The 2019Haval H2 is a five-seater Chinese SUV that is relatively new to Australia and with its $19,990 entry price tag (for the manual gearbox version), a lot of parents are obviously keen to know if it is any good and if it will fit their brood. Having been previously VERY impressed with its big sister the Haval H9 seven-seat SUV I was looking forward to popping my family in the H2! Let's find out how we got on…
The 2019 Haval H2 is not loaded with all the luxury little features like massage seats that the H9 is, BUT it is still a very practical SUV with good family-friendly features. Starting with the fact for a five-seater SUV it will hold three child seats which is excellent, as many cars multiple times its price I've discovered will not. There are ISOFix points in the outer rear seats and top tether anchorages on the backrests of all three.
Two full-size forward-facing child seats fitted on their own, but I could not sit between them.
Or I could fit a combination of three child seats; one rear-facing and two forward-facing child seats.
We found legroom to be very good in the Haval H2, we tested travelling as three adults and a child seat and with two forward-facing children as well.
With a rear-facing child seat installed we could fit a 182cm driver in front.
Storage is good throughout the Haval H2 as well. There are ample well-sized cup holders in the front and back.
It also has two map pockets and a practical sized glove box and central console box.
All door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle and have great storage wells in their handles too.
There is even a sunglasses case in the ceiling above the driver's door too.
Boot space is good in the Haval H2; you can fit ten shopping bags in the boot, which is one less than the Mitsubishi ASX which held eleven.
All sizes of stroller and pram I tested fit in the from twin, side-by-side to double and single with a little shopping.
There is a great rear seat belt removal warning visual on the rearview mirror, great positioning for it because you are regularly looking there.
The media system and screens are unfortunately where the Haval H2 falls down in my eyes. It is a very basic media system with no touch screen which is unusual in a new car nowadays. So there is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto it is very basic (Good news – the updated 2020 Haval H2 comes with Apple CarPlay).
With no reversing camera on the 2019 model tested (Good news – the updated 2020 Haval H2 comes with a reversing camera) and no parking sensors, I found I really missed the reversing cameras when parking on this model but actually enjoyed the silence of no parking sensors for a week!
There is also no digital speed readout which I always find irritating. There is a distance to empty which is great.
You can also see your average speed and set cruise control speed but not your actual speed!
The H2 also has an ‘Overspeed Warning' which sounded every time I went over 100km/h. This even happened on the highway where the limit was 110km/ph so it sounded frequently. This was troublesome as I was trying to get my daughter to sleep on a 90-minute journey and each time it ‘bonged' her eyes shot open! I ended up in the left lane doing 99km/h for 90minutes!!
The H2 was comfortable and spacious to drive around the town and suburbs, although I found that first thing in the morning when I drove uphill the H2 engine really struggled as if it could not find second gear.
The 2019 Haval H2 got a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2017 so it has not been through Child Occupant Protection testing. It has six airbags as standard dual frontal, front side chest airbags and side head airbags for the first and second rows.
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the 2019 Haval H2?
The Haval H2 has a practical size boot. I could fit 10 shopping bags in there when empty which is one less than the Mitsubishi ASX.
The Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits in the boot but with no shopping bags.
The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with two shopping bags.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fits with three shopping bags beside it.
The Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with six shopping bags beside it.
Or you could fit a medium-size dog in there!
How good is storage inside the 2019 Haval H2?
Storage throughout the 2019 Haval H2 is excellent. In the front there are two cup holders in the central console they will hold my reusable Luxey Cup and a disposable coffee cup fitted in there.
The central console storage box is a nice big size, it is rubber lined so things in there don't rattle around and you have USB and 12V socket in there too.
In front of the gear lever is a small space I just fitted my phone in and next to it is a 12V socket.
The glove box is a good size and I could fit my iPad and wallet in with the manual.
In the ceiling above the driver's seat, there is a lined glasses case.
Both front visors have lit vanity mirrors.
The door bins in the front are a practical size and will hold my large refillable water bottle and iPad and all the handles are storage wells too.
In the second row, the door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle and they have the handle wells too.
There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad.
