Not so long ago we already talked about the restyled model of the Haval F7 crossover, but then we had a car in the Premium configuration on the test, today we will tell you about the most advanced Tech Plus modification.
It makes no sense to do a separate full-fledged test of the Haval F7 in the Tech Plus configuration, since its engine, gearbox and chassis are similar to the already tested car. The differences of the richest configuration are in technical equipment, in particular, in a large set of assistance systems, as well as in a fully digital dashboard.
By the way, look at the exterior of the Haval F7 in white, the car looks interesting, while in black, many elements in the body design are simply lost. Designers of Chinese automakers have been pleasantly surprising lately, although often these companies employ employees from Europe or America, who were lured away from other automakers. The Chinese approach is absolutely clear: in order to win the favor of European / American customers, it is necessary that employees from these countries work on the design of cars for these markets, who understand the preferences of buyers in these regions.
Yes, it is worth showing the interior of our today’s Haval F7, it combines blue trim and beige elements, it looks pretty fresh.
The first element by which you can accurately determine that you have a Haval F7 in the Tech Plus package is a full-fledged 12.3-inch virtual dashboard. In the configuration, a 7-inch screen is simpler in its place, inscribed in the center of the panel, and in the initial one it’s just a regular classic dashboard. Fully digital tidy is not to say that it carries a strong functional load, but it looks clearly better than other solutions.
Such a virtual dashboard is read in most cases without problems, due to the fact that it is recessed deep and covered with a visor from above. Only in rare cases, when the sun’s rays fall directly on the screen, can light appear, but not critical. The display here is IPS with HD resolution, of course, I would like to see OLED, but so far the Chinese have not grown up to this.
The digital instrument panel offers three types of design, which are changed through the menu of the tidy itself, but the change is only available in the parking lot. The latter is due to the fact that the system spends a lot of time changing skins, which is unacceptable on the road. The three themes are visually distinct to appeal to as many customers as possible.
Yes, despite the advanced features that a full-fledged digital panel provides, the manufacturer did not add options for it, but left everything as a regular 7-inch version. You can work with the list of recent calls (only by going to it through the menu on the panel), view data from the media source (what radio station or musical composition is playing), on-board computer information, monitor the work of assistants and make a few settings.
Let’s move on to non-visual, but more interesting differences between the Haval F7 in the maximum configuration, namely the assistance systems. Here is their complete list:
- Automatic parking system
- Adaptive cruise control (ACC) with low speed function
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
- Automatic Braking System (AEB) with Pedestrian Detection
- Crossroad Collision Avoidance (AEB Crossroad)
- Blind Spot Monitor (BSM)
- Reversing Parking Assist (RCTA) with braking function
- Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
- Rear Collision Warning (RCW)
- Lane Departure Warning with Lane Reverse and Lane Center Assist
- Open Door Warning (DOW)
- Smart dodge function
- High beam control system (Auto Hi-Beam)
I was skeptical about the automatic parking system in the Haval F7 until I tried it in operation. It turned out that the Chinese manufacturer managed to make it very soundly, and even with all the chips inherent in such in the most modern cars. So, to search for a parking space, you just need to click on the appropriate button, after which the process will be fully automatic. The system scans the space left and right, so there is no need to turn on the turn signal, as in the same Volkswagen, and it immediately looks for both parallel parking spaces and a pocket for reversing. Having determined the place, the car will highlight it on the screen of the media system, and several options can be offered at the same time. To park in the selected pocket, you do not need to stop at a specific point, the car itself is able to drive forward if necessary and then back out. The driver also does not need to shift gears, as well as operate the brake pedal. Haval F7 does everything on its own, and upon completion of the process, it will park itself.
Of course, an experienced driver will be able to park more efficiently without any problems, for example, not in two passes, like a robot, but in one, but still, the Haval assistant does this very well too. To be honest, I myself resorted to the help of automation not only for the sake of the test, but even in ordinary situations, especially when it came to parallel parking on the left.
But the adaptive cruise control did not please as much as the automatic parking system. On the track, it behaves even more or less well, clearly following the given distance, but it starts to slow down a bit late, which is why it does it abruptly, and after the lane is cleared, the car starts acceleration not too quickly. But the cruise control in the Haval F7 is able to independently slow down in corners, which many competitors do not have. True, sometimes the electronics confuse something and start to slow down quite on simple bends of the road where this is not required, thereby creating discomfort for the driver.
In traffic jams, the assistant shows himself worse, pulling the car too often, at the beginning of the movement, releasing the one who is going far ahead, so that they immediately fill the vacated gap from other rows. Plus, the system does not immediately see the transport wedged in front of you at the last moment, so it starts to slow down sharply. But in general, if the traffic jam is not completely dense and you do not need to stop every meter, the assistant is quite capable of helping you.
I liked the lane departure warning system with lane return and lane center hold assisted by cruise control. Steering, which is displayed with a special symbol on the dashboard, turns on unobtrusively, but there is little effort on the steering wheel, I would like it to be more. Through the settings, you can turn off the guidance in the center of the lane and leave only the hold in the lane if the first is irrelevant to you.
Traffic sign recognition is quite common, using a camera under the windshield, the car reads speed limit signs and displays them graphically on the dashboard. In the settings, you can enable the ability to comply with the speed limit in accordance with the signs when driving on cruise control. But knowing how often we leave signs that are no longer valid after repairs on the track, I would not resort to using this system.
As for the blind spot monitoring system, it works perfectly, and a bright orange indication of its operation is displayed on the mirror housing inside the car, so it is visible even before you turn your head.
There isn’t much to say about the reverse parking assistance system, it helps to get out of the same pocket with poor visibility, warning of a moving object, and is able to stop the car if necessary. The assistant for crossing intersections with a limit of 20 km / h also works, it scans the space, but already ahead, calculates the trajectory and speed of objects and is also able not only to warn, but to stop the car on its own. Pedestrian detection works seamlessly, as does door assist, which can alert you to the same cyclist so you don’t accidentally open the door.
In general, the assistance systems in the Haval F7 Tech Plus are very useful, and their implementation is at a decent level. And the surcharge for a set of such useful options is not so big and amounts to only 100,000 rubles.