Easy car original SUV market has always been a must for major manufacturers, the Chinese people's love for SUVs is also increasing, under the impetus of the general environment, users have also put forward higher requirements for such SUVs, and today we want to talk about the two models are SUV models with off-road capabilities, that is, fans word of mouth hardcore off-road vehicles. What model can you think of first when you see this? Wranglers? Mercedes-Benz G Series? No, that is not grounded, today we are going to talk about the two most representative domestic hardcore SUVs, SAIC Maxus MAXUS D90 Pro and Haval H9.
In terms of models, the models selected this time are the 2021 SAIC Maxus MAXUS D90 Pro Gasoline Four-Wheel Drive Flagship Edition 7-seater (hereinafter referred to as the D90 Pro), with a manufacturer guidance price of 239,800 yuan; compared with the 2022 Haval H9 Gasoline Four-Wheel Drive Premium 5-seater (hereinafter referred to as the H9), the manufacturer's guidance price is 261,800 yuan. Although both models are hardcore SUV, the Haval H9 only provides a gasoline engine, while the D90 Pro provides diesel and gasoline two different powertrains, so for the sake of fairness, the D90 Pro also chooses a gasoline version, but we also make a brief introduction to its diesel version. So, which of the two off-road vehicles is better in terms of hard power? Let's look down.
Power comparison: Who is stronger with the same 2.0T?
It can be seen that the D90 Pro and H9 are not much different in parameters, but we know that what is often tested in high-intensity off-roading is the continuous release of vehicle torque. In this regard, the D90 Pro has a broader torque platform, not only at 2000 rpm can usher in a maximum torque of 350 N·m, but also can continue until 4000 rpm, while the H9 is at 1800 rpm to usher in a peak torque of 385 N·m, but only until 3600 rpm. Therefore, the D90 Pro has a wider engine peak torque range than the H9.
Secondly, when it comes to off-road, many fans and friends may think of diesel engines. Yes, diesel engines have better low-torque performance and are more suitable for off-road than gasoline engines, which is where the D90 Pro has more advantages over the H9. D90 Pro in addition to having a 2.0T gasoline engine, it also has a diesel engine, and this SAIC π 2.0T Bi-Turbo double supercharged diesel engine is not small, it is SAIC Group for the global market and research and development, using Bosch 2000bar high-pressure common rail, Honeywell twin turbo and other core technologies, in addition to providing strong low torque performance, its performance in mute, stability and fuel economy are obvious to all, From the comprehensive fuel consumption of NEDC 100 kilometers given in the table, it can also be seen that the diesel version of the D90 Pro saves 1.7L of oil per 100 kilometers compared with the H9, and the diesel price is cheaper, and the difference in the cost of the two-vehicle vehicle can be seen at a glance.
It is worth mentioning that both cars use an 8-speed automatic transmission provided by ZF in Germany, which has the characteristics of high-speed torque, low high-speed fuel consumption and smooth gear change. But the difference is that the D90 Pro has been tuned by engineers to ensure that the D90 Pro is better than the H99 in off-road performance in manual mode to ensure that the vehicle has a consistently strong torque output at low speeds, which is one of the reasons why I think the D90 Pro is superior to the H9 in off-road performance.
Summary: From the perspective of powertrain, compared to the H9, the D90 Pro has a wider range of options and a higher degree of personalization. The advantage of the D90 Pro is that it has two sets of engine options, gasoline version and diesel version, if your driving scene is more inclined to urban road conditions, then the gasoline version will be more suitable, and if you prefer high-intensity off-roading, then the D90 Pro with SAIC π engine undoubtedly meets your needs.
Chassis comparison: which off-road gene is stronger?
After talking about the powertrain, we will then look at the differences in the chassis structure of the two vehicles. The D90 Pro features a non-load-bearing body structure with girders, which essentially has a greater body strength than a regular home SUV. Whether dragging a heavy object or being dragged, this structure should be safer.
