Skoda Enyaq vs GWM Haval Jolion

What's the difference?

The Enyaq facelift is a big deal, and hopefully the start of a fresh era for Skoda, marking a long-overdue return to brand values. Its first Toyota RAV4-sized family EV SUV nails it for value, functionality, comfort, ease, driving enjoyment, efficiency and even the overall ownership experience.

We have yet to drive the base 60 Select with that headline low price so cannot make a definitive call, but the more-expensive 85 Sportline proves Skoda is taking the family EV very, very seriously. Consumers considering a BYD Sealion 7, Kia EV5 or Tesla Model Y would do themselves a disservice to not check out the Enyaq first. The most convincing Skoda in years.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The GWM Haval Jolion Lux offers affordability in a modern, attractive package. However, the execution of some of its features isn’t always convincing. So yes, it’s sharply priced but it also feels underdone in some respects which doesn’t necessarily equate to value. But if affordability is at the top of your priority list and one or two shortcomings doesn't mean the end of the world, this could be the urban SUV you're looking for.

Fun fact. The Czech-built Enyaq’s handsome nose treatment was inspired by the Mandalorian helmet in the Star Wars universe. It’s a massive improvement over the old Kodiaq-esque proboscis that the previous version wore, almost as a mask of apology for being an EV.

Along with the addition of a more-traditional SUV bodystyle that seems to really suit the restyled front, key changes include improved airflow for some pretty impressive efficiency-enhancing aerodynamics (now down slightly to 0.225 Cd and 0.24 Cd for the Coupe and SUV, respectively), varying LED lighting elements according to grade, redesigned wheels, new colours and the abolition of the old Skoda logo for lettering.

Compared to the pre-facelift version, the new Coupe is 5.0mm longer at 4658mm, the same width at 1879mm, 2.0mm higher at 1623mm and 1.0mm-longer in wheelbase at 2766mm. Except for being 1.0mm shorter, surprisingly, these are also the same dimensions for the latest SUV shape.

The Enyaq’s cabin has been subtly revised as well, with a larger touchscreen boasting physical buttons and updated software for improved functionality, though the basics – which have always been sound – remain.

Being a more practical and family-orientated model, the SUV seems more consistent with Skoda's no-nonsense brand values, putting function over form. If you want form over function, go for the (albeit still practical) Enyaq Coupe.

The Jolion is now longer and wider than it's rivals at 4472mm long, and 1874mm wide. The next largest 'small' SUV is the Kia Seltos at 4385mm long and 1800mm wide which does the Jolion a whole lot of favours for internal passenger space and kerb-side appeal.

The Jolion looks substantial and well-shaped, with enough bells and whistles in the design to keep it fresh; like the swoopy LED DRLs at the front and a curvy behind that’s accentuated by a black spoiler.

The interior has interesting features, like the rotary-dial gear selector, push-button starter and minimalist button panel that sits below the large technology screen.

The dashboard juts out into the cabin and the low-key design is too pared back for my taste. But the cabin looks nice and new with lots of tactile accent panels and shiny screens.

There is still too much plasticky-looking styling to elevate it properly, but for its grade level this is almost luxurious.

Either Enyaq body style majors on practicality. Large doors open wide, high seating points allow for easy entry/egress, and – once sat – there is an abundance of interior space. Like, heaps.

Where the SUV beats the Coupe is in extra glass area, since the higher – or more formal – roofline allows for bigger windows that in turn improve vision out. And more cargo capacity of course.

Only two 85 Sportline models were available for us to review at the launch, so we cannot tell you about the feel and finish in the new base 60 Select grade. But in Sportline, the ambience bristles with upmarket aspiration, thanks to synthetic leather/suede trim, high-quality plastics and nice contrasting materials. Showy but not overdone.

No complaints about the driving position either, due to a pleasing amount of seat adjustment. Those sporty buckets, by the way, are superb (pun intended) providing ample comfort and support. They look cool, too.

The VW Group has obviously listened to criticism over the glitchy electronic multimedia interface in the earlier MEB vehicles, because the 2026 Enyaq’s 13-inch touchscreen is blissfully easy and drama-free. It may not have the crisp modernity of the vast all-in-one displays found in most Chinese alternatives, but for functionality, it gets the job done.

Key points to keep in mind are that all the major vehicle controls, from climate and audio to phone and car settings, are accessed via buttons or toggles either permanently on the screen or as actual hard switches below the vents.

