Can you imagine a hybrid SUV you can buy today without a wait list? Well, imagine no more.
2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid
Progress in the automotive world is on fast-forward.
What took Toyota 40-odd years to crack took Hyundai and Kia just 20-odd, and brands like the GWM Haval group seemingly just under 10. The Chinese car brand will be celebrating 10 years in Australia next year and it’s already released a closed-loop hybrid vehicle for $40,990 drive-away.
That means it’s become a legitimate mainstream player in no time at all. The 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid is another push forward, and has grand plans to offer a generously equipped series-parallel hybrid vehicle – like what Toyota offers – for less.
Also, whereas a Japanese hybrid SUV has anywhere from a 12- to 24-month wait, the 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid is readily in stock and awaiting your test drive.
So if you can’t wait 12 months for your shiny new hybrid, read on to see if it’s worth a trip to your local GWM Haval dealer.
How much does the Haval Jolion cost in Australia?
The Haval Jolion is the brand’s small SUV and comes in four trim levels – Premium, Lux, Ultra and Ultra Hybrid – with prices starting from $28,490 drive-away.
However, if you want the hybrid, you’ll need to buy the top-spec model. The 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid starts from $40,990 drive-away, some $7000 more than the regular 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra with just an internal combustion engine and no electric motor.
Sadly, the brand does not offer an entry- or mid-grade hybrid model yet. If you want your Jolion hybrid in one of five fancy metallic paints, you’ll be billed another $495.
That makes our Azure Blue finished press car worth $41,485 drive-away.
| Key details | 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid |
| Price | $40,990 drive-away |
| Colour of test car | Azure Blue |
| Options | Metallic paint – $495 |
| Price as tested | $41,485 drive-away |
| Drive-away price | $41,485 drive-away |
| Rivals | Kia Niro | Toyota Corolla Cross | Mazda CX-30 |
How much space does the Haval Jolion have inside?
It’s surprising how much room there is in the back of a 2022 Haval Jolion hybrid.
Even as a small SUV, I found my 183cm frame able to slot in comfortably behind my own driving position. My knees were miles off the front seat backs, and the flat floor makes the dickie (middle) seat palatable for young adults who drew the short straw.
Some downfalls for comfort include a rather upward-facing back rest that cannot be adjusted, and a shallow seat base that does not chock the underside of your thighs if you’re tall. The latter may cause your older kids to fidget a bit on longer road trips.
The glasshouse is tall and generous, though, so those susceptible to motion sickness will find it pleasant. I also took the chance to fit both a rearward-facing Britax Graphene convertible child seat and an Infasecure Rally booster seat for my two children.
The rearward-facing convertible car seat did require the front passenger seat to be adjusted forward for clearance, but it left the front-seat occupant with enough space to relax.
It was only adjusted slightly forward, too, meaning the cabin is bigger than comparable Mazda and Nissan products in the same segment. The Infasecure Rally went in no issue thanks to the Jolion’s tall roof height.
The second row is great overall, and amenities include a pair of rear air vents and two USB-A ports. Over in the first row, space isn’t as generous. My long-legged and 183cm-tall frame resulted in the driver’s seat being set as far back – and as low – as it goes.
Even then I wouldn’t mind sitting a pinch further back, so if you’re taller than the average six-footer, make sure you can get comfortable before buying.
Storage is good up front, with a large floating centre console offering storage solutions above and below. Above are a pair of cupholders – with one smaller than the other and unable to fit a can of soft drink – and a large armrest storage area, and below a covered pit with USB ports for car connectivity.
Annoyingly, the USB connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is on the left (wrong) side and shows there are some ergonomic quirks not yet ironed out.
Another is the packaging of the hybrid infrastructure, which sees overall boot volume gobbled up by electronics. The brand claims 390L of cargo space, but it feels like less in reality.
The proportions aren’t perfect, with a high load sill meaning heavy items are cumbersome to fit. A regular-sized Redsbaby-brand pram with matching bassinet attachment will take up 75 per cent of the usable space due to the high floor height. Again, if you’re a younger parent, make sure you bring your pram, seats and gear to the dealership to try one on for size.
