Rent Hongqi HS5 2022 in Dubai

The Hongqi HS5 2022 rents in Dubai as a mid-size SUV wearing a badge most people here have never heard of, and that's the trade this page is honest about. Hongqi is FAW's luxury marque back home in China, and the HS5 undercuts a Tiguan or a CX-5 on price while matching a lot of their equipment list. We deliver it to your door within one to two hours, in blue, no counter queue involved. What you're deciding isn't whether it's a good SUV on paper, it clearly is, but whether an unfamiliar name is worth taking on for what it saves you over a better-known rival.

The engine, and how it drives

The HS5 you're renting runs a 2.0-litre turbo four making 224 hp and 340 Nm, sent through a 6-speed automatic to all four wheels. That's a proper engine for the class, not a small unit stretched to cover a bigger body, and it shows on Sheikh Zayed Road: 0 to 100 km/h comes up in 8.7 seconds, enough to merge and overtake without planning three car lengths ahead. Hongqi calls the drivetrain all-wheel drive, and it is, but it's a front-biased, on-demand system that sends power to the rear axle through a clutch pack when the front wheels start to slip, not a locked mechanical split built for sand. Treat it as extra grip in wet or dusty conditions and a bit more confidence pulling out of a steep ramp, not a ticket to Hatta's rougher tracks. The 6-speed automatic is a step behind the dual-clutch and 8-speed boxes some newer rivals run, and it can hunt for a gear on a steep uphill pull, but around town and on the highway it settles into something smooth enough that you stop noticing it.

Boot, back seat and the daily use

At 453 litres the boot takes one large case and a couple of soft bags without a fight, short of what a family holiday's worth of hard-shell luggage needs but plenty for a work trip or an airport run for two. The cabin is where the size pays off. At 4.76 metres long with a 2.87-metre wheelbase, rear legroom is genuinely generous for two adults, and a third passenger fits for a shorter run without anyone's knees pressed against the front seatback. Four adults with a full week of luggage is a stretch on the boot, not the seats.

At 1.9 metres wide, the HS5 asks for the same care as most mid-size SUVs in a tight Marina or JBR multi-storey, though nothing the reversing camera and sensors don't handle. Its 200mm ground clearance clears a standard speed bump and a mall ramp's lip without slowing to a crawl, one of the quieter advantages an SUV body has over a low sedan.

Running cost, heat and the cabin

Hongqi quotes 8.4 litres per 100 km combined for the 2.0T, and like most manufacturer figures that number assumes gentle throttle with the AC off, not a Dubai summer with the compressor working hard. Expect real city driving to land closer to 11 or 12 L/100km, which still leaves the 64-litre tank good for well over 500 km, more than two days of the 250 km daily allowance before you need to think about a fill-up.

Blue is one of the kinder colours for a parked cabin at 45 degrees Celsius. It won't stay as cool as a white car, but it holds less heat than the black or dark grey units common in this class, and the HS5's AC pulls a baked cabin down to comfortable within a few minutes of you climbing back in. Rear vents keep the back seat from lagging behind the front. Park in shade when you can, and that first stretch is the only uncomfortable part of the drive.

Salik tolls on every Sheikh Zayed Road pass and any RTA fines during the rental are the renter's responsibility, as with any car here. The daily allowance on this HS5 is 250 km, extra distance runs AED 0.5 a kilometre, and you need to be 25 to take the keys, a slightly higher bar than some of the smaller economy cars in the fleet.

Who should rent it, and who should look elsewhere

Rent the HS5 if you want mid-size SUV space and a genuine turbo engine without paying Tiguan or CX-5 money, and an unfamiliar badge on the tailgate doesn't bother you. For two adults and a couple of kids running errands, school drop-offs and the odd airport transfer, it does the job a pricier SUV does at a lower daily rate.

Look elsewhere if brand recognition matters to you. An unfamiliar name is part of what some renters are paying to avoid with a known SUV brand, and that's a fair reason to pick something else. Skip it too if Hatta or any real off-road driving is on the itinerary. The on-demand AWD is built for traction, not for sand dunes or rocky tracks, and 200mm of clearance is ordinary crossover height rather than a genuine off-roader's. And if your week means four adults with a full set of luggage, the 453-litre boot will have you packing carefully rather than throwing bags in loose. For everyone else covering the city on a sensible budget, the HS5 is a solid, honest booking.