Secondly, the D90 Pro front and rear suspension adopts a double wishbond + five-link layout, and is equipped with a set of timely four-wheel drive system and automatic, fuel saving, sports, snow, mud, sand and rock seven driving modes to choose from, from the hardware configuration point of view, D90 Pro is also very complete, and from the picture can be clearly seen, D90 Pro in the chassis part also added a lateral stabilizer bar, in both off-road capabilities while improving the control stability.
D90 Pro is equipped with intelligent timely four-wheel drive system and time-sharing four-wheel drive system optional, of which the intelligent timely four-wheel drive system has automatic, economical, sports, snow, mud, sand and rock seven kinds of road conditions mode, different modes of the system will automatically adjust the front and rear wheel output torque in real time according to the road conditions, coupled with the visual transparent chassis function, it can clearly see the road conditions at the bottom of the vehicle through the central control screen, helping you avoid the bottom and scratching. Time-sharing four-wheel drive has 2H, 4H and 4L three drive modes, which can fully control the working state of the differential lock, thereby improving the ability to get out of trouble in extremely harsh road conditions.
The H9 adopts a front double wishbone + rear multi-link layout in the chassis structure, equipped with a timely four-wheel drive system. In terms of off-road configuration, the H9 and D90 Pro are evenly matched, with a four-wheel drive system, rear axle differential lock and a variety of driving modes, so they can cope with high-intensity off-road with ease.
Summary: Yes, both models have a very strong basic off-road capability, but the biggest advantage of the D90 Pro is that it has a diesel version optional, in the face of high-strength off-road, the diesel engine's ability to get out of trouble is stronger than the gasoline engine, and consumers are more reliant on the "diesel + non-load-bearing body structure" this hard SUV standard.
In addition, as mentioned at the beginning of the article, consumers today put forward higher requirements for such hardcore SUVs, not only to be able to cross-country, but also to be comfortable and space can not pull crotch. So, in addition to the difference in power and suspension structure, let's take a look at what are the differences between the two cars in terms of design, configuration and space.
Appearance: D90 Pro is more aesthetically pleasing to the home/and supports customization
Although both are hardcore SUVs, the D90 Pro and H9 have distinctly different tendencies in design, the former can be said to be this design orientation between hardcore SUV and urban SUV, while the H9 is a pure hardcore SUV. Why do I say that? Let me analyze them one by one.
First of all, look at the D90 Pro, it adopts the DESIGN LANGUAGE OF SAIC MAXUS MAXUS family, the entire front face has a strong sense of contour, while the tough lines on the hood create a good sense of muscle, and the large-size grille adds high-brightness black decoration, which looks more atmospheric and hard as a whole.
LED headlights and LED day running lights are naturally standard, while the D90 Pro uses chrome trim strips in the front face grille and fog light area for decoration, while the window trim strips and roof luggage racks are highly bright and black processed, so that the D90 Pro sports sense is enhanced at the same time, but also can take into account the fashion and dynamic shape of the home SUV.
The front face of H9 is very different from the style of D90 Pro, the middle net is composed of several stout chrome trim strips, with the towering front of the car to make the taste of the H9 hardcore SUV stand out, the overall appearance is relatively rough; in addition, H9 is also equipped with matrix LED headlights, and the front face is also full of technology.
In addition to the matrix LED headlights, the H9 is also equipped with adaptive high-beam lights, which are greatly improved in intelligence and driving safety.
The D90Pro measures 5005mm× 1932mm×1875mm, and has a wheelbase of 2950mm. The Haval H9 measures 4843mm× 1926mm×1900mm, and has a wheelbase of 2800mm. In addition to the height of the body, the H9 is inferior to the D90 Pro in terms of body length, width and wheelbase. The D90 Pro's longer, wider body provides more spacious and comfortable interior seating space, and even in the 7-seater state, the third row is not suffocated, suitable for many people to travel long distances.
