| ANCAP rating & year tested | Untested | Five stars (tested 2017) |
| Safety report | N/A | ANCAP report |
Value for Money
Haval H6
The value-for-money equation is a tough one to argue against. The one longer-term issue would be resale, which is difficult to predict for any vehicle certainly, but harder to nail down for a brand that doesn’t have the same decades-long stronghold in a market.
That aside, though, the entry price is sharp as listed above, and the ongoing costs are right up there with the most affordable. There’s a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with a five-year roadside assistance plan. Service intervals come up every 15,000km/12 months. A capped-price service scheme costs $1560 for the first five years or 70,000km, so you know exactly what you’re in for from day one.
The official ADR fuel claim for the 2WD model is 7.4L/100km, and on test we used an indicated 10.1L/100km, which isn’t horrendous by any means. What the H6 – and just about any other medium SUV – can’t do, though, is match up to the hybrid RAV4 that returns mid fives around town.
The Nissan X-Trail ST+ requires a trip to a service centre every 10,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.
The first three services cost $245, $379 and $256 respectively, or $880 in total. Years four and five cost $497 and $265 respectively, making the warranty-covering five-year servicing cost a $1642 affair.
Considering the type of vehicle, its maintenance prices are fair. A 2022 Hyundai Tucson costs $957 over three years and $1595 over five, but will go 15,000km between intervals.
In terms of outright pricing, it’s one of the better value players on the entry-level side of the medium SUV segment. A comparable 2022 Subaru Forester 2.5i costs around $40,000 drive-away and includes all-wheel drive, or a smaller yet more stylish Mazda CX-5 Maxx 2WD around $38,100 on the road, depending on your location.
Both good options, but neither is as spacious in the second row.
| At a glance | 2021 Haval H6 Ultra 2WD | 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ |
| Warranty | Seven-year, unlimited km | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months / 10,000km (every 15,000km thereafter) | 12 months or 10,000km |
| Servicing costs | $800 (3 years) / $1490 (5 years) | $880 (3 years), $1642 (5 years) |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.4L/100km | 7.9L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 10.1L/100km | 8.9L/100km |
| Fuel type | 91-octane petrol | 91-octane petrol |
| Fuel tank size | 61L | 60L |
Driving
Haval H6On paper, the 2.0-litre engine is punchy enough to take the fight up to the segment leaders delivering 150kW and 320Nm, with our tester being front-wheel drive via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). Peak power asks for some revs – 6000–6300rpm to be exact – but peak torque comes in at a more town-friendly 1500-4000rpm.
While it’s futile to judge any drivetrain on paper, when you do head out onto the open road in the H6, the sense you get from the figures does turn out to be accurate. The interaction with, and feedback from, the main controls like the accelerator, brakes, steering and suspension are all high quality and as expected for the segment. At low speed around town, it certainly isn’t lagging behind the heavy hitters.
We noticed some low-speed hesitancy in the DCT; something we comment on with just about every variation of that transmission from nearly every manufacturer, though. What the hesitation can mean is either lacklustre acceleration or a decent serve of torque and maybe too much oomph. We did get the front tyres scrabbling a few times leaving roundabouts, turning out of side streets and the like.
If you do tax the engine to redline and make it work hard, it does sound like it’s doing exactly that – something the best of the competition can mask. This isn’t just a Haval malaise, though. Hyundai’s atmo petrol engine has to work hard for a living too. That hard work is reflected in the H6’s fuel use.
On the move, the DCT is smooth and efficient. It doesn’t hunt for ratios, constantly change or do anything that interrupts the flow of your cruise, whether you’re in give-and-take traffic around town or out on the highway. It’s not as snappy under acceleration as the very best dual-clutches out there, but it’s hard to fault for the price.
Roll-on overtaking requires a bit of enthusiasm with the right foot, and if we were to nitpick, we’d say it requires more driver input to evoke a kickdown than we’d like. You can cycle through a variety of drive modes and steering modes as well, but I reckon the majority of buyers in this segment will stick with the default Normal setting most of the time.
Another area where the H6 is better than you might expect is the handling package. It’s worth noting that plenty of SUVs attempt to be sporty and fail. The Haval doesn’t, and it’s all the better for it – attempt to be sporty I mean.
Bump absorption is competent through all but the sharpest knocks, where it takes the hit with a shudder and doesn’t recompose itself as quickly as the best in the segment. While it’s no match for the medium-SUV leaders, it still behaves in a competent manner over the broad variety of city road surfaces.
Nissan X-Trail
The Nissan X-Trail is still the comfy and honest family car it always was.
Its suspension is refreshingly soft, meaning it’s fantastic in low-speed suburban areas. Our particular ST+ model wears the same 17-inch wheel as the entry-level model, so both cars use the same 225-section 65-profile tyre.
There’s no doubt the chunky tyre works hand-in-hand with the supple suspension tune to offer a pleasant experience. As expected, the only downfall from the combo is some body roll and movement in more dynamic situations.
On a typical, fast and flowing 80km/h zone in rural NSW, you’ll feel the movement first through the tyre, then the body itself. This odd sensation of wallowing around is a tiny trade-off considering the excellent ride quality you’ll benefit from 95 per cent of time behind the wheel.
Our test car is the two-wheel-drive automatic version, meaning it receives a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with 126kW/233Nm and a constantly variable automatic transmission (CVT). Weighing in at 1500kg means the X-Trail’s wee atmospheric engine requires you to use most, if not all, of the throttle pedal frequently.
Luckily the CVT auto doesn’t mind sharp and sudden inputs, then, as power is fed in graciously and calmly regardless of the urgency. You’ll hear the engine flare and work hard, but instead build power without any harsh kickdown.
CVTs are not for everyone, but you can’t deny the alignment of serenity and wittiness as positive attributes for a family car. With the vehicle fully loaded it can feel underpowered up at motorway speeds, but you soon learn to adjust around the engine and accelerate pre-emptively.
Around town with two kids on board, it’ll feel just right. Surprisingly, even with the small motor and the decent amount of throttle it requires to keep up with Sydney traffic, it only used a litre more than the official combined fuel claim, or 8.9L/100km.
Given some cars use two, three or sometimes even four litres over the combined fuel cycle claim, it’s not a bad result considering its power-to-weight ratio and transmission.
| Key details | 2021 Haval H6 Ultra 2WD | 2022 Nissan X-Trail ST+ |
| Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol | 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol |
| Power | 150kW @ 6000-6300rpm | 126kW @ 6000rpm |
| Torque | 320Nm @ 1500-4000rpm | 233Nm @ 4400rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic | Constantly variable transmission (CVT) |
| Power to weight ratio | 96.5kW/t | 83.8kW/t |
| Weight | 1555kg (tare) | 1503kg |
| Tow rating | 2000kg braked, 750kg unbraked | 1500kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
Conclusion
Considering both these mid-size SUVs score within coo-ee of one another, the choice between the two may just come down to individual buyer preferences.
However, despite its age, the known quantities of the Nissan X-Trail make it the winner in this pairing. It presents undeniable value with a $38,000 drive-away price point from a quality and established manufacturer. It’s also backed by a strong dealer network which should see adventurers covered in terms of maintenance.
While it’s on the verge of replacement, the current car is still eminently relevant with the ST+ grade adding some niceties to an affordable entry-level variant.
Haval’s H6 certainly grabs attention with its suite of features and packaged value, but the X-Trail delivers further on the aspects which matter most to mid-size SUV buyers.
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