GWM Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid 2024 review

The Haval Jolion small SUV has been something of a hit for GWM (formerly Great Wall Motors) in Australia. Launched in April 2021, with a Hybrid version following in September ’22, the Jolion has continued to grow in popularity.

Its 2024 sales are up 29 percent year-to-date at the half-way point (7131 units), making this Jolion’s strongest year yet. And that’s before the arrival of this revised and reconfigured model range.

Now effectively split into two different lines, the existing 105kW/210Nm Jolion turbo-petrol continues in two variants – Premium (for $26,990 drive-away) and Lux (for $29,990 drive-away) – with styling alterations to its grille and front bumper, 17-inch alloy wheels, rear badging, rear diffuser and rear spoiler, along with the addition of black plastic wheelarch moldings and side skirts.

The 2024 Jolion Hybrid is effectively an all-new car – though one that has been on sale in China for the last three years as the Haval Chitu. Badged Jolion Pro for export, but marketed as Jolion HEV in Australia and New Zealand, this new arrival shares its platform and 2700mm wheelbase with petrol Jolion, and its petrol-electric drivetrain with the previous Jolion Hybrid.

But it features completely different sheetmetal for more of a coupe-SUV look.

Offered in three trim levels – Premium HEV (for $32,990 drive-away), Lux HEV (for $35,990 drive-away) and Ultra HEV (as tested here, for $38,990 drive-away) – the new Jolion Hybrid is very sharply priced, just like the refreshed Jolion petrol.

And while it appears to be a slightly smaller SUV than before, it’s actually 44mm taller, 24mm wider, and only 2mm shorter than the restyled petrol version (which is also now 33mm wider thanks to its wheelarch extensions).

Whether the alternatively styled Jolion Hybrid is better looking than its predecessor is entirely up to personal opinion, however there’s no denying its on-paper value for money, or its bang for your buck performance-wise.

What we’re most keen to find out, though, is whether GWM is making any progress in improving the drivetrain calibration of its vehicles, as well as the operation of the many active-safety aids that are now standard even on small SUVs such as this.

What are the Jolion Ultra Hybrid’s features and options for the price?

In Hybrid guise, the 2024 Jolion is offered in three trim levels – Premium, Lux and Ultra – featuring the same 140kW/375Nm petrol-electric drivetrain and front-wheel drive.

The base Jolion Premium Hybrid starts at $32,990 drive-away, with the Lux Hybrid costing $35,990 drive-away, and the Ultra Hybrid (as tested here) asking $38,990 drive-away. The sole option is metallic paint for $495 (in Ayres Grey, Golden Black, and Arctic Blue).

To put those prices into perspective, when the previous Jolion Hybrid launched here in 2022, it was priced at $40,990 drive-away. And among the Jolion Hybrid’s competitor set, the smaller 2024 Toyota Yaris Urban Hybrid 2WD is $36,880 before on-road costs, or $40,927 drive-away (in Sydney) with the standard paint colour.

Equipment highlights of the Jolion Premium Hybrid include:

• LED daytime running lights
• Keyless entry (driver only)
• Push-button start
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Fabric seat trim
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Driver’s seat height adjustment
• Front centre armrest
• Dual-zone climate control
• Rear-seat air vents
• 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster
• 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen
• 4-speaker audio
• Wired Apple CarPlay
• Wired Android Auto
• 2 x USB-A ports (front)
• 2 x USB-A ports (rear)
• Reversing camera with rear parking sensors

For $3000 more, the Lux Hybrid adds:

• LED headlamps
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Auto-folding electric mirrors
• 4 x auto up/down power windows
• Rear privacy glass
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Faux-leather steering wheel rim
• Faux-leather upholstery
• 6-way electric driver’s seat
• Heated front seats
• 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen
• 6-speaker audio
• 360-degree camera
• Luggage cover

For an additional $3000, the Ultra Hybrid offers:

• Panoramic sunroof
• Roof rails
• Wireless phone charging
• 4-way electric passenger seat
• Driver’s seat ventilation (cushion only)
• Head-up display
• Auto park-assist
• Ambient cabin lighting
• Rear-seat centre armrest
• Front parking sensors

How does the Jolion Ultra Hybrid drive?

