Articles by Owner Review

Overall, we find that the Jolion is a very safe car to drive, particularly the forward camera. When we use cruise control it reveals so much data, particularly safety issues. My wife and I do a lot of country driving and we find that our Haval has great support in the seats and also the road noise is very low. In this regard, it's probably the quietest we have ever had. Plus, the cargo area takes all of our goods very easily. The Jolion, in the city, is fantasic to drive and the visibilty all around is excellent. In the country, the 1.5-litre turbo gives plenty of power for safe overtaking, and the cruise control takes safety to another level. One of the great features of this car which must be taken into consideration when you compare running costs is the fantastic, very low purchase price, being able to use 91 petrol and the very reasonable service cost. Our car has done 18,000km and we have had zero problems. We are very confident that we are going to get many years of reliable service.

Way outdated with no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but in the new 2024-plated model, they have finally updated the head unit but you lose the 360-degree cameras, tyre monitoring can’t be displayed, and you lose the tri-zone climate control. You do gain the centre console fridge in the Ti, but in the Ti-L you lose what I’ve mentioned already plus the Bose stereo system and rear screen headrests. Hardly worth buying the Ti-L for the extra expense, although you get heated and cooled seats, a sunroof, an electric tailgate and an auto-dipping mirror on the passenger side for reversing next to a gutter. Plenty of storage areas in all three rows. Good AC through out the cabin. Massive cargo area when all seats dropped down. Great leg room for front driver and passenger. Centre row has a huge amount of space. The last row is okay for kids, but for adults it’s a bit tight - but it's same with anything else. The rear cargo area when the middle and rear seats are folded down isn’t a flat cargo space. It has a rise in it from the rear cargo door to the back of the front seats. Not a deal breaker but a little annoying. Love it every time I hit that start button and hear the V8 kick into action. Fantastic power and gets up to 100km/h in under seven seconds. 298kW standard from the factory. Easy to park even for its size due to great visibility all round and large side wing mirrors. Even for its size, it’s a fun vehicle to drive if you want to get a bit enthusiastic with it. We have a saying in the Patrol community when people ask what are they like to own because they're going to look at one, we say, “Tell us what colour you ordered”, because we know once people test drive one, they will place their order. Around town, even driving it enthusiastically, you’ll be around 18L/100km. My around town is based on all short stop-start stuff, school, local shops and work - nothing over 18 for a round trip. Hit the freeways from say Sydney to Queensland and you'll be somewhere around 11.6 to 12L/100km doing the speed limits and loaded. That’s based on z stock standard vehicle with standard tyres. Start adding bullbars, roof racks, rear tyre carriers, draws, fridges etc., then you will start to see those figures increase. Towing 2.8 tonnes, I managed around 21 to 22L/100km sitting on the speed limits. Servicing so far has been on average $400 per service by Nissan, which for a big 4WD, I think is very good. Insurance I just renewed with NRMA for a value of 90K and it was $1600 for 12 months. This is also based on previous claims, speeding etc., which I haven’t had so this for me was the best price by NRMA. So far except for the flaring in the transmission between third and fourth gear - which they all do - it’s been faultless and can’t complain about it. If you are laying the boot into, it is okay, but in general driving I find the flaring the be excessive. But other than that, it’s a super smooth gear change.

