2021 GWM Haval Jolion vs 2022

What's the difference?

The Jolion is a glow up of epic proportions, with Haval turning the dorky, drab and dull H2 into something fun, fresh and funky.

Is it perfect? Not by a long shot, but the Haval Jolion certainly does more right than it does wrong, even if it still feels a little rough around the edges.

Customers looking for a value-focussed small SUV loaded with equipment and safety, and with room to rival cars a class above, shouldn’t sleep on the Haval Jolion.

And at the mid-tier Lux grade you get nice mod-con features like dual-zone climate control, heated seats and a surround-view monitor, you’ll still have change to spare from $28,000.

Good looks, great tech, excellent value and affordable to maintain, advanced safety tech, spacious and practical – what more could you want? Okay, the Jolion could be more refined, but the Lux grade I tested was not bad to pilot. In its week with me I found the Jolion easy to drive and comfortable. Frankly there’s a lot more to like about this car than not.

The sweet spot of the range is the Lux grade which picks up the digital instrument cluster, LED headlights, heated seats, dual-zone climate control, tinted rear windows, and more, for only an extra $2000 above the Premium grade. 

From the outside, the Jolion looks a bit like a mish-mash of other cars.

That grille? It’s almost like Audi’s signature Singleframe front grille. Those teardrop-style daytime running lights? Almost the same shape as Mitsubishi’s dynamic shield front fascia. And looking at it in profile, there is more than an element of Kia Sportage about it.

Having said that, there are elements that are undoubtedly Haval about it, such as the swathes of chrome accents and a fairly flat bonnet.

Is it the best-looking small SUV? Not to our eye, but Haval has done enough to stand the Jolion apart in a crowd, helped by some bold exterior colours like the blue on our test car.

Step inside and you are presented with a nice, simple and clean cabin, with Haval obviously making a conscientious effort to lift the interior ambience of its entry-level model.

And while the Jolion, for the most part, looks good enough on the surface, scratch a bit deeper and you can find some flaws.

For starters, the rotary control gear selector looks and feels nice enough, but the moment you turn it to put the Jolion into drive or reverse, you’ll find that the turning action is too lightweight, doesn’t offer enough feedback for when you change gears and will spin infinitely in one direction instead of stopping after two turns.

The centre stack is kept clean of extra buttons and controls, but that means that Haval has decided to bury the drive-mode selector in the touchscreen multimedia system, and you have to go hunting for it if you want to change from Eco, Normal or Sport.

This is made especially difficult, and maybe even dangerous, while on the move.

Similarly, the controls for seat heating are also buried in the menu, making it cumbersome and annoying to find when a simple button or switch would suffice.

Oh, and good luck using that touchscreen without messing with the climate controls, as the touch panel for the latter is positioned right where you would rest your palm to use the former.

How about changing the information on the driver’s display? Just hit the button to change pages on the steering wheel, right? Well, that actually does nothing because you have to press and hold to cycle through vehicle data, music, phonebook, etc.

Finally, some menus are also poorly translated, such as turning on/off the wireless smartphone charger labelled as ‘open/close’.

Look, none of these shortcomings are dealbreakers by themselves, but they do add up and take away from the polish of an otherwise accomplished small SUV.

Let’s hope some, or all, of these concerns are addressed in an update because with a little more time baking in the oven, the Haval Jolion could emerge as a true gem.

Something’s happened at Haval. The cars were never ugly, just a bit awkward. But now the styling is en pointe. 

The H6 was the first new-look Haval to come to Australia and now the Jolion is here looking stunning, too.

The shiny grille narrowly escapes looking tacky, but the unique LED tail-lights and running lights look high-end. 

End-to-end the Jolion is 4472mm long, 1841mm wide and 1574mm tall. That's 100mm longer than the Kia Seltos. So, while the Jolion is a small SUV it’s a large, small SUV.

The high-end exterior is matched by a cabin that’s just as premium feeling with a clean, modern design. 

Seriously, it makes you wonder why all affordable brands can’t do the same. Instead, the punishment for buying a cheap car seems to be an interior which has had all comfort and style removed. Not the Jolion.

The materials used feel high-quality, fit and finish is good, and there’s not much in the way of hard plastics. 

Most of the controls for climate and media are through the large display and that means a cabin which is free from the clutter of buttons, but this also has its own usability issues. A bit of form over function going on here.  

Telling the three grades apart is tricky. The Premium and Lux have 17-inch wheels, while the Ultra has 18-inch rims, along with a sunroof.

There are six colours on offer with 'Hamilton White' as standard, and the premium hues being 'Azure Blue', 'Smoke Grey', 'Golden Black', 'Mars Red' and 'Vivid Green.' 

It’s good to see variety of colours when most brands these days offer any colour you like as long as it’s dark grey. 