In addition, the two cars are also different in the basic off-road performance, first look at the D90 Pro, its approach angle is 28 °, the departure angle is 25 °, the minimum ground clearance is 210 mm, the maximum wading depth can reach 800 mm, while the H9 approach angle is 28 °, the departure angle is 23 °, and the minimum ground clearance is 206 mm, which is weak compared with the D90 Pro.
In terms of tires, it can also be seen that the focus of the two cars is different, of which the D90 Pro uses a tire brand from the horse brand Transitcontact5, which is a road-off-road tire, which is mainly quiet and comfortable; while the H9 original factory is equipped with a Cooper M+S winter tire, which focuses on the grip of ice and snow, and the real-time model is modified with a Compass (Commax) CF1100 tire, which belongs to a large pattern of off-road tires.
Both models are equipped with side pedals in their original state, except that the D90 Pro is fixed and the H9 is electric.
The tail of the D90 Pro looks more inclined to the design idea of the urban SUV, the overall look is more rounded and full, and if you want a more personalized design, SAIC Maxus official also provides a variety of professional off-road kits, including 18-inch top off-road tires, wading hose, bottom guard plate, sand and gravel block, off-road wheel eyebrows, etc., all standard in the Alxa version. At the same time, users can also carry out personalized customization services through the spider smart selection platform.
The rear of the H9 has a more hardcore SUV flavor, the design is very rough, in addition to the use of external spare tires, the real model is also equipped with a tow hook.
It is understood that the D90 Pro and H9 both have 2500KG legal traction qualifications, that is, both cars can be installed with tow hooks as needed, so that everyone can easily drag motorboats, ATVs, simple rear trailers, etc. to camp, go to the wilderness, and enjoy a better life. The D90 Pro diesel double supercharged version has a maximum torque of 500 N·m, making every trip comfortable.
Summary: If measured by the standard of hardcore off-road vehicles, the appearance of H9 is undoubtedly more pure, but then again, the "square box" shape of H9 is not acceptable to all consumers, on the contrary, the D90 Pro's more rounded and full modeling audience is wider, and if you want a more personalized design, the Spider Smart Selection platform can also carry out personalized customization services, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone, and the choice is more abundant for users.
Interior: The interior design of the D90 Pro is younger H9 is slightly older
The interior of the D90 Pro is younger than the H9, and even compared to many hardcore off-road vehicles, the interior of the D90 Pro is more youthful, or has the attributes of a home SUV. As can be seen from the figure, the D90 Pro's center console design is more layered, the 12.3-inch floating central control screen with the sports steering wheel makes the cockpit young, the sense of technology has improved a lot, and the D90 Pro interior materials are also worthy of praise, and the soft materials that can be touched are covered with soft materials, the texture is excellent, and the high-end model of the D90 Pro can also be equipped with a fur material, and the sense of premium is better.
The interior of the Haval H9 is biased towards calm and business, the appearance of dark brown seats and wood grain trim panels adds to the luxury of the interior, but the four-spoke steering wheel shape is indeed slightly old-fashioned, but the real model also uses a 12.3-inch central control screen, and the sense of technology is not inferior to the D90 Pro.
Both cars have added prismatic patterns in the middle of the seats, which is visually quite high-end, but the D90 Pro uses leather material, and the H9 is imitation leather material, which is more excellent in feel.
In terms of vehicle function, D90 Pro is equipped with Spider Zhilian 2.0 system, which integrates Tencent's ecological functions, including WeChat, QQ music, Himalaya and other software, and can also remotely realize vehicle start, air conditioning opening, seat heating, vehicle positioning and other functions through mobile APP, as well as intelligent voice control sunroof opening, air conditioning settings, window switches, GPS navigation, etc., and has Apple CarPlay interconnection, which is very intimate. In addition, Spider Zhilian 2.0 also has an off-road expert module, which can view important information such as altitude, temperature, air pressure, vehicle inclination, transmission oil temperature, etc. in real time, and can share off-road routes and intelligent recommended theme road books, enriching the user's experience.