The Sealion's tech is excellent. The large infotainment screen is bright and easy to use, and the digital instrument panel is easy to read, although it could be more customisable. The HUD on the Premium spec is a nice addition - I use it all the time. I'm impressed with the app, too. as I can turn on the climate control and heated/ventilated seats, lock and unlock the car, open and close the windows, and track the vehicle's location all from my phone. The cabin is quite practical with a double wireless phone charging pad and a handy storage area lower in the centre console with USB-A and -C slots. Unfortunately, there's nowhere to stow larger drink bottles - both the door recesses and front cupholders are quite small. The storage bin between the front seats is quite deep, however the glovebox is on the small side. The boot offers more space than is initially evident, with the poorly located rear parcel shelf eating into the space. With the rear seats fully reclined it makes for a poorer first impression. Remove the parcel shelf, however, and incline the rear seats to a more comfortable position and the space opens up to something far more useable. Unfortunately, there are no hooks in the boot for bags. The Sealion 6 is very smooth and quiet to drive. Speed bumps and imperfections in the road are handled with ease. There's no vibration when the petrol engine kicks in - just a muted noise through the cabin. They've done a great job with the drivetrain. Steering is on the light side, which makes it very easy to drive around town. However, I find you need to have the steering in Sport mode as comfort is just too light and lacking in any real feel. Insurance was comparable to my ICE vehicle and so far I'm sitting at 1.4L/100km with mostly city driving. Servicing for the first five years is just over $1600. I charge at home and the vehicle is averaging 18kWh/100km. I haven't had any reliability issues. I follow a couple of local BYD owner forums and in the first two months of sales, only onr member has reported a major failure (an issue with the steering column).

Some say that the multimedia and safety technology is a bit dated, but everything works as it should. It's not as invasive as a MU-X that's constantly beeping at you whilst driving. Only issue is the head unit can be a bit jittery and having to disconnect and reconnect your phone for CarPlay or Android Auto - otherwise it won't work properly. The drivers cabin can be a bit tight if you are a large person, but there is heaps of cargo space for the long weekends away, with power outlets to run fridges and charge phones, cameras etc. in the boot. Drives amazingly, even in 2H and even better again in 4H, which the Super Select gearbox allowed on bitumen, compared to other vehicles like the MU-X and Fortuner, which have outdated 4x4 systems. Factory tyres aren't the greatest, but if you upgrade them, the drive will be even better again. Great package from factory. Love the 10x capped-price servicing and 10-year warranty. But the thing that surprised me was the fuel efficiency. We are getting 7.8L/100km, which is better than any other car we have owned and it's a much bigger 4x4 compared to the little sedans and SUVs we have owned. Heaps of Pajero Sports owners with over 150,000km claim the only issues have been split intercooler hoses or o-rings, which sre minor compared to other manufacturers which have more serious issues like bump steer and DPF or EGR issues.

The radio supports Bluetooth for phone and streaming music. There is no sat-nav, but I know where I am going. Best of all there are zero buttons on the wheel. The rear seat folds perfectly flat, so it has no trouble taking rakes, shovels and other gardening equipment. For some reason Toyota fitted a solid rubber mat with high edges, similar to the heavy-duty packs for 4WDs. I have taken steel and rubbish to the tip. Brilliant. An evening delivery to a family member’s house, only a couple of suburbs away, with not much traffic, eight degrees outside and lovely dense air. The free-flowing Miltek exhaust is a bit loud on cold start but soon settles down to a deep burble. I need no throttle up the slight incline of the driveway. I drive in my ballet shoes (aka Dunlop Driving Volleys). It is slightly difficult to heal and toe in the beast joggers. There is not one digital instrument in the base GT, so everything is calm. There are no reflective surfaces; they knew what they were doing. The HID low beam comes on slowly - I can adjust them up and down from the dash. The lights are nice. I trundle down the road and let the temperature come up. This is not any sort of fast drive, just an appreciation of the night. The 1179kg and the balance provided by the MCA coilover spec. The exhaust has given an 8% increase in torque but also lowered the RPM to 4700 - you just don’t have to work it. It is a joy to drive the car anywhere, in the wet or dry. I concentrate on the lines through corners and chicanes. I try to get every gear change perfect. I leave the dynamic stability control on the standard setting. Since MCA took out the anti-squat in the rear, any intervention is minor and short. I only once run up to 4K in third up a hill. The motor is warm and is promising so much. We are already at the 80 limit on high beam on a country road.Back home in the warm, out of the ballet shoe on wheels. The car burbled backwards into its home. It does not go out enough. Servicing costs have been comparable to other cars we have owned. Country trips usually result in consumption of 6.5L/100km. Urban gives 7.7. The 205/55/16 tyres are easy to source and usually very good value. The car went into limp mode a couple of times on a trip. A call to the dealer resulted in them identifying that it was a known problem with the oil pressure algorithm. They obviously updated the software instantly. The car has been recalled twice for potential problems with the power steering and the valve springs. No other issues.

