2022 Haval H6 v Mitsubishi Outlander

By Alex Forrest

With the Mitsubishi Outlander having been on sale in Australia for nearly 20 years, and the Haval H6 dating back only six years, these two mid-sized SUVs are almost at the extremes when it comes to brand familiarity in Australia.

Whereas Australians are still getting familiar with Chinese brands such as Haval, Mitsubishi has been transporting Australians for decades.

Australians also know good value when they see it, so to survive, any newcomer needs to be an even more convincing proposition than the current competition.

Haval is continuing to grow its presence, and it’s looking to steal the attention of SUV buyers away from established alternatives like the Outlander – one of favourites of the mid-sized SUV segment.

But the Outlander has recently had a major update which has made it a more premium-feeling vehicle with improved tech and a contemporary design while still offering seven seats.

Let’s see how they compare.

Value for money
The cheapest versions of both the Outlander and H6 cost $32,990 and $34,990 respectively before on-road costs.

At the time of writing, Haval was quoting only an extra $1000 for on-roads, making it $33,990 drive away. Mitsubishi didn’t have drive away pricing available, but online ads indicated the ES auto required $39,570 to drive away. We’d strongly suggest negotiating this down.

In the Outlander, the entry level ES gets a 9-inch infotainment screen, whereas the base model Haval H6 has a 10.25-inch screen.

Apple Carplay is wireless in the Outlander – a big plus – but it needs a cable in the H6. Android Auto needs a cable in both. Though we found the wireless Carplay connection in the Outlander wasn’t as solid as it could be.

Both have well-finished and neatly designed interiors for the prices paid, but for either vehicle you won’t feel compelled to share a photo of their dizzying opulence with your social media followers.

On the road
With a 2.0-litre turbo powering the Haval and a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated engine in the Mitsubishi, there are some big differences between the ways these two SUVs drive.

The Mitsubishi’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 135kW and 245Nm, and uses a CVT transmission.

Whereas that CVT would have caused some eye-rolling 10 years ago due to the engine droning these transmissions used to produce, it’s a different story these days. It’s well-tuned for urban driving with good torque for stop-start driving and in return, isn’t too thirsty, at 7.7L/100km for the combined cycle test.

The Haval 2.0-litre turbo makes 150kW and 320Nm and uses less fuel at 7.4L/100km, but its drivetrain is less refined than the Mitsubishi’s. The H6 Hybrid uses only 5.2L/100km with its 1.5-litre turbo petrol and a battery, and is a much more affordable (and available) alternative to the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Safety and Practicality
Both the Outlander and H6 carry 5-star ANCAP safety ratings, and both ratings are date stamped 2022.

In both these vehicles, the basic driver assistance safety equipment is available as standard, such as autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, as well as junction assist.

The Mitsubishi offers adaptive cruise control as standard across the range, but in the Haval H6 the base model doesn’t have it. That said, the Haval starts off much cheaper.

The Haval is also (at the time of writing) available only as a five-seater, whereas the Mitsubishi can be had as a seven-seater. Albeit those third row seats in the Outlander are really only for small people.

Verdict
The Haval H6 does offer some excellent inclusions for the price, especially in the range-topping H6 Ultra Hybrid. It does have some infotainment system quirks though and its handling isn’t as sharp as it could be. Dollar for dollar, you get fewer features in the Mitsubishi Outlander, but with this newly revised model, the extra spend will get you a smooth-running, good handling family SUV with a well-designed interior and a car that will always have strong appeal in the used market.