As such, the display is responsive, feels slick to the touch and looks the business, and doesn’t even attempt to distract you to the degree of many others. Even the volume slider is effective. Possibly the best ever experienced.

Even in driving rain and ensconced in thick fog, the ventilation system made light work of clearing the screen and maintaining the desired temperature. You gotta love German cars for that. Myriad storage options include a hungry glove box, handy centre console with ratcheting armrest for extra comfort and even flocked door bins for bottles and other bits and bobs. And let’s not even mention the umbrella storage within. Skoda’s most enduring calling card, surely.

Result? There aren't shortcuts inside today’s Enyaq, making this one of the most thoughtfully presented EVs, period.

Likewise, the rear seat. Large in structure and equally-friendly in nature, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re sat in an Audi, such is the look and feel in the 85 Sportline. Surely to the annoyance of Q4 e-tron owners. We imagine the 60 Select would seem more like a grey flannel suit, texturally speaking. Which has its own aesthetic appeal for some.

The wide (fixed) bench should fit three across in comfort, vision out is enhanced by narrow front seats to lessen the sense of confinement, and all the little helpful things are present and ready to serve. Vents for faces. Temperature controls. USB outlets for devices. An armrest for elbows. Two types of cupholders – as over-engineered in said armrest as the one within a removable caddy on the floor feels flimsy. Door storage for days. Slots for phones. Sleeves for maps. Lighting for reading. Handles for scaredy cats. And hooks for coats. Skoda puts the metaphorical yak in Enyaq.

Finally, in the business end out back is a massive load area, defined by a high-opening (and powered, remember) tailgate, low ‘n flat floor and typically sensible additions like standard charging cables, remote seat-back folding, shopping hooks, underfloor storage and extra lighting. Capacity is 585 litres in the SUV, up from 570L in the Coupe, while extending the luggage area by dropping those 60/40 seatbacks boost volumes to 1710L and 1610L respectively. Great for sleeping in. Braked trailer towing capacity is 1000kg.

About the only real black mark is the lack of a spare wheel, which could turn a trip away into a nightmare. Instead, the poor Enyaq owner and their family must rely on a tyre inflation kit, which is useless if the wheel has been gashed and is expensive to replace. Destroys the tyre even if it’s just a fixable puncture. Not good enough.

Otherwise, you’ll struggle to find a more-complete, family-focused medium SUV EV. Singles should get a kick out of it too.

It's a running theme but the practicality of the Jolion doesn't always land. However, what it does well, it does very well.

Take the access and space for passengers. Both rows offer class-leading head- and legroom for its occupants, even middle seaters should be happy considering the transmission tunnel isn't tall.

Despite the manual passenger seat being set too high and both seats lacking lumbar support, front seaters still enjoy the most comfort. The heated front seats are also a pleasant surprise for the grade level, although their function is buried deep within the multimedia system and I mostly forgot about them.

The rear seat is fairly hard and doesn't offer much side bolstering, although the middle armrest helps to secure outer passengers in corners.

Storage is solid throughout the cabin with a reasonably sized glove box that can hold a thick manual, middle console and dedicated phone shelf, as well as a second phone 'slot'.

There is a sunglasses holder (sunnies rattle when stored, though) and a cubby underneath the centre console that can hold a small handbag but anything stored might interfere with the USB ports housed there.

There are two cupholders up front but you can't fit two cups side by side. Two cupholders, a couple of map pockets and storage bins finish up the storage in the back seat.

The boot capacity sits at 337 litres and while large enough for a good grocery haul it falls on the lower end for the class. By comparison, the Kia Seltos offers 433L.

Now, on to what the Jolion doesn't do all that well. It's new 10.25-inch multimedia screen and 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster look the part - all shiny and new-looking - but their usability falls somewhat short.

The media touchscreen is responsive but a punish to use on the go as most functions, including climate control, are accessed via the screen. A few dedicated buttons would be welcome, so changing bits on the road doesn't leave you flustered.

The digital instrument cluster isn't customisable and is set to a dark display screen with a typeface that looks blurry on some key displays, especially the speedometer.

There is a rather large and in-your-face driver monitoring camera installed on the A-pillar which feels too much like you're under surveillance while driving (not a fan, clearly).

Charging options include four USB-A ports and a 12-volt socket but that's it and it would be good to see a newer, faster USB-C port somewhere in the car.

A feature the Jolion does get right is the wired Apple CarPlay as it maintains a steady connection and is very quick to set up. The Lux also has wired Android Auto.