Safety features include anti-lock brakes on four wheel discs, traction control, air suspension, self-dipping rear view mirrors, driver and passenger irbags, seatbelts and burst-proof locks.By modern standards perhaps less tech, but an overriding feature compared to many of them is a brilliant driving position, with the ability to actually see. Lovely, comfortable seats in all positions, a proper five-seater with all controls intuitive and easily reached. Dual climate control, good lighting including puddle lights, a large glovebox, and a great-sized practical boot/wagon area with up/down opening tailgates and split-folding rear seats. Parcel shelf to rear load area includes a bits and pieces tray for umbrellas and first aid kits, bulbs etc. A fun feature, too, where the spare wheel cover can become a picnic table. My rear seat picnic tables have just been restored along with much of the wood in the car. Looking forward to refitting that as well. For a large SUV with genuine off road-ability, the car is a lovely to drive.The powerful V8 has it do most things with ease. The air suspension makes the experience very comfortable while making the car very practical over a number of different terrains or uses. And it indeed handles far better than a large heavy car would without it, adapting the suspension to suit load and conditions including cornering. Fantastic interstate touring vehicle over imperfect roads, mixed weather conditions and can overtake with ease when required too. Also a brilliant tow vehicle for heaver loads such as a laden car trailer.It is not a sports car but certainly is a lot of fun with a lovely V8 soundtrack. Running dual fuel, mostly LPG, the car is inexpensive averaging 15.4c/km.The last set of tyres covered 70,000 kms and a new set was $1100.An oil change every 7000km at a cost of less than $100, a transmission service every 100,000km, and some brake pads plus a couple rotors are the main things.Other items I have spent a bit on include a couple new airbags and sensors, a new radiator and thermostat, a serpent belt, a heater motor, and a battery. All up, in 10 years and 100,000km, I have spent less than $10,000 on maintenance.I love this car and by looking after it it has also looked after me. Only twice did this car let me down in 10 years and they were both the exact same thing. The thermostat lives in a plastic ball and when it is old, it can warp and become intermittent.I would highy recommend anyone getting on of these or similar to flush the radiator and replace the thermostat ball.EAS was a little temperamental but a thorough service soon sorted it.An independent specialist is useful as is a Nanocom to "talk" with the computer and look after the car.

