Hongqi H5

The cabin of the Hongqi H5 is being offered with two choices of upholstery options and colour schemes – all-black and dual-tone black and beige, with the top-spec trims having upmarket leather upholsteries making the cabin feel premium. The overall layout of the cabin feels subtle, just like the exterior of the sedan, making it a pleasant place to be in.

The driver’s cockpit of the Hongqi H5 welcomes you with its flat-bottom multi-functional steering wheel with a large centre boss and silver touches on its spokes, while the instrument console behind it has traditional analogue gauges with a large TFT MID in between them. The centre console of the cabin comprises a rectangular 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system at the top, while the central layer of the dashboard has a trapezoidal housing for the AC vents and a sleek panel of buttons for the automatic climate control on offer.

The lower centre console has a waterfall-like design with its upper part comprising of buttons for the audio system. The cabin of the Hongqi H5 feels modern with features like panoramic sunroof, powered front seats with memory function for the driver’s seat, wireless charger, push start-stop button, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear AC vents and 64-colour ambient lighting with footwell lamps.

The Hongqi H5 might be an entry-level sedan by the standards of the Chinese carmaker, but in the true sense, this has the charm to be recognised as a premium offering right from the word go. The overall visual appeal of the H5 makes it look like a plush and long sedan which looks expensive for what it offers.

The front profile of the Hongqi H5 welcomes you with its hexagonal grille with chrome vertical slats and chrome surround, which give it a waterfall effect. The middle slat of the grille, along with an additional chrome slat placed on the middle of the lower part of the bonnet, comes with red garnish for added sportiness. The stretched and curved headlamps placed adjacent to the sides of the grille have LED projectors and curved L-shaped daytime running LEDs below them. The front bumper gloss black surrounds the LED fog lamps, with the housings for them merging with the air dam in the middle.

The side profile of the Hongqi H5 looks dynamic with a thick and prominent crease running sideway from the front fender to the rear, while also having door-mounted rearview mirrors, machined alloy wheels and chrome surrounds for the UV cut window panels. Towards the rear, the Hongqi H5 has a sloping roofline, which gives it an almost coupe-like stance. The roofline subtly flows downwards and merges with the curvy boot lid, which further has wing-shaped combination tail lamps with LED inserts and a rather clean-looking design for the boot lid.

The Hongqi H5 has been designed and engineered to offer a decent driving experience. The powerful powertrain options are well-complemented by the plush setup for the suspension, allowing it to be decently comfortable. The light steering setup adds to the convenience of driving, though it feels disconnected at higher speeds.

There are two engine options in total for the Hongqi H5 lineup for the UAE market. A 1.5-litre 169 PS four-cylinder powers the entry-level variants of this Chinese sedan turbocharged petrol engine, while the higher-spec variants get the more powerful and larger 1.8-litre 178 PS four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.

Both these engine options are offered with automatic transmission options – a 6-speed torque converter for the 1.5-litre engine and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic for the 1.8-litre engine. In addition, the 1.8-litre engine also features a 48V mild-hybrid system ensuring better economy and performance at the same time.

The Hongqi H5 has been blessed with all the possible modern-day safety features for a car of this segment, the list of which includes six airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic parking brake, traction control, and electronic stability program. It also gets more premium ADAS features like forward collision warning, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, auto hold, autonomous emergency braking, and blind spot detection.

For its price, the Hongqi H5 comes across as a compelling option over the similarly-sized but smaller and less powerful sedans from other Asian and European brands. However, unlike its competitors from other countries, the Hongqi H5 has a lot to prove itself when it comes to long-term reliability and overall driving experience.