The 1.5-litre engine is not necessarily the most refined unit around, and can sound a little gruff under acceleration, but given this vehicle’s keen pricing it’s a perfectly adequate package. Given the vehicle’s kerb weight of 1370kg, performance is not necessarily brisk, but it is adequate for a modern urban-based SUV, particularly when you consider that many of its rivals are saddled with gutless normally aspirated engines that offer no altitude immunity. As a family car, it’s really getting off to a good start.īeneath the bonnet of all models you’ll find a 1.5-litre turbopetrol engine that’s carried over from the previous H2, and which produces 105kW and 210Nm. The ride quality is comfortable too, perhaps more so than most rivals. At highway speeds the Jolion is very quiet, barring for a bit of wind noise, and we were impressed with its overall noise insulation. The Haval Jolion is built around the company’s new (and curiously named) L.E.M.O.N modular architecture that it shares with the new Haval H6 and its modern underpinnings become apparent the second you hit the open road. Sure, you might notice some Audi vibes at the front, and the rear and side views seem to have a Volvo-like elegance, dare I say, but overall it’s a neat-looking package that ticks the right visual boxes for a modern crossover. You are getting a lot of car for your money and it’s a decent looking chunk of metal too. The Haval Jolion range is priced between R299 900 and R398 900 and while that puts it into contention with the likes of the Ford EcoSport and Hyundai Venue, in size terms it's pretty close to far more expensive vehicles like the Kia Sportage and Opel Grandland. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s take a closer look.
Leading this sales charge is the new Jolion, which was introduced earlier this year as a replacement for the H2. Yet it's only in more recent times that the importer has started to make a significant impact on the local sales charts, with Haval having ranked seventh in the past two months, breathing right down Suzuki’s neck. Of course, they’ve been saying this for years, but it’s only now that they’re starting to hit the more established rivals where it hurts the most.Īnd by ‘they’ we’re referring more specifically to the most successful Chinese brand on South African soil, namely Haval, which entered the country under the GWM banner more than 14 years ago.