Practicality in the cabin is a good story for both our cars, but the Haval has the benefit of larger overall dimensions.
It’s not just pure size though, the Jolion is cleverly packaged to maximise its utility, but it’s also not without its flaws.
For example, there are large bottle holders and pockets in the doors, two more in the centre console in two different sizes, and a large centre armrest console box.
The best piece of design here is the centre console, which has three slots ideally suited for different purposes. One small one is perfect for magnetic cards, like the kind you might use for a parking garage, a second one is perfect for slotting your phone into, while the third largest one is perfect for wallets or keys.
There is also a huge pass-through area underneath, good for even larger objects like handbags or books.
The dual USB ports are also located there, with a handy pass-through to the top, so the interior is effectively cable-managed. The Jolion also scores a rubberised wireless charging bay.
It’s all very clever, but there are also some downsides. For example, the rotary gear shifter doesn’t lock into the three available positions, it simply rotates on the spot, meaning you have to be careful to have selected the right gear.
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It’s not just pure size though, the Jolion is cleverly packaged to maximise its utility, but it’s also not without its flaws. (Image: Tom White)
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2024 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid I Practicality
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2024 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid I Practicality
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2024 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid I Practicality
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2024 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid I Practicality
And while there are some shortcut buttons for the climate functions, having to control fan speed, temperature, and even the volume control via the touchscreen is grating to use while driving. Another overlooked feature is the lack of telescopic adjust for the steering wheel.
The back seat of the Jolion is one of the best in the small SUV space. Massive length leaves heaps of space for my knees behind my own driving position (I’m 182cm tall), and there’s no shortage of headroom, either.
Even width is excellent, which combines with the flat floor to make even the middle position useful for seating an adult in relative comfort.
Haval has not forgot to adorn the doors with a soft trim for your elbow, and for amenities you score a big bottle holder, two more in the padded drop-down armrest, two elastic pockets, as well as two USB-A outlets, a small storage tray, and adjustable vents on back of the front centre console.
In the Kona, a similar approach has been taken to cabin practicality, with some versatile storage zones.
The pockets in the doors are decently-sized, although not as generous as those in the Jolion, while the centre console has a huge open tray with quick-release cupholders.
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The cabin might have a cool-looking and open design, but it’s not as comfortable as the Jolion with hard claddings for your elbows in the doors and hard plastics which your knees rest up against. (Image: Tom White)
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2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid I Practicality
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2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid I Practicality
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2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid I Practicality
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2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid I Practicality
It makes for a large space, which can be expanded if you remove the divider under the armrest console. This spot also features a floating tray good for wallets and keys.
Up front, there is a rubberised wireless charging tray for your phone, and USB-C outlets poking out of the dash.
The Kona also gets a full array of shortcut buttons for the climate and multimedia controls, with toggles for temperature, and dials for volume.
Full marks there for ease-of-use. The new software suite on its big multimedia panel is also more aesthetically pleasing and much easier to use than the one in the Jolion. Wireless CarPlay is a nice touch, too.
Downsides for the Kona include the abundance of hard-touch plastics. The cabin might have a cool-looking and open design, but it’s not as comfortable as the Jolion with hard claddings for your elbows in the doors and hard plastics which your knees rest up against.
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The Kona is comparatively impressive in the boot, with 407 litres on offer. (Image: Tom White)
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2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid I Boot
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2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid I Boot
It’s a shame because this was one of the major criticisms of the outgoing Kona, and the same mistake has been replicated in this new one.
At least the manual adjust seats are quick to shift, and the cloth material isn’t so bad, just not as easy to clean as the synthetic leather trim in the Jolion.
The back seat of the Kona is a decent space. It’s nowhere near as large as the Jolion, and continues with the hard plastic trims, but I think two adults could be seated back there in comfort.
The floor is not quite flat, but the raise is quite low, so the middle position could be used by a full-size human in a pinch.
Elsewhere, you score a small bottle holder in the door, flimsy elastic nets on the backs of the front seats, two more small bottle holders in the drop-down armrest, dual USB-C outlets on the back of the centre console with a tiny storage tray, and dual adjustable air vents.
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The boot comes in at 390 litres for the Jolion. (Image: Tom White)
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2024 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid I Boot
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2024 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid I Boot
The boot comes in at 390 litres for the Jolion. It’s a wide storage area with reasonable depth, but not much height, especially with the luggage cover in place.
It could only just fit the full CarsGuide luggage set with the cover removed, although the medium case would obscure the driver’s rear view. The Jolion also misses out on a spare wheel, instead having an inflator kit beneath the floor.
The Kona is comparatively impressive in the boot, with 407 litres on offer. This bests the Jolion significantly, with a deeper, taller space, which much more easily fit the full CarsGuide luggage set, but we still had to remove the luggage cover to make it work.
The floor is also adjustable to two levels. Underneath, the Kona features a space-saver spare wheel, a big benefit for long-distance drivers.
Check our table below for additional practicality figures. Our winner here is the Jolion for its massive and versatile cabin, but if you’re carrying around more stuff the Kona is worth looking at for its larger boot capacity.
Practicality:
| Haval Jolion Ultra | Hyundai Kona HEV |
Boot space | 390-litres | 407-litres |
Rear amenity | Vents, USB | Vents, USB |
Dimensions (L x W x H - mm) | 4472 x 1841 x 1574 | 4350 x 1825 x 1585 |
Towing capacity unbraked/braked (kg) | 1300/750 | 1300/600 |
Turning circle | 11.5m | 10.6m |
Spare | Inflator kit | Space saver |
Score:
| Haval Jolion Ultra | Hyundai Kona |
Score | 8 | 7 |