Haval Raptor PHEV 2025 review: international first drive

The Haval Raptor – a potential vehicle for Australia – is an intriguing inbetweener SUV.

It boasts moderate off-road clout with all-wheel-drive, high 221mm ground clearance, rear diff lock and chunky styling, but won’t be climbing mountains due to no ladder frame chassis nor low range transfer case.

We were able to poke around and through this boxy medium SUV during our trip to China for the Shanghai motor show, with the wider GWM team saying the model was under consideration for us. We had a brief test drive, although were able to learn very little in a car park for 30 seconds of through-the-cones shenanigans.

On first taste, the Raptor – it would have to change its name to an ‘H’ number to avoid Ford Australia’s wrath – could be a bit of a winner for Aussie buyers.

This Haval is a step above normal soft roaders, nudging into the space where basically only Subaru plays with its very capable Outback, Forester and Crosstrek SUVs.

Many Aussie buyers want off-road skills to handle mud, snow, hard sand and rocky paths – enough to reach remote camp sites or surf spots without getting bogged or smashing up the underside– but don’t want or need hardcore 4×4 abilities.

Body-on-frame 4x4s – think Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Toyota Prado and dual-cab utes – are heavier, cost more to run and service and, important one this, are compromised on-road vehicles.

Monocoque SUVs, like this Raptor and the aforementioned Subarus, are far more car-like to live with as their underpinnings aren’t designed to carry or tow massive weights, nor need to articulate over perilous terrain.

The Raptor’s roughly the same size as Haval’s current H6 midsize SUV (from $33,900), and seemingly only available as a plug-in hybrid.

GWM will need such powertrains in its line-up to respond to increasingly strict emissions requirements (NVES), as its only current full electric offering, the Ora EV, is selling poorly.

It has a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with dual electric motors and 27kWh battery. Quoted figures are 282kW and 750Nm, which seems high, but our drive proved the powertrain certainly had guts. The 0-100km/h sprint is quoted at 6.2 seconds, which is hot hatch territory.

Chinese rival BYD also employs a 1.5-litre turbo petrol in its Shark 6 plug-in ute. With 321kW and 650Nm it hits 100km/h in under six seconds, despite weighing 2700kg. You’d fancy the Haval Raptor to weigh a solid chunk less, so you could argue its performance should ace the big Shark’s.

Other important numbers are a promised electric-only range of over 100km, and a total range greater than 1000km with the petrol fuel tank.

Price? From the Chinese Yuan it translates to roughly $40,000 in our money, and if Haval could flog it here for close to that it’d raise serious eyebrows. The brand currently sells its high-spec H6 GT plug-in hybrid for $55,990 drive-away.

But rivals from within may curb GWM’s enthusiasm to bring it to Australia.

The handsome Haval H7 2WD medium SUV goes on sale in Australia in the third quarter of 2025, it being a conventional (not plug-in) hybrid with boxy styling. Then there’s the ladder frame Tank 300 mid-sizer – it’s a proper low-range-equipped 4×4.

But that brings us back to this all-paw Raptor being a compelling inbetweener. More off-road ability than a Haval H7 but will ride better and isn’t as hardcore as a Tank 300. If it’s all about customer choice, this boxy Raptor looks to bring enough uniqueness to the party.

Our test car had a decent blend of luxury and features, but you could see its bones were more budget-focused.

That could work in its favour, as if the Raptor PHEV can land at under $50,000 it’d neatly undercut the likes of Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV and jostle with BYD’s Sealion 6.

The dash and door plastics are hard and scratchy, but they’ve tried to jazz it up by putting fake stitches through the plastic.

The centre console has a fake carbon fibre weave which doesn’t look bad, but is quite thin and plasticky to the touch, as are the switches under the central screen. A Tank 300-esque chunky gear shifter reminds of the off-road intentions here.

As we now expect from GWM, infotainment and digital driver displays are appealing high points. A 14.6-inch main screen proved high quality and fast, as did the 12.3-inch instrument panel.

Its leatherette seats aren’t Lexus-like, but feel spongy, comfy and well put together. Rear seats offer lots of head and leg room, but they only recline slightly, and don’t slide on runners. Only a USB-A in the back too, reminding this Raptor’s no newbie – it’s been on sale in China since 2023.

The boot isn’t large, but its square dimensions and side-hinged tailgate would make loading large items in reasonably easy. No under-boot storage due to the hybrid batteries, but proper explorers will appreciate a full-size spare on the tailgate. Helps the tough looks, too.

From the driver’s seat you’re perched nice and high thanks to the ground clearance, with a head-up display an appreciated touch. We’re promised this model has Level 2 autonomous driving capability, but we weren’t able to test it.

For our brief blast through the Shanghai car park, the Raptor displayed reasonable refinement and fair control.

The steering’s very light, and as expected from something riding as high as a Subaru Forester, there’s a good dose of body roll. But the tyres barely protested to quick direction changes, and it overall felt safe and well behaved.

GWM has recently employed Australian ride and handling expert Rob Trubiani (ex-Holden) as Product Engineering Manager. With local tuning from such a respected industry stalwart, I fancy he’d be able to tighten up this Raptor for our market.

Stomp on the throttle and the petrol and electric motors deliver a pleasing shove, but this Raptor feels best when just touring on battery only, moving along in near silence. The battery readout showed half full and an electric range of 53km, reminding us there’s solid EV-only potential for daily duties.

We’d be keen to explore more. GWM engineers told us the plug-in powertrain can operate in pure EV mode, hybrid or as a full petrol (presumably it can recharge the battery if needed), and it can run as a front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive or all-paw.

We Aussies like an SUV with trail-ready styling and hardware, giving this Raptor a decent edge next to softer rivals. It’s boxy, reminds of a Land Rover Defender and seeing the rear diff lock button and decent amount of fresh air underneath would give me faith in this thing tackling some gnarly-ish bush routes.

To do much of it on electric only enhances the appeal.

Haval also showed some decent accessories too. One Raptor displayed had a side ladder and roof tray (plus strangely alluring orange/tan interior), while the brand has a “Meti-Force” package for its larger H9 SUV, bringing white retro wheels, all-terrain tyres, side panniers and light bar.

The same on this Raptor would look, as the cool kids say, very sick indeed.

Will the Raptor reach Australia? GWM and Haval have lofty targets, including becoming a top ten brand, and more choice typically brings more sales. But the business case stacking up may be tough due to many similar-sized SUVs in GWM’s Aussie arsenal.

But it fills a vacuum between soft and hardcore off-roaders, and that’s a sweet spot for lots of medium SUV shoppers. As a PHEV, it brings an additional point of difference, so you’d reckon a target price under $50,000 would give this Raptor a solid chance.