With its well-priced and well-speced SUVs, the Chinese brand has knocked big names like Opel and Mitsubishi out of touch and is continuing to grow its passenger car market share.
Last month, here in SA, Haval sold 1 112 passenger vehicles, more even than Mazda and Mercedes-Benz.
May also saw the brand launch a completely new car, the Haval Jolion, and after having driven it, it’s clear why its SUVs have become so popular.
It’s a looker
Remember how dreary Kia cars used to look?
On the outside those old Shuma sedans had absolutely nothing going for them but Kia made a plan; they employed a top Audi designer and today they turn heads.
Well, Haval did the same; two years ago they employed Phil Simmons, an ex-Land Rover designer responsible for penning SUVs such as the current Range Rover Sport and Velar.
The first product of this move is the Jolion, and the results are very easy on the eye.
In fact, the Jolion looks more progressive than many of the SUVs it aims to challenge.
The front is imposing without being extravagant and the rear well-balanced with attractive tail lamps.
Outside, no matter from which angle you look, the Jolion cannot be faulted.
And it’s the same inside; the Jolion’s cabin is truly an impressive, comfortable and practical place to be when on the open road.
But firstly, to put the package in perspective, note that Autodealer tested the Haval Jolion 1.5T Premium 7DCT which costs R339 900.
For that money you get an SUV the size of a Toyota RAV4, with a 1.5-litre turbo-charged engine and 7-speed transmission (more about the drivetrain later), as well as a very attractive and quality interior fitted with the type of standard luxury features one associates with premium cars.
The seats inside the Premium, to start with, are covered with hardy cloth panels of various textures and are not only comfortable beyond expectations but very sturdy and almost conform to the shape of one’s body.
Throughout the cabin are various clever storage spaces with the phone slot in the centre console a very practical solution that most car manufacturers still have to figure out.
If you don’t want to keep your phone in the centre console slot, there’s also a wireless charging pad further forward.
Yes, a wireless smartphone charging station is standard equipment in the mid-spec Jolion, and so is a massive 10.25-inch high-definition colour touchscreen (12.3-inch in the ‘Luxury’ trim).
Other impressive items include steering wheel paddle shifters, dual zone air conditioning, cruise control and a full set of sensors and cameras covering the Jolion the entire 360 degrees.
Ride and safety
Haval has a 1.5-litre turbo-charged petrol unit which it likes to use in most of its mid-size vehicles and which Autodealer has driven extensively.
In the Jolion this 1.5 turbo-petrol unit, tuned to deliver 105kW and 210Nm, really shines and, coupled to Haval’s new 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, make for a refined drive not often found, especially in an SUV below the R500K mark.
The Jolion platform is of a modern, light construction and that suits this specific drivetrain like a glove, making for a compliant drive inside and out of town.
It’s by far the best driving Haval SUV Autodealer has tested to date and very much in line with what segment leaders offer at much higher prices.
As for active and passive safety features, there’s really no shortage because the Jolion comes standard with ABS and EBD, an electronic stability system and traction control, anti-roll mitigating system plus ‘secondary collision mitigation, hill start assist and downhill assist, tyre pressure sensors and those park sensors and 360-degree camera system already mentioned.
The range topping Jolion in ‘Super Luxury’ trim gains Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Jam Assists, Intelligent Turning Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Pre-Collision Warning software and Automatic Emergency Braking.
There’s really not much else Haval could’ve given its newest SUV.
Should you buy one?
With Haval having overtaken well-known brands as far as sales numbers go, is very important because as the numbers go up, so does the dealership footprint and resale value of these cars.
So that old argument that it’s an unknown brand with poor resale is losing momentum.
What about reliability?
Well, while Autodealer cannot make a judgement on the mechanical bits and pieces’ long term endurance, there’s thousands of Havals already on the road and you don’t see any of them standing with their bonnets open. do you?
Another argument losing traction fast.
Fact is the new Jolion, especially, feels more refined with a better perceived built-quality than its rivals with none of that hollow, tinny feel when you open and close the doors or go over speed humps.
It looks good, drives well and has modern safety and luxury features.
As far Autodealer can tell, apart from the badge, there’s nothing Chinese about the Jolion.
And did we mention it’s priced well, well below similar sized SUVs?
