The M-Hero M817 is a 740 horsepower, body-on-frame Chinese EREV SUV that can do tank turns and wade through water. Huawei is involved too, and there’s poetry to discuss.
Let’s get straight into it.
What is M-Hero?
M-Hero is a brand of the Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM), one of China’s largest state-owned automotive conglomerates. DFM founded the brand in 2023 as a split-off from the Dongfeng Warrior line, which produces military vehicles.
One oddity of state-owned companies is their love for flowery descriptions, often including the country’s name. This is a leftover from the old days, when state-owned factory walls were plastered with well-meaning maxims, either in communist or ancient-poetry style. M-Hero has cranked the flowery-poetry dial to the max. It describes the brand like this (translated):
Hardcore interpretation of Asian charm
Forge a car with mountains and rivers as the soul
Unlock the off-road totem that belongs to China
The English slogan sounds less poetic: “M-Hero. Never Back Down”.
The M-Hero brand is supposed to be more consumer-focused. However, its first car, this M-Hero 917, is anything but. It’s a crazy military-grade off-road monster with an optional drone bay and an insanely expensive $88,500 price tag.
Because of this, sales have been slow. In 2024, M-Hero sold only 2,101 vehicles. In the first four months of 2025, it sold just 408 units. That’s not good. The new M-Hero M817 is here to fix that, with a more normalized design, improved usability, and a lower price. Fortunately, there is still plenty of madness around.
The M-Hero M817
The M-Hero M817 is classified as a “hardcore off-road SUV.” This is a popular segment in China, with large SUVs that are seriously capable off-road. It’s a sign of the times—consumers have money and leisure, and they spend it on glamping ‘adventures’ in the wilderness.
The M-Hero M817 ticks all the hardcore off-road boxes, but the marketing seems all over the place. These vehicles are usually pitched to outdoorsy dads with young families, yet M-Hero veers in a new direction—showing young, educated women ditching their violins and hopping into an M817 with boyfriends in the back seat. At the end, there’s a rock band. I’ve never seen this kind of targeting in this segment.
Design of the M-Hero M817
The M817 has wild and rugged looks. The design language is called Heroic Soul Aesthetics 2.0.
It features a hood with raised sides and a lower center section, exaggerated surfaces inspired by battle armor, wide fenders and wheel arches, huge bumpers with skid plates underneath, and a closed grille with an illuminated logo. The ladder is optional.
At the back, it has cross-shaped taillights, a swing-out tailgate, and an external luggage box.
The interior leans more toward luxury than ruggedness. The seats are clad in Nappa leather, with leather and aluminum trim on the dash and doors. A large two‑spoke steering wheel fronts an HUD, a 10.23‑inch driver display, and a 15.6‑inch infotainment screen.
Below it, aluminum toggle switches control the air‑conditioning and drive modes, while roof‑mounted switches handle auxiliary gear like a light bar or winch.
On the left of the center tunnel sits a removable smartwatch‑style clock, while two 50W wireless chargers occupy the middle. The M817 also packs an 18‑speaker Dynaudio system, 256‑color ambient lighting, and a fridge that cools to 21°F. Fridges are hot in China—you can’t sell an SUV without one anymore. Even small SUVs have fridges now.
Look! M-Hero branded water bottles.
Huawei, Hello Again
Huawei is most famous for 5G networks and smartphones. But in China, Huawei has become a large player in the automotive world, running four brands under its HIMA subsidiary. Huawei is also a major auto supplier. The M817 is loaded with Huawei tech; let’s have a look.
HarmonyOS Space 5
HarmonyOS Space 5 is a “cockpit operating system.” This is a term increasingly used by Chinese automakers and vehicle-tech firms to describe the hardware and software platform that powers the entire smart cockpit — not just infotainment, but also AI-digital assistants, connectivity, instrument clusters, and rear‑seat entertainment.
The operating system also runs on Huawei phones and computers, so, as with the Xiaomi YU7, everything connects seamlessly via Huawei’s ecosystem. Just hold a smartphone near the infotainment screen, and it links instantly. Huawei even has a video showing a happy family playing with the system: dad drives, mom smiles, and everyone’s on the phone. That’s the traditional target audience again!