In a fold-down armrest in the central seatback are two cup holders. They would hold a disposable or my reusable Luxey Cup.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the 2019 Haval H2?
The 2019 Haval H2 is a noisy BabyDrive first thing in the morning! When trying to go uphill the engine struggles and it is rather loud, but once it's warmed up a bit it's not so bad!!
Another baby-waker in the Haval H2 was that every time I went over 100km/h it would ‘bong' a warning about being over the speed limit, even if the limit on the road was actually 110km/h! I'm sure this could be disabled or adjusted somehow but that was beyond me…
…which I found really annoying as the driver and it meant it was impossible to get this one to sleep unless I drove at 99km/h on the highway!!
There is no media screen or reversing camera in the H2 so I did enjoy the quiet of no parking sensors! It was strange to have a new car without all of these features though and I definitely missed having a modern media system that my phone would work with (Good news – the 2020 Haval H2 has Apple CarPlay and a reversing camera).
There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto just a CD slot and the radio! Neither impressed my little passengers much (Good news – the 2020 Haval H2 has Apple CarPlay and a reversing camera)!
The 2019 Haval H2 is very basic with no lane keep assist or lane departure warning either.
The indicators are fairly quiet in the 2019 Haval H2 which is good.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The cruise controls are on the right-hand side on the steering wheel and I found them easy to use.
However, the lack of a digital speedo was frustrating. The central display will show you your average speed…
…distance to empty…
…and speed your cruise control is set to but not your actual speed!
The seatbelt removal visual for the second-row seats is up in the rearview mirror, which is a great place for it as it is easily seen while driving. It lights up to let you know exactly which seating position has removed their belt.
The windows and doors in the H2 open and close quietly and both can be locked from the driver's door control panel.
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
So this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
The 2019 Haval H2 is a great little school run SUV and is nice to drive around town and the suburbs but does struggle on hills, especially first thing in the morning.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the 2019 Haval H2?
There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three of the second-row seats, each of which is within a plastic guide and I found them nice and easy to connect to.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats. They are hidden within the seat fabric and not within plastic guides and so I found them slightly harder to connect to.
I could fit two full-size forward-facing child seats across the second-row. I could not sit between them and I'm 162cm.
With a bit of manipulation, I could fit two forward-facing and one rear-facing child seat across the back which is great in such an affordable small SUV.
Legroom is really good in the H2 and we found a 182cm driver could sit in front of a rear-facing child seat.
Posting bub into their child seat from outside the car is fine in the Haval H2. From inside the ceiling is high enough it makes posting Bub into their seats from inside good too. There are handles above the second-row doors so I could hang a child's toy.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is plenty of room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2019 Haval H2? And How good is the Haval H2 to drive?
In the front of the 2019 Haval H2, the seats are quite comfortable, they are dark grey upholstery fabric with contrast patterned central panels, which would make them quite difficult to keep clean.
The front seats have manual adjustments on the side and I found myself missing all the luxuries that make the H9 so good like the massaging, heated seats and electronic controls and leather. The H2 is much more basic, as you'd expect for the price.
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are comfortable, but as with many cars in the central seat, I could feel the drop-down armrest in the seatback.
There is also a small hump in the central footwell, you have to rest your feet on or straddle.
For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel was fully adjustable in/out and up/down.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two horizontal central ones and a square one at either end.
There are no air vents in the second-row for rear passengers, which I would have liked to have been included.
There is a big panel of air-conditioning controls in the central dash that is to reach and use while driving.
Visibility in the 2019 Haval H9 is surprisingly good, I didn't encounter any problems with visibility in my week of driving. However, the lack of a reversing camera did make parking a little trickier (as mentioned the 2020 model does have a reversing camera).
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the H2 was easy to park.
Aesthetically the 2019 Haval H2 feels plasticky and built to a tight price point. It's a great SUV for the price especially fitting three child seats.
It scored a total of 34.88out of 37 for adult occupancy, broken down into 13.88 out of 16 for the frontal offset test, full marks for the side impact test and full marks for the pole test.
Six airbags come as standard; there is dual frontal airbags and front side chest airbags and side head curtain airbags for the front and rear side passengers.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
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