The Haval H9 is a seven-seater Chinese SUV that is relatively new to Australia and with its $41K price tag, a lot of parents have contacted me keen to know if it is any good. I was very eager to test it with my family for the week and see how good it is as a BabyDrive…
Well my first impressions were actually “Wow!” I was expecting a very basic and impractical SUV but as I drove it the 90 minute journey home on a very chilly Queensland winter day I was definitely won over by the heated AND massaging front seats!
Turning both on was the first thing I did on every journey during my week's test and I also enjoyed putting them on for a ‘surprise' when I was designated driver on a mums' night out!
I noticed a few other features that are more often found in luxury cars, like electric controls to raise and lower the third-row seats.
Another luxury car feature is controls on the side of the front passenger seat so that you can adjust their seat position from the driver's seat. This is fantastic when you a carrying someone who can't adjust it for themselves or picking someone up and there's not enough legroom.
There is an enormous sunroof and ceiling ventilation for both rear rows of seats, which is a really important feature in a seven-seater.
Storage is very good throughout all three rows of seats, with ample cup and bottle holders, good-sized door bins, glove box and central console box.
It really does tick all the boxes for storage with sunglasses case in the ceiling and lit vanity mirrors which are things often missing from much more expensive vehicle brands.
There are no top tether anchorages in the third-row seats so I could not fit any child seats back there. In the second row there are ISOFix points in the two outer seats that are within plastic guides and easy to connect to.
In the back of all three seat backs are top tether anchorages within plastic guides.
I found I could not attach the top tether straps the correct way around as the plastic cup they sit in wasn't deep enough at the bottom to fit the clip in. I did bring this to Haval's attention and they looked into it straight away. They told me they had tested some other vehicles, found they connected fine and suggested this was a fault with the particular car I tested. This is reassuring and it was great that Haval responded so well, but if you are looking to buy an H9 I would suggest you test the top tether anchorages to make sure it is not affected.
I could easily fit three child seats across the second-row seats of the Haval H9. Three forward-facing fitted easily as did a rear-facing and two forward-facing.
With a rear-facing child seat installed in the second-row, we could fit a 180cm driver in front of them and I could sit in the third row (I'm 162cm).
Unfortunately, you do have to uninstall a child seat to get through to the third-row seats. The third-row seats are comfortable but I found there is very little kick room under the second-row seats and with the second-row seats in their furthest back position I only had a couple of centimetres of knee room and nowhere to put my toes!
Boot space is good in the Haval H9; when using all seven seats you can fit four shopping bags in the boot, which is one more than the 2018 Toyota LandCruiser Prado VX, or a compact stroller and a little shopping.
The media system is where the Haval H9 falls down in my eyes. The screen is milky and the list style menu system feels very outdated to use.
When you put the H9 into reverse the car asks you to “please select the parking mode” in a loud voice, which is really annoying and of course baby-waking. The parking sensor noise is also baby-waking and when you press the button to turn that off the visual turns off too, unfortunately.
Another baby-waking thing with the Haval H9 is that every time you turn the engine on the stereo comes on loudly, which can really disturb little passengers.
The Haval H9 is nice to drive and is very capable off-road as well as comfy around towns and suburbs.
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the Haval H9?
The Haval H9 has a very generous size boot. When only using five seats, I could fit 17 shopping bags in there, which is the same as the 2018 Toyota LandCruiser Prado VX and Toyota Fortuner and one less than the Ford Everest.
The Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits with eight shopping bags.
The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with ten 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 nine shopping bags beside it.
The Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with fourteen shopping bags beside it.
Or you could fit a large size dog in there!
When using all seven seats I could fit four shopping bags in the boot, which is one more than the Toyota Landcruiser Prado.
No prams fitted in the boot only a compact stroller with two shopping bags.
The boot floor is flat, which is good for an emergency nappy change and there is a three-pin electricity plug socket on the right-hand side.
The boot door of the Haval H9 opens outwards just like the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, which means if you reverse into a parking space it can be hard to access the boot so you need to remember that!
Also, the boot door is held open with an arm that is at perfect toddler height and I found the bright red and yellow warning stickers were VERY attractive to my little one. Because it is a simple twist mechanism to the lock, it would definitely be easy for them to unlock it.
How good is storage inside the Haval H9?
Storage throughout the Haval H9 is excellent. There are two cup holders in the central console that will hold my new reusable Luxey Cup and a disposable coffee cup fitted in there well too.
The central console storage box is a really good size and it is rubber lined so things in there don't rattle around making a noise.
In front of the gear lever is an ashtray which I kept the keys in! Above that is a small space I just fitted my phone and next to it are USB, AUX and 12V sockets.
The glove box is a generous size and has a little shelf in the top, so I could easily fit my iPad and wallet in with the manual.
In the ceiling, there is a lined glasses case and both front visors have lit vanity mirrors.
The door bins in the front are a great size and would hold my large refillable water bottle and iPad and there are storage wells in the handles too.
In the second row, the door bins are smaller, they would still hold a large refillable water bottle and they have the handle wells too.
There are net map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad.
In the back of the central console box are another 12V, USB and AUX socket and little drawer.
In a fold-down armrest in the central seatback are two cup holders. They would hold a disposable or my new reusable Luxey Cup.
In the third-row seats, there are cup holders on both sides that are plenty large enough to hold a large refillable water bottle.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the Haval H9?
The Haval H9 is quite a noisy BabyDrive, as every time you turn the engine on the stereo blares out and I found I had to quickly turn the stereo off before it could disturb my little one.
