Great Wall Hover H5

What the Hover H5 is: names, origins and the H3 connection

The Hover H5 is Great Wall's follow-up to the Hover H3, developed directly from it rather than as an all-new design. It was shown at the Beijing Auto Show in spring 2010, and Great Wall later moved its SUVs to the Haval brand, so the same car is also listed as the Haval H5. More background on the company is in our history of Great Wall Motors.

Names differ by market. In Australia the H5 arrived in April 2011, replacing the H3-based car: the petrol version was badged Great Wall X240 and the diesel X200. China also had a GKC Edition with a larger grille, renamed Zhizun after a facelift in July 2011.

Behind the windscreen, the H5 is nearly identical to the H3. The changes are concentrated at the front, where the styling is often compared with the Mazda CX-7, while the body and rear are frequently likened to the Isuzu Axiom. The proportions changed slightly as well. Compared with the H3-based X240, the H5 is 29 mm (1.1 in) longer, 10 mm (0.4 in) wider and 75 mm (3.0 in) lower.

One point of confusion is worth clearing up early. A new, unrelated Haval H5 went on sale in China in March 2023. It is a larger SUV with a 2.0 turbo petrol or diesel engine and an 8-speed gearbox, and it shares only the name with the car covered here.

Engines, gearboxes and four-wheel drive

The Hover H5 was sold with one petrol and two diesel engines, all four-cylinder units meeting the Euro 4 emissions standard. There was no hybrid.

Petrol

The 2.4 petrol is a Mitsubishi-derived four-cylinder engine of 2,378 cc (145 cu in). Sources disagree on its exact code: Wikipedia gives 4G69S4N, while an Australian review lists a 4G64. Until a factory manual settles it, "Mitsubishi-derived 2.4" is the safe description. The 100 kW (136 PS) and 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) figures come from Australian-market data; a UK spec aggregator lists a slightly lower output, so figures may vary by market.

Diesel

The 2.0 GW4D20 turbo-diesel joined the range in October 2010. It produces 110 kW (150 PS) and 310 Nm (229 lb-ft) between 1,800 and 2,800 rpm, which puts it in line with other compact diesel SUVs of the period on paper. The diesel with a manual gearbox is usually quoted as reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) in about 11 seconds. Before the GW4D20, Chinese buyers could also choose the older 2.5 GW2.5TCI with 80 kW (109 PS).

No official test-cycle fuel consumption figure was found in the sources checked, so this page does not quote one.

How the four-wheel drive works

The H5 drives its rear wheels in normal conditions, and the driver selects four-wheel drive when traction runs out. It is a part-time system, not permanent all-wheel drive. Manual cars have both high and low range. The automatic diesel sold in Australia as the X200 lacks the low-range option in 4WD, which matters for anyone planning steep or slow off-road work.

Dimensions, chassis and practicality

The Hover H5 measures 4,649 mm (183.0 in) long on a 2,700 mm (106.3 in) wheelbase, the same wheelbase as the H3. The chassis is conventional for a frame-based SUV: independent double-wishbone front suspension with torsion bars, a live rear axle and ventilated disc brakes front and rear.

Great Wall Hover H5 key specifications

Several of these figures come from a single source and should be treated as typical rather than official: ground clearance, kerb weights, boot volume, fuel tank and turning circle are taken from a UK spec database, and the 1,700 kg (3,748 lb) braked towing limit from an Australian review. Payload for the petrol model is listed at 475 kg (1,047 lb). Diesel payload figures differ between sources, so none is given here.

Safety and equipment

The facts on Hover H5 safety are limited, and the most widely repeated claim is attached to the wrong car. Australian X240 and X200 models had dual front airbags, ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution and front seatbelt pretensioners as standard. Electronic stability control was not available on the Australian car.

ANCAP awarded four stars to the "Great Wall X240" in a test carried out on 24 March 2010 and published on 27 April 2010, with 9.48 out of 16 in the frontal offset test and 16 out of 16 in the side impact. That X240 was the H3-based model; the H5 version only reached Australia in April 2011. Some references, including Wikipedia, list the result under the H5, but it should not be read as an H5 crash test.

No Euro NCAP result for the Hover H5 has been located, and the Hover H3 is reported as not having been tested by Euro NCAP. In China the H3 received three stars from C-NCAP. Claims that the H5 is "one of the safest SUVs in its class" are not supported by any published test.

Trims and equipment in China

In China the Hover H5 was offered in Standard, Luxury and Premium grades. The Premium version is listed with power windows and locks, leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver's seat, six speakers, a DVD player, satellite navigation and a power sunroof, with heated seats as an option. Australian cars came on 17-inch alloy wheels. No dated official prices in euros were found, so none are given.

Ownership: what reviews say

Independent assessments of the Hover H5 are scarce, and the most detailed English-language one is not flattering. Australian Car Reviews rated the 2011–2013 X240 at 1.5 out of 5. It acknowledged the low price but criticised the limited safety equipment, lacklustre performance and difficulty in sourcing parts.

That last point is the practical one for a used buyer today. Parts supply was flagged as a weakness while the car was still on sale, so before buying it makes sense to check local availability of service parts, especially for the diesel and the 4WD system. The missing stability control is also worth keeping in mind on a tall, frame-based vehicle.

No large reliability surveys cover the H5, and we do not repeat unsourced owner claims about weak batteries or seats.

The Hover family: H3, H5 and H6

The Hover H5 sits in the middle of Great Wall's early SUV line. Its direct predecessor is the Hover H3, built from 2005 to 2012, with which it shares the wheelbase and most of the body. In Italian press coverage from 2012, the Haval H6 was described as the heir to the Hover 5.

In class terms, the H5 is a compact body-on-frame SUV with selectable four-wheel drive and a live rear axle. The page with all Great Wall models shows how the range developed after it, other Chinese cars give context, and the wider car catalog lists other frame-based SUVs for comparison.