GWM bats smart by splitting Haval Jolion range into Pro and City

While the Chinese influx in the local automotive market has led to the introduction of dozens of models over the last few years, two in particular have taken centre stage. The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and GWM Haval Jolion.

The two crossover SUVs are not direct rivals due to the Chery being slightly smaller and it offering a more affordable entry point, but they have both been their respective brands’ protagonists.

And while the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro has managed to stay marginally ahead of the Haval Jolion in the sales race up until now, GWM has come up with a new game plan that could turn the heat of the battle up a few degrees.

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Haval Jolion turns pro

GWM has updated its Jolion line-up by introducing an all-new model called the Haval Jolion Pro. The current model undergoes a slight facelift to slot into the range as the Haval Jolion City, similar to a previous generation VW Polo disguised as a Polo Vivo.

The revised line-up also sees the GWM logo being displayed on the tailgate of the City and Pro as part of its global brand positioning rollout.

The Haval Jolion City is offered in a choice of three derivatives, with the current four-pot 1.5-litre blown mill the sole engine choice. The S and hybrid derivatives will only be available on Jolion Pro models.

ALSO READ: GWM unwraps renamed Haval Jolion City and new Pro pricing

Slick in the City

The City range consists of the 1.5T six-speed manual, the 1.5T Plus with seven-speed dual clutch transmission and the 1.5T Luxury Limited Edition with seven-speed DCT. Only 120 units of the latter – each with a unique numbered placard in the cabin – have will be made available.

In standard 1.5T guise, the Haval Jolion Pro is offered in three trim levels; Premium, Super Lux and Ultra Lux. The are all powered by the same 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that serves on its City siblings. The mill sends 105kW of power and 210Nm of torque to the front wheels via seven-speed DCT.

In 1.5T S Ultra Lux guise, the engine has been uptuned to deliver outputs of 130kW and 270Nm. The power is also routed via seven-speed DCT to the front wheels.

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Hybrid packs a punch

The self-charging 1.5 HEV Ultra Lux has a total system output of 140kW/375Nm which is sent to the front wheels via DHT gearbox.

As far as fuel consumption goes, GWM claims that the City manual will return 7.8L/100km, all standard versions of the 1.5T DCT 8.1L/100km, the S 7.5/100km and the HEV 5.1L/100km.

The air vents underneath Jolion City derivates feature a redesign from the outgoing Jolion. A clear distinction between the City and Pro is that the latter’s headlights and air events are separated by a section of the front bumper. The Pro also features distinctive vertical chrome slats in the front grille.

At the rear, the Pro is clearly differentiated by a light bar taillamp design, with the City’s styling very similar to the outgoing Jolion.

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A different dimension

In terms of dimensions the Haval Jolion Pro is 2mm shorter than the 4 472 City, 84mm wider than the 1 856mm City and 6mm taller than the 1 619mm City. The wheelbase remains unchanged at 2 700mm.

While boot space on offer in the City is 337 litres, Pro models’ cargo space drops to 291 litres. The HEV dips further to 255 litres.

The list of specification starts off generously on both line-ups, with top-end models featuring just too many to mention everything. A 10.25-inch infotainment screen and 3.5-inch digital cluster feature on all three City derivatives and the Pro Premium. These make way for a 12.3-inch screen and seven-inch cluster on the Super and Ultra Luxury.

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Settings memory a huge upgrade

The Citizen Motoring sampled the Ultra Luxury and Ultra Luxury S on a short launch drive around Gauteng last week. While the power and handling were what we expected, we were pleasantly surprised by a major change in terms of the active safety systems, of which there are plenty.

On the outgoing Haval Jolion, all the constant pings and the pongs you were forced to switch off for threatening your sanity reactivated once the ignition was switched off and on again. We are pleased to report that sanity has finally prevailed. All your safety system settings, and even the drive mode, are stored until manually switched on again.

By applying a tried and trusted recipe in keeping the outgoing model on as a more affordable version, while modernising the range at the upper end, GWM’s strategy is bound to pay dividends.

Haval Jolion pricing

• Jolion City 1.5T – R345 950
• Jolion City 1.5T Plus DCT – R370 950
• Jolion City 1.5 Luxury DCT – R420 950
• Jolion Pro 1.5T Premium DCT – R391 150
• Jolion Pro 1.5T Super Luxury DCT – R425 950
• Jolion Pro 1.5T Ultra Luxury DCT – R462 950
• Jolion Pro 1.5T Ultra Luxury S DCT – R495 950
• Jolion Pro HEV Ultra Luxury DHT – R516 950

*Haval Jolion Pro models are sold with a seven-year/200 000km warranty and City models with a five-year/100 000km warranty. A five-year/75 000km service plan is standard on all models.