You don't get a powered tailgate and you might miss it as the boot lid is fairly heavy.

The Jolion line-up consists of six variants and the model on test here is the Lux, which sits second-from-the-bottom.

Its $29,990, drive-away, price tag positions it as one of the more expensive options compared to its nearest rivals with the MG ZS Excite the most affordable at $25,083, drive-away and the Mitsubishi ASX ES next at $27,990, drive-away.

Despite a similar specification, the Kia Seltos Sport+ FWD is hamstrung on price as it sits a way up the price ladder at $38,890, drive-away, but comes with the longest servicing schedule.

Premium equipment for the Lux includes synthetic leather upholstery, an electric driver's seat, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, a 360-degree view camera system and rear parking sensors.

Other standard features include a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, four USB-A ports, a 12-volt socket, a 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system and (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A fixed cargo cover and temporary spare tyre round out its features list. Not bad at all considering it's almost a base model but the usability of those features can be hit or miss.

Note there is no under-bonnet storage in this EV. Or even a motor in the rear-drive 60 and 85 grades. You’ll find that by the rear axle, instead.

It is a permanently excited synchronous unit, driving the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission.

In the 60 Select, it makes 150kW of power and 310Nm of torque, to propel the base Enyaq from 0-100km/h in 8.1 seconds, on the way to a 160km/h top speed.

Meanwhile, the 85 Sportline lives up to its name with a 210kW/545Nm upgrade, slashing the 0-100km/h time to 6.7s whilst increasing top speed to 180km/h.

The Jolion Lux has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine that produces 105kW of power and 210Nm of torque.

The Lux is a 2WD and has a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission which isn’t always smooth with its gear changing but power is sufficient if you don't expect it to be zippy.

How efficient are these newly-more-aerodynamic Skoda EV SUVs?

The Australian official combined energy consumption average is 15.9kWh/100km for the 85 Sportline SUV and 15.5 for the Coupe version, with the latter’s swoopier lines contributing to the lower figure.

That also translates to better WLTP range at 561km versus 547km in the 85 Sportline SUV.

No local consumption numbers are yet available for the 60 Select, but in Europe it averages 15.1kWh/100km; the WLTP range is 410km.

AC charging is 11kW and DC charging is 165kW in the 60 Select and 135kW in the others. The lower figure reflects better thermal management whilst still achieving the same result.

Charging from empty to full at home using a normal plug could take up to 40 hours, or nearly 13hr with an optional 7.0kW wallbox, while using a common 50kW DC fast charger on the go to get a top-up to 80 per cent takes about 80 minutes.

One of the benefits of the smaller-battery Enyaq 60 is that those charging times can be cut by about 20 per cent.

So much for the theory. Out in the real world, we managed to consume around 16.1 kilowatt hours per 100km in the standard Sportline, and 16.5kWh/100km in the Ultimate version with the larger 21-inch wheel and tyre package.

That's still pretty efficient.

The Haval Jolion Lux has an official combined (urban/extra-urban) fuel cycle figure of 8.1L/100km and based on its 55L fuel tank, theoretical driving range is around 680km, which is respectable for a little SUV.

My real-world usage came in at 7.8L/100km after mostly open-road driving, with a smattering of urban stuff. Overall, it's a solid result.

Sadly, no Enyaq 60 Select was available at the launch event – understandable given it won’t arrive at Skoda dealers until November.

But we were in for a treat anyway, because, on the strength of the 85 Sportline, the Enyaq shines, emphatically, solving a riddle as to why European reviewers have been so partial to this model since it debuted in late 2020. And the Series II facelift we have here only serves to heighten the experience.

This is a rapid EV off the line, as the 6.7-second 0-to-100km/h figure attests to. Out on Australian real-world roads, it feels even stronger than that, with urgent acceleration and instant throttle response. And all while being really very smooth, premium-luxury smooth. We’ve driven the Q4 e-tron and Cupra Tavascan with the same powertrain and we’d struggle to tell them apart from behind the wheel.

And so on to the steering, handling and roadholding.

The Enyaq behind the wheel feels light but planted, with just enough feel and interaction for the driver to feel involved and connected. Armed with a trick variable-ratio steering rack, the way the 85 Sportline tips into corners so fluidly, even at higher speeds, reveals a reassuring level of body control. And this isn’t even the RS AWD performance version.

