Guys, we were surprised ourselves when Haval invited us on a short trip to Kazan for a test drive of the new F7 car. Well, where is our portal, and where are the cars. And then they thought and decided: why not.

The modern car is actively saturated with gadgets. Plus Haval – a brand new on the Russian market, Chinese and, which is important (as it turned out later), able to surprise. Not in theory, but in practice, at the most difficult range.

When in the smartphone market everyone has long been associating the word China with “quality, performance and affordability,” then in cars China is still not associated with these words, outdated stereotypes about low product quality are still relevant. If you read the article to the end, I hope you will understand why I called Haval an analogue of Xiaomi, only in the car market. And in general, with a good set of circumstances, the fate of the brand may be similar to the same Xiaomi – there is potential.

And immediately an interesting point. The Haval brand does not read like [hawal], and certainly not [hawal]. The correct pronunciation is [haveil]. This is the first intersection with Xiaomi, don’t you think? Although I think it will be easier for the manufacturer to come to terms with the Russian transcription in the format “as it is read, so it is pronounced”. It is almost impossible to retrain our consumer, a well-known fact.

What else can the Chinese auto manufacturer boast about? Well, for example, with its own plant with stamping and welding, a high initial degree of localization, about 30%. Plus a large number of dealers across the country (more than fifty with promises of active growth, up to 80 in the coming year), so there should be no problems with servicing.

The Haval F7 is positioned by the manufacturer in the SUV car segment (crossover) and is aimed primarily at a young audience who prefers more technological solutions and a bright modern, slightly aggressive design. Plus a high ground clearance (190 mm) and, as it turned out in practice, basic off-road skills that can be useful to the average Russian not only when traveling to the country, but also for fishing, to ride through the field and mud, the novelty is also quite suitable.

By the way, about the dacha and sacks of potatoes. The Haval F7 has a really roomy and spacious trunk, the rear row seats that fold into the floor give the maximum available space of 1443 liters. In the cabin there are many additional boxes and niches for all sorts of small things.

The body is galvanized, the headlights and taillights in the maximum configuration, as we had, are LED (including foglights), and the dynamic 6-corner radiator grille makes the silhouette of the car more expressive and noticeable.

Hexagons 192, count when buying, suddenly they will not report. The side of the vehicle has dynamic ascending lines. Overall, the design is a classic Chinese story. We collected a little from everyone and got something of their own. Someone will see a Volvo here, someone a Jaguar, write in the comments what car do you think the Haval F7 looks like?

There is also a panoramic roof with a large sunroof equipped with an electric curtain. The manufacturer assures that the roof can close at speeds over 120 km / h, and even in the rain.

What is immensely pleasing in the Chinese crossover is the interior. Firstly, there is a lot of space in the cabin. With my considerable 186 cm in height, as a passenger in the front seat, I can comfortably stretch my legs, and the other passenger in the back sitting behind me will also be comfortable and not cramped. Two types of upholstery are available in the options – fabric and leather (we had the second option on the test). Thanks to the large wheelbase, there is a lot of space, and there are no protruding parts in the back in the center, so you can ride with absolute comfort in three. 

The dashboard has a 9-inch display with HD-resolution, very bright, easy to read even in sunny weather. There is also Bluetooth 4.0, six speakers, support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But there is no built-in navigation.

Going further, the engine displacement is available in two variations: 1499 and 1967 cubic meters, with a capacity of 150 or 190 horses. In the first case, the acceleration time from 0 to 100 km / h is promised in 11 seconds, and in the second in 9. We testdrive the maximum configuration and in fact, in 10 seconds with acceleration, we met without problems. In the combined cycle, the car consumes 8-9 liters of fuel. The machine prefers to eat the 95th.

The 7DCT gearbox is a 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission with an efficiency of around 95% and a shift speed of 225 ms. The Haval F7 has a sporty chassis, MacPherson strut independent front suspension, double wishbone rear independent suspension. Intelligent four-wheel drive is realized due to the NexTrac electromagnetic multi-plate clutch. By default, torque is supplied to the front axle, and in any situation where four-wheel drive is required, the system instantly transfers torque to the rear axle. Therefore, the car remains four-wheel drive whenever road conditions require it.

The Terrain Response Drive Select System allows you to freely switch between different drive modes for the best grip in all conditions, optimizing engine, transmission and ESP performance. Six modes are available in maximum configuration: Normal, Mud, Sport, Sand, Economy and Snow. The gear lever is electronic, in the form of a stylish, non-fixed joystick, which is borrowed from more premium cars. It is very convenient to use. 

Our top-of-the-range option was available with a 360-degree camera system. The picture from the cameras is of rather low quality, we have to admit it. But for its own purposes, sufficient, it helps to park perfectly, showing the positioning of the car relative to obstacles on that largest display on the dashboard.

What about security? The salon is surrounded by a safety cage, 64% made of steel, there are up to six airbags, seat belt pretensioners from Autoliv, there is also ERA-GLONASS, of course. Haval F7 took five stars in C-NCAP.

