Haval Jolion 2022 review: Lux long-term

You can’t move these days without hearing something about Chinese cars right? How sales are soaring, how they’re cracking the top 10, how they’re a bargain-hunters dream come true. 

But what you don’t really hear about all that often is what they’re like to live with. How all that fancy-looking jewellery and cabin tech holds up after some hard living.

Which is why I’m very excited about the vehicle currently parked out the front of my place - the Haval Jolion Lux

Haval will sell more than 4000 of these small SUVs in 2021, which — while not quite enough to be troubling the major mainstream players, what with MG to shift around 18,000 examples of its ZS, and more than 14,000 examples of the Mitsubishi ASX destined to find homes — it’s certainly enough to attract some attention.

It’s more than the Skoda Kamiq, for example, and the Jeep Compass and Suzuki Vitara. It’s also not a million miles off the Nissan Qashqai. 

No doubt, then, Haval is making waves, with the Chinese SUV company making inroads into the Australian market. 

The big question, then, is why? Is it simply a value proposition? Or is there substance below the surface, too?

What is the value?

On the first point — value — you’ll find plenty of it here. Our model, the Lux, sits above the Premium and below the Ultra models, placing it smack in the middle of the three-model Jolion range. 

It’s yours for $29,990 drive-away, and you get A LOT of stuff for your money. 

Even the entry-level Premium trim ($27,490 drive-away) gives you plenty of fancy stuff — like 17-inch alloys and a big 10.25-inch screen that gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera with parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert, as well as Lane Departure Warning with lane Keep Assist.

The entry-level Premium trim gives you, 17-inch alloys and a big 10.25-inch screen that gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

But the Lux adds cool kit like LED headlamps and DRLs, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-look seats that are heated in the front, dual-zone air-con controlled digitally, a 7.0-inch digital instrument display and a pretty good six-speaker sound system.

In fact, the only things the Ultra ($32,990) model adds on top are bigger 18-inch wheels, a bigger infotainment screen, a head-up display, wireless charging and a sunroof.

For mine, then, the Lux is all the car you need in that line-up, and thus all the money you really need to spend.

And it feels it from the front-seat, too. There’s a nice mix of textures and materials in the cabin, the leather-look seats are comfy, heated, and most importantly, can be wiped down and cleaned easily, and there’s a ton of clever tech, including the big, clear touchscreen that takes pride of place in the centre of the dash. 

So value? Tick.

What about practicality?

The Haval Jolion Lux measures in a 4472mm in length, 1841mm in width and 1574mm in height, and it rides on a 2700mm wheelbase. 

That’s pretty good for a small SUV. The MG ZS, for example, stretched 4314mm long and 1809mm wide, while the Mitsubishi ASX measures 4365mm and 1810mm. 

The Haval Jolion Lux measures in a 4472mm in length, 1841mm in width and 1574mm in height, and it rides on a 2700mm wheelbase. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

More space means more room, and the Jolion delivers plenty of room for backseat riders, with ample head- and leg-room, and — because there’s no cumbersome tunnel eating into the space — a genuinely comfortable experience for middle-seat riders. 

Jolion delivers plenty of room for backseat riders. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

Boot space is a decent 430L/1122L, too, and it’s wide, easy-to-use space, happily swallowing all the gear our little family needs for a week away.

Boot space is a decent 430L/1122L. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

Practicality? That’s a tick, too.

So far, so good, then. 

How safe is it?

Then let’s talk safety. You’ll find six airbags, hill descent control, hill starts assist, a tyre pressure monitor, rear parking sensors a 360-degree reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, Lane Keep Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Warning with AEB and Pedestrian and Cyclist detection, blind spot monitoring, the list goes on and on.

Rear parking sensors a 360-degree reversing camera. (Image by Andrew Chesterton)

It’s not yet been ANCAP tested, but full marks to Haval for throwing plenty at the standard safety offering.

There’s one thing, though, that I do find a little weird. The massive box next to the steering wheel is the Jolion’s fatigue camera, which is supposed to check whether you’re getting drowsy. The problem? It feels massively intrusive. Seriously, there have been times when I’m singing along in the car and suddenly catch a glimpse of this thing and stop, just in case someone is watching a live-stream of my cabin from somewhere. 

So on paper, it stacks up pretty nicely. But life isn’t lived in the specification sheet, so the big question is, what is the Jolion like to drive? And to live with?

For that, you’ll have to wait until our next instalment.

Acquired: November, 2021

Distance travelled this month: 480km

Odometer: 1986km

Average fuel consumption for November: 9.8L/100 (measured at the pump)

Right then, let's talk driving.

Because while value, practicality and safety all appear as strong ticks in the Jolion's column, its driving dynamics are less impressive.

How much you enjoy your time behind the wheel of the Jolion depends very much on where you drive it, how your drive it, and how willing you are to take some time to get to know it.

The heart of this Jolion Lux is a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 110kW and 220Nm. It's strictly a two-wheel-drive affair, of course, with the power sent to the front tyres via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

That's not a lot of power, and you'd think it would be easy to handle, but it's the way the grunt is delivered that can catch you off guard.

Like with plenty of small-capacity turbo engines, there's no shortage of lag when you first plant your foot, giving you a moment of nothing before all the grunt on offer arrives in one great, fat lump.

If driving dynamics are at the core of your being, then the Jolion still has some improving to do. (image: Andrew Chesterton)

It can catch you off-guard, and make for some jerky set-offs from lights. But more embarrassing is the fact that, should you be facing uphill and you've applied a little too much throttle, the Jolion's front wheels break traction, skidding their way to grip and leaving you sounding like you're trying out for the next Fast and Furious: Small SUV Drift.

The lumpy power delivery combines with a fidgety gearbox that never quite seems 100 percent certain what cog it want to be in, creating a drive experience that, unless you're gentle with your inputs, can be grating.

And because the engine is quite loud in the cabin, when the gearbox is frequently dropping cogs to find peak power, you notice it. Though, a bit like living under a flight path, you tend to block it out in time, but I do wish the seven-speed DSG was a little more silky in the way it goes about its business.

The 55-litre tank accepts the cheapest 91RON petrol, which, in this world of sky-high prices, is very good news. (image: Andrew Chesterton)

The overall ride quality isn't brilliant, either, with the rear axle especially feeling like it bangs over speed bumps and harsher road imperfections.

I think Haval could really benefit from some local tuning to improve the ride quality here. The move worked wonders with the challenger brands of yesteryear, and would likely do a world of good here, too.

Things do calm down considerably on the freeway (though the active cruise control has a tendency to phantom break when it sees a corner up ahead, or a car in the neighbouring lane, or just because it feels like it), and though the cabin isn't whisper quiet, it's an easy SUV to rack up some serious kilometres in.

And I guess that sums up the Jolion drive experience neatly. Don't ask too much of it, keep your inputs gentle, and take some time to learn its quirks, and you'll likely get along just fine. And really, most of its likely owners will be happy to do just that.

But if driving dynamics are at the core of your being, then the Jolion still has some improving to do. It could be smother, it could be calmer, and the power delivery could be more linear, and I think it could benefit from a localised suspension tune.

Now, on fuel: Haval reckons you'll drink. 8.1L per 100km on the combined cycle, but we've seen higher figures than that on test. Happily, though, the 55-litre tank accepts the cheapest 91RON petrol, which, in this world of sky-high prices, is very good news.

Don’t ask too much of it, keep your inputs gentle, and take some time to learn its quirks, and you’ll likely get along just fine. (image: Andrew Chesterton)

Acquired: November, 2021

Distance travelled this month: 1124

Odometer: 4323km

Average fuel consumption for January: 10.8L/100