The last gremlin is a tyre repair kit – the minimum we expect in a small SUV is a space-saving spare wheel.
| 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 390L seats up 1069L seats folded |
| Length | 4472mm |
| Width | 1841mm |
| Height | 1574mm |
| Wheelbase | 2700mm |
Does the Haval Jolion have Apple CarPlay?
Infotainment is handled by a 12.3-inch infotainment system powered by Harman technology.
Harman is the brand – owned by Korean company Samsung – that produces Harman Kardon, JBL, Infinity, and other known brands from the audio world.
The system features wired-only Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity; however, not all systems are equal. If your passenger tries to tab between functions on the phone while being plugged in to the car and mirrors its screen, the car’s Apple CarPlay system can crash.
It’s an odd one, as every other system I’ve tried does allow for dual functionality without issue. It can be easily avoided by your passenger using their own phone, but it’s still worth a mention.
The software isn’t as polished as others in the class, and changing the air-conditioning controls while using Apple CarPlay is quite annoying. There is no simple function to tab between settings, nor are there temperature or fan-speed controls on the dash.
Another thing worth mentioning is that you’ll find the heated seats function buried in the infotainment system under “settings” – there’s no button in the cabin to turn them on.
The six-speaker stereo is also okay for the money. Joy Division’s Shadowplay sounded equal parts flat and muddy, whereas A Perfect Circle’s 3 Libras lacked clarity and came across ‘noisy’. Other mainstream car brands – or the Haval H6 medium SUV – offer better audio quality.
Turning off the on-board DTS audio processing did help, so try your best to salvage audio quality by instead using the simple three-way EQ.
Is the Haval Jolion a safe car?
The 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid has not been tested by ANCAP; however, petrol-only versions of the Jolion are covered by a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
Those petrol-powered cars scored well for occupant and child seat protection with a 90 and 84 per cent score respectively; however, they fell down in terms of vulnerable road user score (pedestrian strikes) at 64 per cent.
Our top-of-the-range Jolion Ultra Hybrid model has more tech than the wider range – meaning it should be as safe in theory – but we must reserve judgment until the local subsidiary decides to work with ANCAP to extend the five-star rating across newly released hybrid models.
| 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid | |
| ANCAP rating | Unrated |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report (for Jolion petrol models) |
What safety technology does the Haval Jolion have?
The 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid is fitted with heaps of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).
Standard gear includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and crossing detection, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, and even a driver fatigue monitor – like you find in Subaru products.
What this clever device does (mounted on the interior A-pillar of the car) is keep tabs on your eyes and general head position. If you begin to face away from the front window, say due to drowsiness, the system will ‘bing’ and ‘bong’ at you furiously until you come good.
Speaking of which, the driver assist systems in the Haval Jolion are probably 90 per cent of what’s found in more established competitors. The lane-keeping assist system is overzealous with its corrections and also has the tendency to make the steering feel oddly light and vague when it intervenes.
The system is calibrated too sensitively, and it reminds me of previous-generation Hyundai/Kia lane-keeping systems that suffered from the same problem.
The other advanced driver assists will also needlessly bing and bong at you without explaining why either. Although safe and conservative, it’s akin to the nagging nature of my ethnic father – always trying too hard to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Sometimes, mollycoddling can get annoying.
How much does the Haval Jolion cost to maintain?
The annual maintenance bill for a 2022 Haval Jolion costs $210, $250 and $350 in years one, two and three respectively. That means the first three years of ownership costs $810 – about average for the segment.
Haval also expects you service it every 12 months or 10,000/15,000km. The first service is due at 10,000km, but the second at 25,000km, third 40,000km, and the rest at 15,000km intervals.
Years four and five are worth $450 and $290, with five years or 60 months/70,000km worth of maintenance costing $1550. It’s over a longer period that the Jolion begins to claw back value for money, as its five-year bill is sharply priced versus its competitors.
Insurance prices are fair for the segment, with the NRMA offering cover to a 35-year-old male with a clean driving record for $1390 a year, or $127 a month. Some in the segment are $100-or-so cheaper, but most vehicles of this size and class have a similar cost to insure.
| At a glance | 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid |
| Warranty | Seven years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000/15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $810 (3 years) $1550 (5 years) |
Is the Haval Jolion fuel-efficient?