Advanced Driving System (ADS) 4.0
ADS 4.0 is an L3 autonomous-driving system with 27 sensors: 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, three radars, and one lidar with a forward detection rate of 9842 inches (250 meters). It has too many ADAS functions to name, so here are a few: urban & highway NOA, auto-parking, a valet function, and uphill & downhill assist.
Huawei T-BOX
That’s a new one. It is an extra-powerful shark-fin antenna on the roof. It retains normal network communication even when the signal is poor. Chinese consumers MUST be connected 24/7, or they’ll die, even, or even more so, on glamping trips in the mountains.
Specifications of the M-Hero M817
The M817 is based on a body-on-frame chassis. This is common among top-end hardcore off-road SUVs in China. Size: 201/79/74.5, with a 118-inch wheelbase. It seats six. The curb weight is a heavy 6,360 lbs. The trunk’s capacity is 29.2 cu ft or 74.6 cu ft with the rear seats folded. It doesn’t have a frunk.
Of course, it is an EREV
The M-Hero M817 has an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) AWD powertrain, called “MEGA POWER™,” which is a great name. An EREV is an electric vehicle with an ICE to recharge the battery. The ICE doesn’t power the wheels directly, so an EREV doesn’t need a conventional gearbox. The AWD powertrain of the M817 combines a 1.5 turbo internal conbustion engine with two electric motors:
- ICE: 197 hp.
- Electric motor front: 268 hp/258 ft-lbs.
- Electric motor rear: 275 hp/302 ft-lbs.
The total output of the electric motors is 543 hp and 560 ft-lbs. The total system output is 740 hp (though it’s worth noting that only the 543 hp will drive the wheels). The top speed is limited to 124 mph, and 0-100 (0-62 mph) takes 5.2 seconds. The gearbox is a 2-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).
The M817 has a 22-gallon fuel tank and a 31.7 kWh CATL LFP battery. It needs a lot of fuel and electricity to get around. M-Hero claims a fuel consumption of 24 MPG and an energy consumption of 2.5 mi/kWh. The combined range is 808 miles, and the electric-only range is 125 miles. Charging the battery (30-80%) takes 15 minutes.
Chassis
The chassis features VMC (Vehicle Motion Control) and CDC (Continuous Damping Control), which can make 500 damping adjustments per second. Its air suspension offers 4.1 inches of ride‑height adjustment, paired with double‑wishbone independent suspension front and rear. There’s all‑wheel steering, with the rear wheels turning up to 20 degrees, giving it a turning circle of just 17 feet (5.2m).
Off‑Road Capability
The M‑Hero M817 comes equipped with M‑ATS (M‑Hero All‑Terrain System). It boasts 31‑degree approach and departure angles, can tackle 100% grades, and offers 13.2 to 15.2 inches of ground clearance. And if the trail turns into a river, the M817 can wade through water up to 35.4 inches deep without breaking a sweat. A 10‑degree crab‑walk mode even lets the SUV shuffle sideways.
The M-Hero M817 is for Glamping
The rear seats fold down flat to create a lounge-like cabin for camping. It has a 6 kW V2L connector to power external appliances like a coffee machine.
M-Hero offers many glamping accessories for the M817, some branded M-Hero, some co-branded with popular outdoor brands. Sign me up for the socks!
Naturally, M-Hero will also sell you a made-to-fit air mattress.
The Color Names are Even Better than Usual
As I have said before, color names matter a lot in China. Brands think about it and come up with convoluted color names complete with poetry-style explainers. I am happy to report that M-Hero outdid all of the others: Jade Dragon Silver, Chaka Blue, Gezon Black, Mingsha Yellow, Kunlun White, and Qinling Green. The names reference famous Chinese natural landmarks. Let’s check two descriptions:
Jade Dragon Silver:
The clouds are covered with snow, and the crown of snow is condensed into lacquer
Thirteen peaks and silver dragons wind the sky
With an altitude of 5.590 meters above sea level
Quench the holy edge of oriental hard-core aestheticsQinling Green:
The secret realm of the triple forest flows in the body
The northern foot is verdant, and the southern slope is divided here
The rhythm of breathing with a thousand-year-old forest sea
Write the bones and poems of Chinese geography
If the M-Hero brand doesn’t work out, its marketing team can always fall back on poetry.