Another big baby-waker in the Haval H9 is every time you put the car into reverse it announces in a really loud voice “please select the parking mode”. To which I did reply on most occasions “please shut up and stop waking my child!”
The parking sensor noise can be turned off with a button-down in the dashboard but it turns off the sound and the camera visual.
The media system does not have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but it treats your phone as an iPod so you can access your music.
The media system in the Haval H9 is really basic and uses an old fashioned list based menu system.
As mentioned, the H9 announces in a loud voice “please select the parking mode” every time you put it in reverse. This is very baby-waking, as is the parking sensor beep, which when you turn it off with the button in the central dash unfortunately also turns off the camera visual.
There is lane departure warning in the Haval H9 and the button to turn this on and off is in the central dash, along with the parking sensors, traction control, auto engine cut-out and blind-spot monitoring.
The blind spot monitoring has these really nice lights on the inside of the front door pillars that light up, instead of in the side mirrors, which I actually found much more visible and easy to see.
The indicators are quite quiet in the Haval H9 and didn’t disturb my sleeping child.
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 control stalk is behind the steering wheel, which made it hard to see and use while driving, I found it okay on motorways, at lower speeds on undulating roads it got carried away down hill.
The seatbelt removal visual for the second-row seats is up in the rear mirror which is a great place for it as it is easily seen while driving. However, there are no seatbelt warnings for the third-row seats, which is where you would definitely struggle to see if a child has removed it.
The windows in the H9 close with a bit of a thump and the rear windows can be locked from the drivers door control panel. I didn't find the doors are not too noisy when opening and closing.
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 Haval H9 is a really nice car to drive, it is quite slow to accelerate from a stand still but it feels very capable off-road without being comfortable around town.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the Haval H9?
In the third-row seats of the Haval H9, there are no top tether anchorages or ISOFix points so I couldn't fit any child seats back there.
There are top tether anchorages in the back of all three of the second-row seats, each of which is within a plastic guide.
I found I had to connect the top tether clips the opposite way around to normal beause the bottom of the plastic cups were not deep enough. Haval have looked into it and confirmed it was an error with just the car I tested (top marks for them responding so quickly and proactively when I told them about it). I would still recommend testing the top tether anchorages if you are looking to buy an H9 in case there is more than one with this problem.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats. They are within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.
I could fit three child seats across the second-row, three forward facing.
I also fitted two forward-facing and one rear-facing.
I found that I could sit between two child seats installed in the outer seats and with a rear-facing child seat installed, a 180cm driver could sit in front of them and there was room for a 170cm passenger in the third-row behind them as well.
Posting bub into their child seat from outside the car is really nice and easy in the H9. From inside the ceiling is nice and high so that posting Bub into their seats from inside is 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 Haval H9? And How good is the Haval H9 to drive?
In the front of the Haval H9, the seats are very comfortable, they are dark grey leather with perforated central panels for the heated and cooling systems so they are not so easy to keep clean.
Through the media system, you can also select a massage for the front seats and adjust the lumbar support. Which made journeys even better on cold winter days having a warm massage!
The front seats have electronic adjustments on the side and there are branded floor mats throughout the car.
On the side of the front passenger seat are controls to adjust the seating position, which is a feature I have loved in luxury SUVs I have tested, so it is good to see the same features in a more affordable model. I found this great when picking people up as I didn't have to get out and go around and move the seat if there wasn't enough room for someone to get in and if driving an elderly person who can't adjust the seat for themselves it is also really useful.
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 central seat back.
There is a small hump in the central footwell, although it is not too bad 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 vertical air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two central ones and a round one at either end.
There are also air vents in the second-row ceiling for rear passengers as well (I found I could not reach those to adjust them while driving) and more air vents in the third-row ceiling at the sides, which is fantastic!
There are air-conditioning controls in the central dash that are easy to use and control air-con for the rear too.
There are also controls for the air-con in the back of the central console box and a button there for the rear heated seats which I found my daughter reached with her toe on one journey and I had no idea until we reached our location and I found she had been slowly cooking her child seat!
The rear interior lights are located above the doors in the ceiling, next to the handles but too far back to reach them from the driver's seat while driving! In the third-row there is a light between the two headrests in the ceiling.
I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
Visibility in the Haval H9 is good, I didn't encounter any problems with visibility in my week of driving.
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 H9 was easy to park.
Aesthetically the Haval H9 is quite shiny and plastic in feel but it is a great SUV for the price and has a lot of features you usually find in luxury SUVs.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the Haval H9?
The Haval H9 scored a four-star ANCAP safety rating in 2015.
It scored a total of 30.65 out of 38 for adult occupancy, broken down into 12.05 out of 8 for the frontal offset test, full marks for the side impact test and it wasn't tested for the pole test.
The Haval H9 is not tested for Child Occupancy protection because it was rated in 2015 and the Child Occupant Protection was introduced in 2018.
Six airbags come as standard; there is dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and side head curtain airbags for the front and all three rows of rear side passengers.
As standard, all models of the Haval H9 come with seat belt pre-tensioners in both the front seats and second-row outboard positions, anti-lock braking system (ABS), automatic headlights, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), automatic high beam, blind-spot monitoring (BSM), emergency brake assist (EBA), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), fatigue reminder and fatigue detection, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), auto collision door unlocking, electronic stability control (ESC), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), traction control system and lane departure warning (LDW) all come as standard.
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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