Measuring 4472mm long, 1841mm wide, 1574mm tall and with a 2700mm wheelbase, the Haval Jolion skews to the larger end of the small SUV class.

The Jolion is larger in all aspects barring height than its H2 predecessor, and its wheelbase is even longer than the one-size-up Toyota RAV4 mid-size SUV.

Expanded exterior dimensions should mean increased interior space, right? And it’s here where the Haval Jolion really excels.

The two front seats are plenty capacious, and the large glasshouse adds to the light and airy feeling while up front.

Storage options include door pockets, two cupholders, under-armrest cubby and tray for your smartphone, but the Jolion also ekes out another space underneath the tray similar to the Honda HR-V.

In the undertray, you’ll find a charging outlet and two USB ports so your cables can be tucked away out of view.

Another great and practical feature is the inclusion of a USB port in the base of the rearview mirror, which will make installing a forward-facing dashcam an absolute breeze.

This is absolutely something more carmakers should include as the security technology becomes more popular, and does away with the hassle of popping up interior trim to run the long cabling required to provide the camera power.

In the second row, the Jolion’s growth spurt is most apparent, with acres of head-, shoulder- and legroom available to occupants.

What is especially apparent, and hugely appreciated, is a completely flat floor, meaning passengers in the middle seat don’t have to feel second class and have just as much room as those in the outboard positions.

Rear occupants are treated to air vents, two charging ports, a fold-down armrest with cupholders and small door pockets.

Opening the boot reveals a cavity capable of swallowing 430 litres with all seats up, and is able to expand to 1133L with the rear seats folded.

Of note is the fact the rear seats don’t fold down completely flat, so it might be tricky transporting longer items, but amenities in the boot include a space-saver spare, bag hooks and a cargo cover.

The Jolion’s size is undoubtedly its strongest asset, offering the practicality and space of a mid-size SUV at the price of a small crossover.

Two things make the Jolion hard to beat for practicality: its overall size and clever packaging of the interior.

Nothing creates more room better than a bigger car. That sounds obvious and silly but think about this. Hyundai’s Kona costs about the same as the Jolion and sits in the same small SUV category.

But the Kona has so little legroom that I can’t fit into the second row (to be fair, I’m built like a streetlight at 191cm) and the boot is so small I found it almost useless for my family. 

That’s because the Kona is tiny. It’s 347mm shorter in length than the Jolion. That’s the width of our biggest 124L CarsGuide suitcase longer.

That means not only can I fit into the Jolion’s second row, but I have more room back there than almost any small SUV on the market. Have a look at the video above to see just how much room.

Those rear doors also open wide and offer plenty of space to enter and exit. 

The boot is also good for the class with 430 litres of cargo capacity. 

Cabin storage is excellent with large door pockets, four cupholders (two in the front and two in the rear) and a deep centre console storage bin. 

The centre console ‘floats’ with a large area under it for bags, wallets and phones. There are USB ports under there, too, plus another two in the second row.

There are directional air vents for the second row and privacy glass for those back windows. Parents will know how valuable this is for keeping the sun of their kids’ faces.

The entry-point to the Haval Jolion range is the Premium and you can have it for $26,990 drive-away. Above this is the Lux which comes in at $28,990 drive-away. At the top of the range is the Ultra which can be had for $31,990 drive-away. 

Premium, Lux and Ultra – not matter which one you get they all sound like you’ve bought the top grade.

Coming standard on the Premium are 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, a 10.25-inch touchscreen Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a four-speaker stereo, reversing camera and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, fabric seats, air-conditioning, a proximity key and push button start. 

By the way, with that proximity key, it only works when you put your hand on the driver’s side door handle… not the other doors. Sort of convenient.

The Lux adds LED headlights and LED running lights, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, synthetic leather seats, the 7.0-inch driver display, power driver’s seats, heated front seats, dual-zone climate, a six-speaker stereo and dark tinted rear windows. The value for money is outrageous. And by that, I mean very good.

If you step up to the Ultra that screens goes from a 10.25-inch to a 12.3-inch, you get a head-up display, wireless phone charging and a panoramic sunroof.

Sat nav isn’t available at all, but you don’t need it if you have your phone, and that’s fine, as long as the battery doesn’t run flat, or reception isn’t good.

All variants of the 2021 Haval Jolion are powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, outputting 110kW/220Nm.

Peak power is available at 6000rpm, while maximum torque is on tap from 2000-4400rpm.

Drive is also fed to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox in all grades.

Power and torque are about bang on what you’d expect out of a sub-$40,000 small SUV, with most rivals falling just below or above the Jolion’s outputs.

All Jolions have the same engine regardless of which grade you pick. It's a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder making 110kW/220Nm. 