With its seamless drivetrain operation and impressive 140kW/375Nm total system outputs, the Jolion Ultra Hybrid has little problem launching its slightly tubby 1620kg kerb weight from a standing start.

Thank the combination of a 70kW/125Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 115kW/250Nm electric motor, driving through GWM’s dedicated hybrid transmission with two main ratios. 

On the move, it’s a similar story of polished calibration and punchy performance. Only the Hybrid’s propensity to tug at the front wheels – sometimes torque-steering its way up the road under hard acceleration from standstill, trying to snatch the steering wheel from your hands – lets the side down somewhat.

Part of that problem can be blamed on the Kumho Solus 225/55R18 tyres, which appear to offer a decent footprint on the road but in reality are lacking in grip and squeal profusely when the Jolion is hustled through corners – even at a moderate pace.

Pity, because this reconfigured Jolion Hybrid with new multi-link independent rear suspension (previously only fitted to the Jolion S) manages to display impressive handling poise and a pleasantly keen attitude when changing direction.

Even the Jolion’s steering is quite good – at least in the consistency of its weighting – and while there’s three levels of assistance available (Light, Comfort and Sport), all of them are eminently liveable, if typically fiddly to access. 

The Jolion Hybrid also rides quite well, with nicely disciplined absorbency over most urban scars, and mostly well-controlled body movement when really put to the test. But its brake-pedal response is far from natural, often resulting in a lack of smoothness when trying to slow the Jolion Hybrid at low speeds.

What is the Jolion Ultra Hybrid’s interior and tech like?

While the exterior of the new Jolion Hybrid appears fresh and different, the interior of the right-hand-drive Australian model retains the same architecture as the previous model (and the carry-over Jolion petrol).

This means a relatively clean interior design – nicely constructed of mostly inexpensive plastics – though one that is heavily reliant on digital screens to complete almost all ergonomic functions, apart from windscreen demisting and a few other basics.

This presents the driver with an array of menus and layers to navigate, even to just switch on the front seat heating (and the driver’s seat cooling that, oddly, only chills the cushion). The most difficult to uncover is the ‘Intelligent Ability’ tab accessed through a car icon, that then requires the driver to switch off the attention and fatigue monitoring.

And when I say ‘requires’, it’ll only take five minutes behind the wheel to know why … unless you enjoy the calming effect of near-constant beeping.

Accessing the climate control is also a pain, seeing that the HVAC info sits in the far top left of the touchscreen (a hangover from China’s left-hand-drive configuration), and needs to be expanded for the temperature to be adjusted.

And then there’s the stereo, which in Lux and Ultra variants gets six speakers and digital tweaking options, yet never achieves genuine high-fidelity sound. It’s all a bit over-bright and lacking in depth.

Where the Jolion Hybrid starts to win back friends is with its comfort and space. For 2024, the driver (belatedly) gets telescopic steering adjustment, meaning Haval drivers will no longer need to sit with their knees around their ears. And even though the driver’s seat has only basic electric adjustment, it’s easy to get comfortable.

Pity about the clammy (and cheap looking) all-vinyl upholstery, though, which is only partly alleviated in the Ultra with butt chilling for the driver, yet no back chilling. And the front passenger misses out on any height adjustment whatsoever.

In-cabin storage is impressive, including one-litre-plus bottle holders in all doors, and a rubberised tray below the centre console (where the old-school USB-A ports and 12V outlet also lurk).

And rear-seat space is terrific as well, thanks to a comfortable seat, plenty of space (apart from perhaps headroom for anyone much over 180cm tall), and an almost completely flat floor.

But you’ll be unlikely to fit all the luggage required for a full passenger load. The Jolion Hybrid’s boot area is characterised by a high floor, zero space underneath, and just 255 litres of total volume (compared to 337L in the petrol Jolion). That puts the Jolion Hybrid small SUV on par with a Suzuki Swift Hybrid hatch (265 litres), and well below a Yaris Cross Hybrid (390 litres).

It also leaves a huge gap between the cushion and rear floor when the backrests are folded – exposing a chasm to swallow anything that is small and floating around back there. If your kids toys go missing, you’ll know where to look…

Is the Jolion Ultra Hybrid a safe car?

The petrol-engined Haval Jolion was independently tested by ANCAP in 2022 and received a five-star rating. This rating (which also applies to the previous-generation Jolion Hybrid) isn’t due to expire until December 2028.

