THE standard Haval H9 is a touch underdone in the suspension department, so at first glance the prototype Ironman 4×4 50mm lift kit seems like a promising step towards making the H9 a better tourer.

To give this suspension a work-out, Haval took us to Darwin, where we drove the prototype suspension H9 on a 300km loop through Litchfield National Park. On the blacktop out of Darwin, the H9’s suspension felt firm with a slight patter on the smoother road surfaces – you could tell straight off this wasn’t the standard, soft suspension.

Steering seemed much more precise on the straights and corners – it will never be a patch on high-end SUVs like the BMW X5, but it’s a confidence-inspiring set-up. Heading towards LNP’s Wangi Falls, we got to experience the new suspension on some pretty rough dirt, with wash-outs and corrugations aplenty.

Here you could see that Ironman 4×4 did its homework, as the suspension kept the H9 composed over some pretty nasty terrain. Live axles and corrugations don’t tend to go well together – especially if the suspension isn’t properly set up – and axle hop is the typical response, with some degree of steering correction required to counter it.

The H9’s live rear axle didn’t resort to a pogo dance; instead, it appeared to stay pretty-much planted, the suspension simply absorbing the washboard surface. When hitting a series of washouts at about 80km/h, the H9’s body simply dipped down on its springs and recovered, settling without any ongoing bounce.

The spring rates and shock-valving seem spot-on. We were just three-up with not a lot of gear, so without much in the way of payload on board we can’t comment on how the set-up performs fully loaded for a trip. Haval will announce if it’s going ahead with the Ironman 4×4 kit (it would be a dealer-fit option) in coming months.

The company is also in talks with Ironman 4×4 about developing other off-road gear, such as a bullbar. While only a taste-test, this drive confirmed the prototype suspension improves the H9’s steering and ride-handling.

We can only hope the kit gets the go-ahead to appear on the H9’s options list.