The money
With all its tech and toys, the M-Hero M817 might seem expensive, but it isn’t. M-Hero offers two trims: Pro and Max. Both share the same powertrain, with the Max adding a touch more luxury—extra leather and unique wheels. The Pro lists at 329.900 yuan ($45.8K), while the Max goes for 359.900 yuan ($50K). It’s a great value, but the segment is crowded, with rivals like the Beijing Off-Road BJ80, Fangcheng Bao Bao 8, JMC-Ford Bronco, Rox 01, and Tank 500. I’ll visit an M-Hero showroom in China later this summer—more on that in another story.
Top Image: Dongfeng/M-Hero
“…256‑color ambient lighting…”
I cannot even think of 256 different colors.
I like the toggle switches, though.
Factory widdle wadder option
Is this a rebadge of the Fangchenbao Bao 8? Which I believe was a rebadge of a Dongfeng, so I guess the Bao 8 is the rebadge of this.
Either way they are truly capable and the range figures are accurate. My wife had work in China recently and was driven around in the Bao 8 for 2 weeks, sometimes close to 100 miles a day and the EREV never needed fuel.
Let’s see it Rubicon.
I wonder what our resident design-goth thinks about the upside-down cross taillights.
HerO in
It’s funny how American the Chinese car market continues to get. First, a huge wave of large, boxy 3-row SUVs with big-battery EREV/PHEV powertrains (45-55kWh). Now, something that’s basically a Hummer (both the original ’00s and new ’20s ones in philosophy).
I hate the headline on this story.
Can we please say electric motor and gasoline engine?
Such a weird, overwrought and confusing looking design
Not going to lie, I like it. I would prefer a version with much less luxury and more utilitarian design. But, I still like it!
What’s the 4 wheeling scene in China like anyway?
Excellent question, I would guess that like in the US the further west you go in china the better the off roading gets, just looking at the map.
There is large Off Road Vehicle Recreation Area called Tibet
Where does the tissue box go? Does it take up the fridge space? Or the charging pad? Or is it in that little closed door between the two?
The M-Hero M817 is a 740 horsepower, body-on-frame Chinese EREV SUV… The total output of the electric motors is 543 hp and 560 ft-lbs. The total system output is 740 hp
It feels weird to simply add the range extender HP numbers to the drivetrain output numbers. If I add solar panels to a BEV, has total HP increased?
What about if I drive downhill?
Yeah, that kinda doesn’t make a ton of sense.
I caught that as well. Makes no sense.
What is even more odd is the mileage. It has a 22 gal and gets 24 MPG, so that is 528 mile range using the range extender. Its electric only range is 125 miles. 528+125=653, not the claimed 808 miles. Don’t get me wrong, 653 is still mighty impressive. But either explain your numbers or use the simple addition.
“The gearbox is a 2-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission” sort of makes it sound like the engine maybe can power the front wheels as well (maybe a setup similar to a CRV hybrid? Fixed ratio transmission from the electric drive motor to wheels, but the engine can clutch in at a couple different spots?), so maybe not a “pure” EREV, but certainly hard to tell.
Coming from China, I could see them providing a way to clutch in the engine to the wheels, just so they can put up the big bragging numbers. Or just using the big bragging numbers, even if they don’t fully make sense.
I would love to give one a look. I would want even fewer bells and whistles for even a lower price.
I would guess that having only two trims, and the main difference being wheels and seat material, is why they are that low in the first place (excepting, of course, whatever subsidy is provided).
BYD also sells the exact same car, for less, as the Leopard 8 (Bao 8), or the Denza B8 – coming to Europe soon.