One big selling point for us was the presence of physical buttons for major functions such as temperature control, radio, other media, and the maps. Many other settings can be controlled via the 12.3-inch touchscreen, which is seamlessly integrated with a second 12.3-inch instrument cluster in front of the driver. There are plenty of USB-C charging points present in the front and back. One of the USB connectors in the front can be changed by pressing a switch, from a charging function to a USB media connector to allow playing music or video via USB. There are none of the older USB connection points, so we had to buy an adapter to use our older USB sticks.When we bought the Kona it had wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but by the time we got it home an over-the-air (OTA) update (yes, the Kona also has OTA update capability) had changed these to wireless. CarPlay. Works quickly but we have not had the opportunity to test Android Auto. The Kona EV comes with Hyundai's 'Bluelink' connectivity via an app. This can remotely control things like charging, climate control, locking, battery conditioning, and heating or cooling the seats. It works well and is easy to use. Safety features are many in the Kona EV. These include smart cruise control, lane-keeping warning and assist, passing car alert when opening doors, forward and reverse automatic braking when detecting a collision, a 12-inch head up display, and dual projector LED headlights. Reading some reviews about recent Hyundai vehicles in general, many people get annoyed with the continual beeps they get from the safety systems such as speed limit detection or lane changing. Yes, it can get annoying at times and even if you turn the sounds off, they return when the car is turned back on. A solution we found was to create a shortcut to turn the sounds off via the steering wheel shortcut button. Two button presses when you start the car and they are gone! Another, of course, is to turn the radio up – then you don’t hear them!One feature found on the premium model is a blind-spot camera that shows up when you indicate. This appears in the instrument cluster. Other cameras on the car provide a 360-degree 3D image which turns on when parking or in reverse, and can also be manually activated at any time. The first thing that impresses about the Kona is the interior layout. It is just a peasant place to be. The seats are very comfortable and have full electric adjustment for both driver and passenger up front. The rear seats are equally comfortable and have a two-position reclining function, albeit manually operated. Both front and outboard rear seats are heated, and the front are also ventilated. The steering wheel is also heated. All can be pre set via Hyundai’s Bluelink app. There are some hard plastics in the cabin, but you wouldn’t really know it. All the soft touch stuff is where it really counts, where you rest your arms while driving. The steering wheel has a nice feel, too.Storage-wise, there is plenty of space in the Kona. Unlike the first model, which was very limited in the luggage area, this has plenty of boot space for several suitcases or whatever else you want to put back there. Indeed, one of our criteria for selecting the Kona was that it could fit our sporting equipment without folding the car seats down. When you want more storage the rear seats are split 40/60. The boot floor has two levels, and one big surprise is that under it all there is a space-saver spare tyre. None of this tyre-repair stuff! Under the bonnet is a storage trunk (frunk) big enough to hold our spare cables and other small things.Speaking of the bonnet, it is supported with hydraulic struts. The boot is electronic, which I suppose is a good thing and it does work well. Even has an automatic hands-free function. I am a bit old fashioned, though, and still prefer to open the boot myself!The Kona EV also has V2L functionality. This is via a power point in the back seat area. I have only tested it briefly so far and it ran a vacuum cleaner and some power tools without a problem. Still to try making coffee! It also has external V2L capability via the charge port and we have an adapter on order (this is an extra of about $500), so it will be interesting to see how this works.The driving experience is where the Kona stands out among other EVs we took for test drives. The power rating of the 2024 Kona EV is the same as the outgoing model at 150kW, but the torque has been significantly reduced from close to 400Nm to 255Nm. Despite this, it is still comparable to most other EVs and has enough oomph to quickly get off the mark and overtake with ease. Having owned a 2021 Kia Niro with similar outputs to the previous Kona, the lowering in torque is barely noticeable and does make for a more pleasant drive. The ride is very smooth and reminds us of a late model Citroen C4 we recently owned. Cornering feels safe; it is firmly planted and it irons out bumps very well. In fact, we had a 2023 Hybrid Kona as a courtesy car during our first service and this felt very firm and rough in comparison. So too did several other makes of EV we took for test drives. Another plus for the driving experience is how the Kona deals with some of the safety systems in place. Although it has lane keeping with steering assist, this is definitely not as aggressive as some others we have experienced. Haptic feedback, rather than an audible alarm can be set to warn when straying off line and this is gentle rather than violent. Steering assist is generally accurate and works with or without cruise control. In our experience so far, the Kona has not exhibited any ‘phantom braking’, something that has happened in several other EVs we have driven.The efficiency of the Kona Premium is not too bad, as it certainly suits our needs. We live outside of Launceston in Tassie, so it is a bit hilly, and a large proportion of our driving is at highway speeds of 100 – 110km/h. All our driving is with the climate control on. After about 3000km, the overall efficiency rating is at around 17kWh/100km, so that gives a realistic range of about 370-380km with our sort of driving. The official rating for the car is about 444km and this, and possibly more, would easily be achievable around town. We often see a usage of 13-14kWh/100km with town use. These are similar amounts to what we were seeing on our previous Kia Niro, and we had driven it from Tassie to Adelaide several times without any range anxiety. One thing that is disappointing is that the Premium model comes with 19-inch wheels and cannot be optioned with the 17-inch wheels of the standard model Kona EV. With 17-inch wheels the official range is over 500km. Not sure why Hyundai don’t offer this as an option because we certainly would have taken it. The 19-inch wheels do look good, though.Cost-wise, our charging is largely done at home, either using solar or off peak rates. If the battery were completely empty, it would only cost around $10 to ‘fill’. We usually top up once or twice a week at home using the slow charger supplied with the car, which uses a domestic 10amp powerpoint. This is adequate for most of our driving and we only use public fast chargers on trips over 350km.Obtaining insurance was no problem and is similar to a previous four-cylinder petrol car we owned and less than our previous EV which was a 2021 Kia Niro.Servicing is every two years or 30,000km.Reliability of the Kona EV Premium is difficulty to speak to as we have only driven it for 3000km.All seems pretty good so far, though. There are no rattles or squeaks suddenly appearing, and you would certainly notice these as the cabin is very quiet at all speeds. All the panels fit well and everything works as it should. The multimedia screen is responsive and both Apple Maps and the maps on the vehicle work without any glitches. As well as being able to operate the usual voice commands in Apple or Android, the Kona has its own voice control for systems such as heating, sunroof, radio, or maps, and this works well once you know what commands to use!

