Haval is one of the more pre-eminent Chinese brands in SA. Part of the Great Wall Motors behemoth, they have made huge strides in getting SA car buyers into their highly popular cars.

So it was with huge anticipation that we attended the unveiling of the Jolion SUV in Jhb a few nights ago. These guys know how to give a car an entrance, from the glitz & glamour of the presentation, to the stunning reveal of this good looking SUV.

They used the phrase ‘’Customer centric’’ styling, and I thought this was quite apt, as the Jolion seems to tick a lot of boxes for the SUV mad SA public. So essentially, now they do what good marketers always strive to do, and that is, reach a happy balance between manufacturing a car that makes production sense, and ticks a lot of prospective car buyers boxes. Enter, the Jolion!!

GWM R&D has led to industry leading tech in Hybrid technology, integrating autonomous driving, intelligent cabins, efficient fuel consumption, and alternate energy in terms of EV as well as Hydrogen Power laying a solid foundation for future development. In 2020, GWM totally invested 21.22% more YoY into R&D. By the end of 2020, GWM had an R&D team of more than 19,000 persons, which accounts for over 30% of the total number of employees of the Company.

The New Haval JOLION means ‘’First Love’’ and it will be become that for a number of people soon. It has a large, very attractive grille in diamond mesh( this one is optional in the top spec), and this sets the tone for the Jolion to look well planted and confident. It is further enhanced by the front and rear LED Vison tail lamps extending into the styling lines It has a lot of angles that are pleasing to the eye, and the rear looks great, with a nod to a very well known luxury brand.

The Split Design Day time running lamps add to the futuristic appeal. Chrome finished accents from the diffuser to the branded side garnish add to the overall elegance.

Cabin

The interior of the Jolion has a lot of soft touch elements which belie it’s very good pricing. It has a sweeping driver focused dash. The interior feel is premium and sporty, a combination rarely felt in small to mid-sized SUVs.

Every element, much like that of a fighter pilots’ cockpit, is ergonomically interconnected and easily with reach of the driver. There’s even a place under the gear shifter for your handbag if you’re a lady.

Haval branding welcomes you everywhere while white stitching on the steering wheel, the dash and luxurious seats extends the feeling of opulence and elegance. It is a spacious SUV and it has comfortable seats, which are electrified on the driver side.

Tech.

The Jolion has a raft of settings for many different things in the SUV, and you will be much more cautious if you look these over before you drive, as it can be distracting doing so when on the road.

The centre console houses a beautiful and innovative Rotary Dial shifter in Auto models. This progressive design saves space in the cabin but also adds to this new need urban lifestyle technology era. This together with the Electronic parking brake, wireless charging station, floating 12.3” infotainment and smart touch panel and to the harmonious cabin ergonomics.

Looking into the dash, the Virtual Instrument Cluster has three visual modes personalising the driver experience while the Heads-up display shows your relevant speed and driver assist information whilst keeping your eyes safely on the road ahead. Push button starting is standard as well as keyless entry is standard fitment across the range. To stay connected, JOLION also features charging ports for driver and front passenger as well as for two rear passengers.

Unfortunately, for me they still do not have Android connectivity, but if you are an Apple user, Apple CarPlay is available. They will need to address these licensing issues very soon. Boot space is large and the fold-down option makes this cavernous.

Whether you want a fuel saving eco warrior or an adrenaline fuelled sport mode, there’s a mode for every mood. I found that the Sport mode did not make a huge difference and fuel consumption might suffer as well.

Safety

Safety is taken care of with the following aids: EPB, Cruise Control, Dual and Front airbags, Child locks, ABS and EBD as well as electronic stability control and traction control.

Anti-Roll, Secondary Collision Mitigation, Hill assist, Tyre pressure monitoring system, rear park sensors and blue tooth, these features aren’t optional, they are standard on all variants. The Jolion SUV drives very smoothly, and handles well on the bends. It has the same 1.5L turbo engine has the H2, and seems to have enough power, even on the Highveld. What remains to be seen however, is if the fuel consumption has been improved.

As always Haval has left it all out there in terms of specifications. JOLION comes in 5 variants namely Manual transmission City model and Luxury while the seven speed DCT auto will have the city, Luxury and super luxury versions in 6 colour option. We drove the auto version, which was awesome.

In summary, the Jolion looks good, drives good, has a great interior, and judging by the pricing listed below, should appeal to a number of buyers very shortly.

HAVAL JOLION 1,5T MT 2WD CITY R299 900,00

HAVAL JOLION 1,5T MT 2WD LUXURY R332 900,00

HAVAL JOLION 1,5T 7DCT 2WD PREMIUM R339 900,00

HAVAL JOLION 1,5T 7DCT 2WD LUXURY R367 900,00

HAVAL JOLION 1,5T 7DCT 2WD SUPER LUXURY R398 900,00

5YR 100 000KM WARRANTY

5YR 60 000KM SERVICE PLAN