Now I recently came out with a review of the top-model H7 AWD PHEV, and apart from some small issues, efficiency was never a problem. Now we were tasked with eking out the most kilometers we could from one full tank of fuel and one full charge of the battery. Our journey would begin from Parqal in Pasay and end at Total Station in Subic. There were 4 cars in total: 3 top-of-the-line H7s and one middle variant 2WD PHEV. I opted for the 2WD because I was genuinely curious about it, given its very competitive price of just P 1,548,000.

Before we get to the drive, I’d like to talk about the H7 2WD PHEV, because apart from smaller rims, I couldn’t really tell the difference in specs from the higher variant. Inside is much the same story, with the telltale signs being more removed features and empty buttons, but the look and feel are identical to the more expensive variant. The biggest omission between the top and mid spec is the lack of a sunroof, but again it’ll be difficult to tell both interiors apart. It’s the powertrains that really make the difference, because the 2WD lacks an additional motor and makes less power and torque. However, in 2WD form, it still produces a healthy 321 horsepower and 540 Nm of torque.

What I liked about this eco run was that we weren’t governed by super strict rules; we were allowed to drive and strategize in our own ways. I decided to drive with economy in mind, but not to the point of sacrificing passenger comfort and the speed of the journey. So, for the first leg of the trip, I drove from Pasay to Total in Apalit in pure EV mode, which is easy to do in the H7 2WD because its range is over 100 kilometers. Despite the heavy traffic we encountered getting out of Manila, the battery management system of the H7 was very good at using its energy efficiently.

We left Total in Apalit to head to our finishing point in Subic, and with me still driving, I opted to maintain a steady pace of 85 to 90 km/h and keep the H7 in EV priority mode, which enables the car to use as much of the charge as it can, but will engage the engine when needed. When the battery dropped to show 3 kilometers of range, I flipped it to HEV mode to allow the battery to charge up a little bit more, which was also helped by the steep downhills of the SCTEX roadway.

We reached Total just before entering the freeport zone, and the officials from the brand recorded each car’s fuel economy averages that were meant to be added up after we also filled the cars back to full tank. As mentioned, I wasn’t really planning to do a hardcore eco run; I drove at an average speed and even overtook people along the way. Plus, my passengers and I all blasted the air-conditioning units higher as the day got hotter. Yet, much to my surprise, we only consumed a total of 1.62 liters of fuel from Parqal to Subic; my rough calculations put our average at around 35 km/L. We still had over 939 kilometers of fuel left based on what the car's internal computer was telling us. To put that into perspective, we only consumed about P 100 (Manila pricing) of fuel to get from Manila to Clark without really trying that hard.

You might ask us how? Well, the truth is, you need to take advantage of your car's technology; the PHEV is a major plus, allowing you to run over 100 kilometers on a full charge. Also, the GWM H7s has built-in drive modes that really help you extract the most of the range, with helpful and descriptive information on what each drive mode does.

It’s no small wonder that the H7 is becoming a more common sight on our roads today, with GWM even telling us that there’s a long line of eager buyers waiting for their allocations to arrive, which the brand says they’ll be able to fulfill by the end of November.