I found it overly noisy, prone to turbo lag and lacking the oomph I’d expect from an engine with these output figures.

The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is one of the better versions of this type of transmission I’ve tested. Not as jerky as some.  

All Jolions are front-wheel drive.

Officially, the Haval Jolion will consume 8.1 litres per 100km.

Our brief time at with the car during the Jolion’s launch event did not yield an accurate fuel consumption figure as driving was relegated mainly to high-speed freeway driving and some short bursts on dirt paths.

In the context of other small SUVs like the SsangYong Korando (7.7L/100km), MG ZST (6.9L/100km) and Nissan Qashqai (6.9L/100km), the Jolion is thirster.

Haval says after a combination of open and urban roads the Jolion should use 8.1L/100km. My testing saw our car use 9.2L/100km, measured at the fuel pump.

A fuel consumption of 9.2L/100km for a small SUV is high. I’d expect something closer to 7.5L/100km. 

Haval is promising a huge improvement in driveability for the Jolion compared with its H2 predecessor, and it soundly delivers in this regard.

The 110kW/220Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine handles itself well, while the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is also a smooth shifter.

Power and torque are never enough to overwhelm the Jolion’s tyres, but performance is brisk enough around town thanks to the peak of the latter available from 2000-4400rpm.

Out on the highway though, the Jolion struggles a little more when the speedo starts to climb beyond around 70km/h.

The seven-speed DCT also struggles when pinning the throttle, taking some time to kick down a gear and propelling the Jolion forward.

None of this hesitation ever strays into the dangerous territory, but it is something to be wary of when trying for an overtake manoeuvre.

The suspension also does a fantastic job of soaking up road imperfections and bumps, and even when we took the Jolion down a gravel path there was hardly any unwanted jitteriness.

Keep in mind that this was done in the top-spec Ultra grade fitted with 18-inch wheels, so we imagine in the base Premium or mid-tier Lux with 17-inch wheels might even be better in ride comfort.

However, this softer suspension tune does come at a cost, and that is high-speed corner suffers severely.

Turn the Jolion’s wheel at speed and it seems like the wheels want to go one way, but the body wants to continue travelling forward.

This is exasperated by the light steering feel that makes the Jolion a breeze to steer around town at slower speeds, but gets numb and disconnected when driving enthusiastically.

And the ‘Sport’ driving mode only appears to sharpen up throttle response and hold gears for longer, so don’t expect it to all of a sudden make the Jolion a corner-carving machine.

To be fair, Haval never set out to build a small SUV that would be the last word in driving dynamics, but there are better handling and more confidence-inspiring yokes out there. 

The driving experience is not the Jolion’s strong point, but it isn’t awful, either. There’s a wooden feeling over speed bumps and at lower city speed on ordinary roads. In short, the ride isn’t outstanding, but I could live with it.

Then again, the Jolion I tested was the Lux grade with 17-inch wheels and Kumho rubber. My colleague Byron Mathioudakis tested the top grade Ultra which rolls on 18-inch wheels, and felt the ride and handling was more disappointing than I did. 

A larger diameter wheel can absolutely change the way a car feels and I’ll be able to comment more on the difference when I drive the Ultra down the track. 

I reckon the dual-clutch auto does a fine job, but the engine needs more development. It lacks the refinement we are seeing on most mainstream SUVs.

Slightly below average ride and handling, and a lacklustre engine aside, the Jolion’s steering is good (despite the lack of reach adjustment in the steering column) as is visibility (despite the small back window) making for an SUV that's easy, and for the most part, comfortable to pilot.

The Jolion is yet to be given an ANCAP crash rating, and we will report on this when it’s announced.

 All grades have AEB which can detect cyclists and pedestrians, there’s lane departure warning and lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, blind spot warning and traffic sign recognition.

There’s even a distraction/fatigue camera which watches you while you’re driving to make sure you’ve got everything under control. Not creepy at all, right?

For child seats there are three top tether mounts and two ISOFIX points. I found installing my son’s top tether seat easy and he had good visibility out of his window.

A space saver spare in under the boot floor.

Like all new Haval models sold in 2021, the Jolion comes with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, matching Kia’s assurance period but falling short of the 10-year conditional offering from Mitsubishi.

However, Haval’s warranty is longer than that offered by the likes of Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Nissan and Ford, who all sport five-year assurance periods.

Haval also throws in five-years/100,000km of roadside assist with a new Jolion purchase.

Scheduled service periods for the Haval Jolion are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first and with the exception of the first service due at 10,000km.

Capped-price servicing is offered for the first five services or 70,000km, priced at $210, $250, $350, $450 and $290 respectively, for a total of just $1550 over the first half decade of ownership.

The Jolion is covered a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months/15,000km and the pricing is capped at about $1500 over five years. Five years’ roadside assistance is also included.