FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2023 GWM Haval Ultra Hybrid

How big is the boot of the 2023 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid?

The GWM Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid has a really practical size boot for a family. I can fit 13 shopping bags when empty, which is one more than the MG HS, which will hold twelve. The Hyundai Tucson will hold fourteen, the Toyota RAV4 will hold fifteen and the Kia Sportage sixteen shopping bags.

A twin side-by-side stroller fits in the boot with five shopping bags.

The tandem modular pram stacks in the boot of the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid with six shopping bags beside it.

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 Bub’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 single stroller fits with six shopping bags beside it.

The compact stroller fits in the boot of the H6 Hybrid with ten shopping bags around it.

Or you could fit a medium/large size family dog in there.

The boot floor of the GWM Haval H6 is nice and flat and carpeted, so it is an excellent place for an emergency nappy change!

How good is storage inside the 2023 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid?

Storage in the front of the 2023 Haval H6 Hybrid is excellent.

There are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable and a disposable coffee cup and there is a phone charging tray.

Behind the cup holders is a good-sized central console box to fit wipes etc in.

The bridge central console has a USB socket and a great storage shelf for your handbag or iPad underneath.

In the ceiling, there is a lined glasses case and both front visors have lit vanity mirrors.

The glove box is large enough to hold an iPad and wallet with the manual.

The door bins in the front are a very practical size and will hold my refillable water bottle, iPad and wallet and all the door handles in the GWM Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid can act as little storage wells too.

In the back, the rear door bins are too slim to hold a refillable water bottle but it is big enough for a 600ml mineral water bottle and an iPad beside it.

There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold and conceal an iPad.

In a fold-down armrest in the central seatback are two cup holders. They will hold disposable and reusable coffee cups.

How noisy is the 2023 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid?

The 2023 Haval H6 Hybrid is not a noisy BabyDrive. Being a hybrid, it starts silently and is nice and smooth and quiet at low speeds. The engine kicks in when it is needed but it is not noisy and doesn't disturb the peaceful drive.

The media system in the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid is modern and easy to use and navigate.

the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is great for accessing your phone's features and its navigation and audio apps while driving.

When reversing and manoeuvring, the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid has an excellent quality rearview camera image. With 360-degree 3D camera views…

… and 2D camera views.

The Haval H6 Hybrid has a great seatbelt removal visual on the driver display screen and the distance to empty is clearly displayed on the driver's display screen too.

The indicators are fairly quiet in the 2023 Haval H6 Hybrid 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 windows and doors in the H6 Ultra Hybrid open and close quietly, and both can be locked individually 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!!)

How many child seats fit in the 2023 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid?

The GWM Haval H6 Hybrid has ISOFix points in the two outer seats; they are within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages for all three rear seats in the back of the seatbacks that are easily accessible through the boot.

the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid is great for families that need to fit three Infasecure child seats across the back seats.

The seat base is lovely and wide and I could install the Infasecure Adapt More Infant Capsule, the Momentum More and the Infasecure Achieve More comfortably in the back.

Legroom in the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid is very good; we could fit an 184cm driver in front of a rear-facing Infasecure Adapt More Infant Capsule. Or an even taller front passenger when you have forward-facing child seats. To learn more about the child seats used in this review, click on the link here.

Posting Bub into their child seat from outside the car is fine in the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid. From inside, the ceiling is nice and high, which makes posting Bub into their seats good. 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.

How comfortable is the 2023 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid? And how good is the 2023 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid to drive?

In the front of the 2023 Haval H6 Hybrid, the seats are comfortable. There is some panelling detail across the backrest and perforation in the seat bases.

For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the seats are comfortable too. I could feel the drop-down armrest in the seatback and I could fit between two child seats comfortably. There is a small hump in the footwell, and you have to rest your feet on or straddle when sitting in the central seat.

For the first year of my screaming baby’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub 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 is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two underneath the media screen and another one at either end of the dash.

There are air vents in the back of the central console box, which is great for keeping rear passengers comfortable too.

There are climate/air-conditioning controls on the media screen…

… as well as above the phone charging tray.

Visibility in the 2023 Haval H6 Hybrid is very good; even when you have three child seats in the back, you can see out of the back window…

… and the excellent quality reversing camera makes it easy to manoeuvre too.

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 Bub 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 H6 Ultra Hybrid was really easy to park.

Aesthetically the 2023 Haval H6 Hybrid is a nice-looking car, both internally and externally.

the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid makes a great family five-seater SUV. The drive is very good, especially for the value-packed pricing, plus room for three Infasecure child seats and a twin pram in the boot.

How safe is the 2023 Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid?

The GWM Haval H6 has been given a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Scoring 90% for adult occupancy testing and 88% for child occupancy crash testing.

Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag for protecting front seat occupants against knocking heads in side impacts is also 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 Bub’s asleep!