Compared to the official combined claim of 5.0L/100km, our test car used 5.8L/100km.
Over the first 377km precisely, we saw 4.8L/100km. This driving was mainly conducted on free-flowing freeways and during light traffic only. Extended use in terrible traffic conditions caused by equally terrible weather – and another 200km later – saw the figure rise to 5.9L/100km.
Considering the situations thrown at it, the Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid is fuel-efficient. However, if you primarily run it around town, you will see the fuel rise slightly, as we witnessed on the launch review.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 5.0L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 5.8L/100km |
| Fuel type | 91-octane regular unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 55L |
What is the Haval Jolion like to drive?
Series-parallel hybrid drivelines – the same found in both Haval and Toyota hybrids – are such a good thing for regular passenger vehicles.
They not only reduce your fuel bill, but they also provide plenty of performance. The Jolion’s hybrid system works in the same way, in that it has the capability to work solely and briefly as an EV, in tandem for efficiency, or even together in the name of power.
Which it has no shortage of, especially if you’re coming from a regular petrol car that’s over five years old. Initial acceleration is great, and there’s enough performance to make light work of overtakes in 110km/h zones.
The key is a solid serving of torque – 375Nm combined – and the first 175Nm-or-so provided instantly by an electric motor. There’s more grunt in this driveline than most hot hatches from the last decade or so, which speaks volumes about how it feels when it gets the power down.
The crossover between petrol and electric is discernible but mostly audible. It’s smooth and doesn’t interfere with the engine’s ability, and generally turns on from about 25km/h on a regular gradient.
I absolutely love the one-pedal driving mode, and I’m glad to see that Haval offers a combination of regular two- and one-pedal drive modes.
You can either set the brake retardation to soft or medium – which still requires the use of the brake pedal – or one-pedal mode that brakes the car quite suddenly when you lift and negating the need for the other pedal.
It feels natural and you quickly become used to driving in a way that scavenges as much lost energy as possible to reduce your fuel bill. How well it’s calibrated is also evident by how easy it is to switch between one- and two-pedal drive modes.
The ride quality is good considering the price point. The suspension feels measured and controlled over decent-sized bumps, and its ride quality is good on both motorway surfaces at speed and around town in 50km/h zones.
Bumps are tackled with some solidity, too, meaning it feels confident to drive and most importantly consistent. The cabin is quieter than the more expensive Haval H6 interestingly, and they both ride on the same Kumho Solus tyre.
Speaking of which, it’s also probably the biggest letdown of the package. On a damp surface and on the incline, moderate acceleration efforts will trigger the traction-control system. If you put your foot down harder, you’ll literally wheel-spin up the road in intervals as the car kills power.
A better tyre would go a long way with how the Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid feels in all conditions, especially given the newton-metres and instantaneous nature of its power delivery.
| Key details | 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid |
| Engine | 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol Electric motor |
| Power | 75kW petrol @ 5500–6000rpm 115kW electric 140kW combined |
| Torque | 125Nm petrol 250Nm electric 375Nm combined |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Electric: Two-speed gearbox Combined: Dedicated Hybrid Transmission |
| Power to weight ratio | 91kW/t |
| Weight | 1530kg |
| Spare tyre type | Tyre repair kit |
| Tow rating | 1500kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.5m |
Should I buy a Haval Jolion?
If you’re wanting to lower your fuel bill and get into a new car sooner rather than later, the 2022 Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid is a great choice.
Value for money is there too – try to find a car with this level of technology for similar money. The second row is another winner, too, as it’s easily one of the largest and most spacious in the class.
The styling you’ll either love or hate, though, but the fact it has us talking is great to see from a relatively young car brand. The Jolion has great kerb appeal, a nice interior presentation, and who doesn’t love heated seats on a cold and rainy day?
I’m all for more daring, different and less-generic car designs – especially when there’s a colour to match. Our test car’s Azure Blue colour did throw me initially, but it does soften the more you look at it.
If you’re considering the boldest colour in the range, just go for it.
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