GWM has a new SUV lined up for South Africa, and we’ll be getting our hands on it sooner than expected.
The company recently published a short teaser video for the new Haval H7 on its social media pages, along with a link to its website confirming that the model will touch down on our shores as early as January 2025.
What to expect
As its name implies, the H7 will become the new flagship of Haval’s local catalogue when it arrives next year, placing above the Jolion and the H6.
It is slightly larger than the H6 in every dimension, as shown in the table below:
| Dimension | Haval H6 | Haval H7 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 4,653mm | 4,706mm |
| Width | 1,886mm | 1,908mm |
| Height | 1,730mm | 1,780mm |
The H7 also has much blockier proportions than its smaller sibling, alluding to the fact that it is a much more off-road-focused model with styling more akin to what we’ve seen on the Tank 300.
Case in point is that it has a ground clearance of 200mm, in contrast to the H6’s 170mm.
Additionally, the H7 actually has a shorter wheelbase of 2,610mm compared to 2,738mm, making it better suited for navigating rocky terrain.
Haval has yet to confirm the local specifications for its incoming vehicle, but we can look to its home market of China to get a sense of what’s coming.
The current-gen H7 has been on sale in the People’s Republic since 2023, where it is known as the “Big Dog” and is sold with one of four petrol engines.
The first is a 1.5-litre turbocharged block with 135kW and 275Nm, while the second is a larger 2.0-litre turbo mill with access to 175kW and 385Nm.
The smaller engine is equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox connecting to the front wheels, while the top-end units benefit from a nine-speed box and an all-wheel-drive layout.
Like with all of GWM’s recent products, the H7 is also available with hybrid assistance, taking the form of two plug-in hybrid (PHEV) systems working in tandem with the 1.5-litre plant.
The first option is a single front-mounted electric motor setup with a combined output of 240kW and 530Nm, while the second gains an additional e-motor over the rear axle for a total of 278kW and 750Nm.
Both units are fitted with a 19.1kWh battery, which allows for roughly 80km of electric driving.
The high-end H7 naturally comes with a respectable spec sheet including a 12.3-inch digital driver display, a 14.6-inch infotainment screen, and a heads-up display.
It is also equipped with items such as heated and ventilated seats, a panoramic sunroof, a wireless charger, keyless entry and start, and dual-zone climate control, as well as an extensive driver assistance suite with adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, parking sensors, hill assist, hill descent control, and a 360-degree camera with a transparent bonnet view setting for off-roading similar to the Tank.
Speaking of, GWM has yet to announce the pricing for the H7, but we expect it to land somewhere between the R492,050 H6 and the R725,950 Tank 300.
More specifically, the base H7 will likely cost more than the non-hybrid H6 Super Luxury’s R610,750, while the H7 PHEV units could potentially overlap with the 300 given how expensive the technology currently is.
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