Another nice thing is the adaptive cruise control system from BOSCH. Checked during a test drive, everything works fine. Maintains both speed and a safe distance behind the vehicle in front. There is a forward collision warning system with automatic braking function. The alert has two levels: warning when the speed is over 65 km / h and emergency, if the speed is over 30 km / h. When the driver is inactive, a stop signal is given to avoid a collision – the system fully controls the braking at a speed below 40 km / h. There is also a system of assistance during the descent and assistance when starting off on the rise.

Let’s list the options available in the Comfort package, it is also basic and minimal. These are: halogen headlights, LED fog lights with cornering light function, LED taillights, roof rails, cloth upholstery, leather steering wheel, four driving modes, single-zone climate control, cruise control, EPB, Autohold, rear parking sensors, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, driver’s seat with mechanical adjustment in six directions, and passenger in four directions, keyless entry system, multimedia with 9 “screen, support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four airbags, ESP, TCS, RMI , BA, HHC, HDC, TMPS, 17-inch alloy wheels. The price of the issue is 1 rubles.

Let’s pay another 7 rubles for the Haval F70 before the Elite trim level and we get to the one described above: a curtain in the trunk, six directions of adjustment for the driver’s (electrician) seat, heated rear seats, a rear-view camera with dynamic markings, a rear-view mirror with automatic dimming.

And if you add another 120 rubles, the two trim levels described above are added: LED headlights, a panoramic roof with a sunroof, seats with artificial leather trim, electrically folding side electric mirrors, front parking sensors, a driving mode selection system with six options, a rear spoiler, curtains safety, adaptive cruise control, FCW, AEB, 000-degree camera system, alloy wheels 360 inches.

And it would seem that the price is not the most affordable. Why do they ask for one and a half million for Haval F7? For which there are so many, because at this price there are already many other options to choose from.

No matter how ridiculous it sounds, in my opinion, they ask just for the noticeably increased workmanship and attention to many details, which was not noticeable in the Chinese auto industry before. Yes, not everything is perfect yet, do not believe me – look at the review of this car from the same Academician. But at the same time, not everything is hopeless!

And, unlike the same Academician, we were not afraid to conduct an off-road test for the Haval F7 at a special training ground in Kazan, where the ups and downs were 18-22%. And so that the life of the manufacturer did not seem like honey, on the day of the tests there was also a rather heavy lingering rain, because of which the road and climbs turned into a real mess of slippery clay. To be honest, it was hard to climb up such rises on your feet – you just slid down. But at the cost of killed sneakers, we filmed several videos for you, how the Haval F7 overcomes the climbs.

It is worth noting that it is quite difficult to see the elevation angle in the video, it seems as if the slide is very small – this is just an optical illusion. The climbs were actually steep and very slippery.

Here are a few short climb videos, including one from the salon. Filmed on a smartphone. 

The races were carried out on ordinary road tires, this moment was specially photographed. And the drivers were autobloggers and journalists, not instructors or manufacturer representatives. And remember I talked about attention to detail? What is especially great is that the sills of passengers and the driver are well protected, even after taking a serious mud bath, you can get out of the Haval F7 calmly without getting your pants or jeans dirty. It seems such a trifle, but for some reason it is often not thought out even in much more expensive crossovers.

Off-road, the Haval F7 proved to be excellent, which surprised many. He climbed out of a deep double pit with a puddle without any problems, where it seemed that everything was already done, sat on his belly hopelessly and “well, now we will push and take mud baths” (third photo in the gallery above). I climbed steep climbs myself. And descended from them without any incident.

What about everyday use? A smooth ride, there is no excess noise in the cabin (although you shouldn’t expect perfect silence here, of course), the starts are neat and smooth again, there are no jerks when switching at low speeds as such.

There were no complaints about the brakes either. Deceleration is reliable and stable. Even when driving off-road, the body does not creak, nothing creaks. In short, the ride level is very comfortable. And not only for the driver, but also for passengers, because of the huge and spacious cabin. Traveling in such a car is just a thrill. And the question only arises in the ultimate reliability.

The Haval F7 is still a novelty, and there are no reviews about long trips and long-term operation on it yet, we will receive them, I think, in a year. And then, when many sores crawl out, it will be possible to finally judge how successful this crossover has turned out. But the first impressions of the car are extremely positive. Especially in the luxurious blue color of the case (there are also white and black paint options, but they are more boring). And I want to believe that the Chinese will occupy their niche in the car market not only in ultra-budget solutions with low quality, but also in the middle class.

The Haval F7 has many competitors. Examples are named such as Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail and others. Who else would you add to compare with the Haval F7? Write in the comments!

PS While we were on a test drive in Innopolis near Kazan, we met not only unmanned vehicles from Yandex, which actively drive around the scientific town, but even found an unmanned Kamaz! And now this is already serious.