In terms of active-safety features, even the entry-level Jolion Premium HEV is extensively equipped and offers standard safety equipment such as:

• 7 airbags
• Rear parking sensors
• Rear-view camera
• Driver alert assistance
• Forward AEB
• Forward collision warning
• Rear collision warning
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Rear cross-traffic AEB
• Adaptive cruise control
• Intelligent speed assist
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane-change assist
• Lane-keeping assistance
• Lane-departure warning
• Lane centre keeping
• Emergency lane keeping
• Traffic sign assist
• Traffic jam assist
• Tyre-pressure monitoring

The Lux Hybrid and Ultra Hybrid feature a 360-degree camera instead of just a rear camera, while the Ultra also includes front parking sensors and auto-park assist.

In our on-road testing, the Jolion Hybrid’s extensive array of active-safety systems left much to be desired. They’re persistently (and loudly) intrusive – particularly the driver attention alert, which starts beeping even when you simply look down at the instrument pack. It’s labelled ‘Intelligent Ability’ though I’d suggest ‘Intelligent Inability’ would be more accurate.

The Haval’s active-safety systems are also frustratingly fiddly to disengage … though you do get used to this multi-layered procedure, and they remain turned off once disabled. At least until next time you start the car…

The adaptive cruise control is also infuriatingly conservative. Even with its distance marker set as close as possible, it starts washing off speed around 50m away from the car in front, and it does the same when there’s any degree of steering input. The solution is to either change lanes very early or keep switching the cruise-control system on and off.

The forward collision proximity sensor is also hyper-sensitive and hugely irritating. It treats every driver like a child, as if they’re borrowing Mummy’s car for the first time – all of which distracts from the person behind the wheel being able to concentrate properly on the job at hand. Which is driving!

What are the Jolion Ultra Hybrid’s ownership costs?

The Jolion Ultra Hybrid’s official combined fuel consumption figure is 5.1L/100km. This compares to an exceptional 3.8L/100km combined figure for the Toyota Yaris Cross Urban Hybrid 2WD.

The Jolion Hybrid’s combined consumption translates to an impressive range of 1078km from its 55-litre tank, drinking 91-octane regular unleaded.

Our test average over 175km – including mostly brisk urban driving and a lot of start/stop situations – was 6.5L/100km, for a real-world range of 846km.

Recommended service intervals for the Jolion Hybrid are 12 months or 10,000km for the first year, then 12 months or 15,000km thereafter, with its capped-price servicing cost over five years/70,000km totalling $1650 – or $100 more expensive than the 2024 Jolion petrol over an identical period.

In comparison, a Toyota Yaris Cross Urban Hybrid’s five-year servicing cost (over a greater 75,000km distance) is capped at $250 for each service, meaning $1250 in total.

GWM-Haval’s new vehicle warranty in Australia is seven years/unlimited kilometres, with included roadside assistance for five years/unlimited kilometres, and an eight-year/unlimited-kilometre battery-pack warranty for Hybrid/EV models.

The honest verdict on the GWM Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid

There’s a good car lurking underneath the 2024 Jolion Hybrid’s fresh sheetmetal. Surprisingly brisk and unexpectedly fun to drive, we have plenty of praise for the new Jolion Hybrid’s comfortable driving position, impressive rear seat space, and its zest for corners thanks to the sophisticated multi-link independent rear suspension.

That the most fuel-efficient engine in the Jolion line-up also happens to be easily the most powerful is another feather in its cap. However, when the Jolion is good, it’s really quite good … and when it isn’t, well, it stumbles big time.

For all its impressive cabin and storage space, the Jolion Hybrid’s boot is tiny. And for all its wealth of standard safety features, the way these play out in reality is so amateurish, they significantly detract from the passive-safety quality of the Jolion Hybrid’s handling poise and overtaking performance.

Sure, you can turn everything off (once you master the Jolion’s complex touchscreen menus), but how many GWM-Haval owners are going to do that every time they start their car? And yet that doesn’t solve the collision-warning frequency or the adaptive-cruise lethargy.

Now that GWM-Haval finally seems to be getting its head around vehicle dynamics, the next big challenge to conquer is the calibration of its active-safety systems.