Multimedia on model I ended up with is poor, with the voice recognition iffy, offering repetitive answers. Safety good but the car was recieved during pandemic and because of multimedia chip shortage, many items removed from the car we recieved. Practicality is poor due to the uncomfortable seats. Awful groud clearance (4") causes several problems, including blown tyres and scrapping underneath car. Uncomfortable ride due to awfully hard suspension. Don't hit a pot hole or speed bump. Indicators make little noise when they are still on and do not always cancel. Seat adjustment manual. I paid for power seats but Mercedes removed them due to the automotive chip shortage. High load area in rear totally unsuitable for the disabled. Battery always says partially charged. Mercedes Me app is good but did not function for first 12 months I had car. Driver is very, very low to ground, with their seat most uncomfortable. AMG Line but there's artificially leather-like plastic seats. Air flow through ugly Mercedes vents. Even though can give voice instructions, controls for heating air-con unit stuck under screen. I disliked this car in two year years. Mileage was 4800 miles. Why so low? I disliked drivIing it, so running costs are not applicable. I intend after 2 years of ownership from new to get rid of this car and get a Kia Sportage HEV. It ran okay but has only driven 4800 miles in two years. I found the Mercedes service department to not always be attentive.

Electric windows, heated seats, heated mirrors, traction control, digital tyre pressure, cruise control and steering wheel buttons. Black material interior. No cuts or stains. Non-smoking car. In good, clean condition for the age of the car. Car drives perfectly. Very smooth ride. Changes gears smoothy. $80-$95 full tank. General service every three months costs $300. Can't get a more reliable car then this. Never let me down. It's never missed a beat. Never had any issues with it.

Adequate cabin protection, area alerts and charge connections considering age. Fabulous in-cabin. Plenty of nooks and crannies in spare wheel well. Tailgate has a boxy shape compared to current acute-angle design limiting height/depth. Near flat when seats folded. Comfy and supportive command seating with folding arm rests.Torquey diesel is excellent for highway and off-road. Excellent steering feel and response. Good turning radius. Good entry and exit angles. Reassuring 4WD with options. Corners of car discernable.My second FL2, interspersed with a Disco Sport.  When retired I sold the Disco (no spare) for the current FL2. None have let me down, with only a fuel pump replaced on current FL2 due to dodgy fuel. Otherwise excellent reliability with regular service intervals. Spare brake pads still in garage.Fabulous. All electrics continue to work properly. Replaced a fuel pump, rear cylinder head thermostat, housing, brake pads, air filter and pollen filter.