We had reservations about this grade’s standard 20-inch wheel and tyre set-up, with passive suspension, but we need not have worried… as much.

Over quite bad roads in NSW's Hunter Valley, the Skoda dealt with larger bumps well, if also always firmly. Rarely was the ride jarring, but occasional jolts were felt over smaller-frequency stuff. We feel this would be more of an issue in the inner-urban big-city streetscapes, but were not able to assess that at this time.

In contrast, the 21-inch Ultimate version, with adaptive dampers, smothered over much of what the bitumen threw up at us, soaking up the surface in similar fashion to most luxury SUVs fitted with active suspension tech. There’s still an underlying stiffness there, but you’d never call it uncomfortable.

There's a bit too much road noise coming through, though, making that the Enyaq’s biggest dynamic complaint, regardless of specification. Again, the (Pirelli-shod) 21s did it better than the 20s. We wonder what the 19-inch 60 Select version will ride and sound like inside.

Otherwise, the Enyaq is almost annoyingly difficult to fault.

Progressive and instantaneous braking, a well-managed level of regenerative braking, a very tight turning circle, easy vision out to further boost driving confidence, and nuanced advanced driving-assist system (ADAS) intervention all elevate the Skoda way above most rivals, especially those from China with inadequate Australian-road tuning. This is how it’s done, folks.

So, yes, on initial acquaintance, Skoda’s first EV is impressively sorted, offering something for the driver and their occupants. It drives like a much-newer vehicle than its five years on the world market suggests.

Clearly, the brand has had time to iron out the bugs and what we're left with is a very user-friendly, easy and enjoyable EV SUV.

The Jolion's on-road experience is underwhelming and unsophisticated most of the time. It's strictly an A to B style car, which will work well for some people.

The power and its delivery are okay but this car doesn't get close to zippy and its well of performance feels decidedly shallow on the open road.

The engine whines loudly when trying to get up to speed and its gear changes can come a tad too swiftly, especially between first and third.

The accelerator and brakes are touchy, and until you get used to them the Jolion can feel a little jerky in the city. But the steering is on the right side of firm and that at least feels direct and responsive. 

Suspension is hard and you get all the bumps which also translates into a loud cabin. Your senses take a battering on a longer trip and kids in the back will ask you to repeat yourself.

The Jolion is redeemed somewhat by an excellent 360-degree view camera system but you miss out on front-parking sensors.

It’s small enough that it’s not hard to park and for an urban dweller that is a big plus as it's quite suitable for a dash to a busy shopping centre car park. 

The Jolion has a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from testing done in 2022 and has seven-airbags, including a front-centre bag. 

Standard safety equipment is good for the grade level and includes blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, tyre-pressure monitoring, forward collision warning, LED DRLs, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, an intelligent seatbelt warning, adaptive cruise control, a USB outlet near the interior mirror for a dashcam, a 360-degree camera view system and rear-parking sensors.

Despite featuring a robust safety list a running theme has emerged this week. Everything sounds good on paper but the execution is another matter.

Its not enough to just have all of these safety systems in place, they also have to work well for everyday driving. And some of the systems are annoying and intrusive.

There are lots of bings, bongs and chime alerts from the driver monitoring system, traffic sign recognition tech and lane keeping aids.

You also get nonsensical text boxes displayed on the multimedia screen asking non-binary (open) questions requiring a yes or no response.

For families, you get two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top tethers across the back seat but two seats will fit best.

The Jolion has AEB (operational from 1.0 to 85km/h) including pedestrian, cyclist and back-over detection. It's usual to see this type of system operating from 4.0km/h, so that's excellent.

You’re also in for decent peace of mind, thanks to Skoda’s seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Service intervals are every two years or 30,000km – whichever comes first. An eight-year/160,000km traction battery warranty also applies.

No capped-price servicing is offered, but pre-paid service packs have been announced for the 85 Sportline models. These are an eight-year/120,000km offer at $1650 (which averages out annually to $206) or a 10-year/150,000km offer at $1950 (which averages out to $195 annually).

There are over 40 Skoda dealers dotted around Australia, and around 65 authorised servicing outlets, some of which are general Volkswagen dealer centres.

All extremely competitive, especially for a German-owned European brand. Which sums the Enyaq up to a tee.

The Jolion is offered with an excellent seven-year/unlimited km warranty.

There is a five-year capped priced servicing program and services average $310 which is mid-range for the class.

The first service is before 10,000km but thereafter, servicing intervals are at every 12-months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.