KNOWN as the ‘Chulian’ in China, which loosely translates to ‘first love’, the 2021 Haval Jolion Lux will certainly be spreading the goodness across the Australian small SUV market. It replaces the H2 and has big aspirations.
Packed full of premium features, it has sleek looks and is a great overall package for a very attractive price. The Jolion features a large striking front grille, stylish body kit, LED headlamps, unique daytime running lights and foglamps.
Sitting on 17-inch alloys wrapped in Kumho Solus HS63 rubber, the Chinese SUV certainly looks the part. Inside too, there are some really nice touches, including Haval branded Comfort-Tek leather seat trim, and a 6-way electric adjustable driver’s seat.
Both front seats have heating, and there is a microfibre PU steering wheel, privacy tint and 10.25-inch full colour touchscreen infotainment system. The amount of space is quite surprising and bountiful.
To meet your storage needs, you’ll find front and rear cup holders, door and seat back pockets, and a smartphone tray. Child seats are a breeze to fit with ISOFIX, and when the back-seat gladiators play up, the drop-down armrest helps with 1-degree of separation.
As the traditional centre of chassis floor hump is missing, the rear offers additional leg room, and is perfect for three adults. There are dual USB charging ports and aircon vents back there too, making sure you’re never at loss for entertainment and climatic comfort.
With the seats up, boot space is 430-litres. Fold down the rear seats and you get 1,133-litres of storage. A standard space saver wheel is included under the false boot floor, along with a cargo cover and shopping bag hooks.
The cabin presents as stylish, with its simple, clean look. Again, we find it disappointing to see the absence of functional buttons (like the H6). Climate control adjustment, four drive mode selection and front seat heating can only be accessed via the infotainment screen.
We recommend not trying to navigate/decipher the infotainment platform while driving, as you will either give up or end up in an accident.
Be warned, you will end up messing with the climate control while using the touchscreen, as the button placement in the Jolion is where you would traditionally rest your palm.
All that aside, it does offer an AM/FM radio, USB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and unlike the H6, you get Android Auto as well. An interesting and cool addition is having an extra USB port in the base of the rear-view mirror; perfect for aftermarket dash cams.
HAVAL have included a 360-degree camera system as well, and we cannot get enough of this system’s functionality and quality. Multiple angles, 2D/3D views, even night-time imagery is crisp and clear.
The user friendliness makes it super handy for most parking scenarios too.
The 2021 Haval Jolion Lux is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, paired with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. This little 2WD battler has maximum power of 110kW and delivers 220Nm of torque.
It has claimed fuel economy of 8.1-litres/100km, and we managed 8.9-litres/100km. Haval claim 1,500kg braked towing capacity and 710kg un-braked, so no heavy lifting.
Your Jolion comes equipped with a fancy rotary gear shifter that lacks any real feeling. Changing into Drive, Reverse or Neutral just happens without any physical feedback, which can have you double checking quite often.
Once she’s up and running though, the Jolion is a smooth and comfortable drive, but being a smaller sized SUV, the standard suspension does have its limits. There is minimal cabin and road noise.
If your journey requires you to put the pedal to the metal, then you can enjoy the smooth sounds of your average garden leaf blower (yes, this is what the engine sounds like). You can always drown it out with the 6-speaker DTS sound system.
It’s an excellent distraction for the lack of mechanical balls, and extremely impressive for some standard kit. Take note, playing Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone really loud can induce feelings of speed and agility when travelling under 60km/h.
Once, you’ve accustomed yourself with changing the drive modes, you can then make the choice from Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow. Just like us, you probably want to know how she goes in Sport.
Well, other than making the Jolion a little bit zippier, you aren’t going to achieve warp speed or make the Kessel Run in under twelve parsecs. Even the flappy paddles are kind of unnecessary, and more a novelty.
The Jolion isn’t ANCAP safety rated yet, but its siblings (the H2 and H9) both have 5-stars. It comes with seven airbags, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, lane centre keeping, and automatic emergency braking.
There’s also traffic sign recognition among a 40 strong list of active and passive safety features. Available in three variants (Premium, Lux and Ultra), the mid-ranger we’re testing here is priced from $27,990 drive away.
The 2021 Haval Jolion Lux comes with a 7-year unlimited km warranty, 5-years roadside assist and 5-years capped price servicing. It’s available in Mars Red (as tested), Hamilton White, Smoke Grey, Golden Black, Azure Blue or Vivid Green.
It’s a lot of car, for not a lot of money, and it’s pretty damn classy and stylish to boot.
Our test vehicle was provided by GWM/Haval Australia. To find out more about the 2021 Haval Jolion Lux, contact your local GWM/Haval dealership.
Jason, I wish you had given us a lot more on how it drives on road and dirt roads. After all it is a vehicle for travel.