H9's car system is also very rich in functions, including altitude, temperature, air pressure and other information can be viewed through the small screen above the central control screen, while the intelligent voice system, gesture control, facial recognition, OTA upgrade and other functions are also equipped, but in the actual experience, I think this system has two points can continue to optimize. The first is that it does not have Apple CarPlay mobile phone interconnection, which is not very friendly to Apple users; secondly, the transparent chassis function on the D90 Pro, for hardcore SUVs, this function will be used very well in actual scenes.
Summary: It can be seen that the two cars do not have much difference in configuration, and the biggest difference is reflected in the design, of which the interior layout and materials of the D90 Pro are more youthful, and the color collocation is also in line with the aesthetics of young users, while the interior of the H9 uses too many dark colors, plus the four-spoke steering wheel, which does look slightly old-fashioned.
Space comparison: The D90 Pro has a more flexible spatial layout
Space is probably one of the biggest core differences between the D90 Pro and H9. The D90 Pro has a variety of matching forms such as 2+3, 2+2+2, 2+2+3, 2+3+2, while the H9 only has two seat layouts, 2+3 and 2+3+2, which is one of the core reasons why I think the D90 Pro is more able to meet consumer needs than the H9.
Then we look at the difference in space between the two cars, taking my height as the standard (179cm, weight 77kg), in the front row of the D90 Pro and H9 can get a punch and a punch and two fingers space, the performance is almost the same, the only difference is that the H9 sitting posture is higher.
The D90 Pro has a 5/6/7 seat option, while the live-action model features a 2+2+3 seating layout. Keep the front seat unchanged, in the second row can get a fist space, as well as a punch or four fingers of the leg space, the space performance is acceptable.
On the other hand, the H9 only has two seat layout forms of 2+3 and 2+3+2, while the real-time model is a 5-seat version, which can get four-finger head space in the second row, as well as a four-finger leg space, and the overall performance is not much different from the D90 Pro.
The third row of the D90 Pro does not have the feeling of sitting on a small bench, the seat padding is very thick, the space is not depressed, the head space and leg space are close to four fingers, in terms of actual experience, the D90 Pro is not like many 7-seat SUVs, the third row can only be used for emergency, and there is no problem with daily riding.
Although the actual H9 is a 5-seat version, we can see by comparing the 7-seat version of the two models that the third row of seats of the D90 Pro is more comfortable than the H9 in terms of space and seat padding. Through this actual experience, I can also give a high score to the third row of the D90 Pro.
The trunk storage capacity of both cars is very good, the configuration of the D90 Pro is equipped with an electric tailgate and induction tailgate, while the H9 is still manually opened, the convenience of the D90 Pro is better.
Summary: The difference in space between the two cars is mainly reflected in the D90 Pro's more flexible seat layout, especially the choice of a 6-seat version, and thanks to the larger body size, the third row of the D90 Pro is also better than the H9. Therefore, if the user also has requirements for 7 seats, then the D90 Pro will be more suitable between the two cars.
Editor's comments: After some comparison, it is not difficult to find that the basic off-road capabilities of the two models are excellent, but compared with the H9, D90 Pro is more comprehensive and the choice is more flexible. First of all, it has two sets of powertrains, gasoline version and diesel version, users can choose according to their actual needs, and secondly, the D90 Pro also provides a variety of flexible seat layouts in terms of space, which can also take into account the attributes of urban driving while having strong off-road capabilities. In terms of price, the price range of the D90 Pro is 179,800 yuan - 276,800 yuan, while the H9 is 214,800 yuan - 279,800 yuan, and the entry threshold is also lower for the D90 Pro. So, if I want to choose an SUV with strong off-road capabilities, and hope that it can also take into account a certain urban SUV attribute, I will choose the D90 Pro among the two cars.