Life, on just about every level from shoes to clothes to smart phone and, obviously, cars is no longer about wondering if you you should even look at something made in China but, is about which Chinese brand you should be scoping out.

The reality is Chinese goods are everywhere and on the automotive side the major exporters from that country have stepped up their game mightily in terms of product build and quality, while keeping pricing to quite aggressively low levels in some cases.

Haval Jolion Pro view from above

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With Great Wall Motors – GWM – having elected to consolidate its sub-brands under the corporte umbrella, the new Haval Jolion Pro and City models become the first to bear the GWM branding on the rear of the car – the Haval nameplate remaining visible on the bonnet that now features a revised hexagonal grille with 14 chrome tipped vertical bars that sits between a pair of multi-angle height-adjustable follow-me-home daytime running headlamps, with LED illumination in the Luxury models.

The rear design prominently features LED taillights connected by a light bar spanning the width of the car, along with the GWM badge.

Every model is equipped with gloss black door handles, mirror covers, a shark fin antenna, boneless wiper blades at the front and rear, and 17-inch face-polished alloy wheels. The Super Luxury models upgrade to black 18-inch wheels and include a panoramic sunroof, black roof rails, automatic headlamps, and automatic wipers.

Haval Jolion Pro rear view

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The Pro variant is naturally larger and wider than the City version, now measuring 4,470 metres in length, 1,898 metres in width, and 1,625 metres in height, resulting in a noticeably more spacious interior.

The new range comprises eight variants, starting with the 1.5T City at R345,900 and ending with the 1.5T S Ultra Luxury 7DCT at R495,950. An HEV version, priced just above R500,000, is expected to be launched in the next month or so.

A highlight of the redesigned dashboard is the reintroduction of one-touch buttons for air conditioning, demister controls, and other functions, making them easily accessible without navigating through complex touchscreen menus.

Haval Jolion Pro dashboard buttons

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The Premium, Super Luxury, and Ultra Luxury models are powered by a 105 kW and 210 Nm turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine, driving the front wheels through a 7-speed Double Clutch Transmission, with Haval claiming a fuel consumption of 8.1 l/100 km. The more powerful 1.5T S Ultra Luxury model features a 130 kW and 270 Nm engine and a 7-speed DCT, achieving 7.5 l/100 km.

During the launch, I had the opportunity to drive both variants, and in urban and rural settings, there was little difference in tractability. On the motorway and for overtaking, the extra power of the 130 kW version is a nice-to-have, but for most buyers, the final decision will likely be based on affordability rather than performance.

Even the subtle differences in interior and luxury specifications can be hard to discern, as the entire Pro range is sold as a comprehensive package with no long list of costly add-on options.

The base model Jolion PRO Premium features a four-way adjustable multifunction paddle shift steering wheel with a 3.5-inch instrument cluster. The steering wheel in Luxury models is treated with leatherette and includes a 7-inch LCD instrument cluster, while Ultra Luxury variants further enhance the experience with a driver’s head-up display projected onto the windscreen.

The Haval Jolion PRO Premium is fitted with cloth fabric seats with six-way adjustment for the driver and four-way adjustment for the front passenger. Luxury models upgrade to leatherette upholstery, six-way power adjustment for the driver, and four-way power adjustment for the front passenger. The Ultra Luxury models add heated front seats and driver’s seat ventilation.

Haval Jolion Pro touchscreen display

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Premium models come with a 10.25-inch Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interface, Bluetooth hands-free, and a touchscreen system with dual USB ports at the front and rear, a 12V power socket, and a 4-speaker FM/AM radio audio system. Luxury models upgrade to a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 6-speaker audio system. The Ultra Luxury models further enhance this with wireless phone charging.

The Premium model includes standard air conditioning, while the Jolion Pro features Dual Zone climate control with rear ducts in the Luxury models. These also include an automatically defrosting front windshield and a heated defroster rear windscreen for frosty Highveld winter mornings.

All models have powered windows with one-touch operation for the driver. Luxury models add one-touch power windows all round and a remote window closing function. The Jolion Pro Premium is equipped with power wing mirrors with indicator repeaters and an anti-glare interior rearview mirror. Luxury variants add electronic anti-glare to the interior mirror and heated auto-folding to the power wing mirrors.

Premium models include a reverse camera backed by four rear parking sensors. Ultra Luxury models are equipped with an Auto Parking System featuring six rear parking sensors, another four at the front, and a 360-degree panoramic view camera system.

Haval Jiolion Pro rear light cluster

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Standard safety features include dual front and front side SRS airbags, with Luxury models adding side curtain airbags. Additional safety features comprise Secondary Collision Mitigation, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, electronic distribution, Hill Descent Control, Roll Over Mitigation, Vehicle Stability, Traction Control, and Hill Assist.

Luxury models are equipped with Intelligent Cruise Assist+ with Intelligent Cornering and Traffic Jam Assistance, Speed Traffic Signal Recognition+, and Forward Collision Warning with Automatic Emergency Braking. Ultra Luxury models also include Lane Change Assist.

The Jolion Pro features MacPherson strut independent front suspension, with a composite torsion beam rear end in Premium and Super Luxury models. Ultra Luxury S and HEV models are equipped with multi-link independent rear suspension.

City models are available with a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DCT automatic Plus, based on the current Jolion but featuring new front and rear design changes such as the new vertical grille in alignment with the Pro models.

Haval Jolion City front view

All Jolion City models come with a 5-year/100,000 km warranty and a 5-year/75,000 km service plan. The Jolion PRO comes with a 7-year/200,000 km warranty and the same service plan.

New Haval Jolion City and Jolion PRO Range & Pricing

                                                                                                             MSRP

Haval New Jolion 1.5T City                                                          R345,950 

Haval New Jolion 1.5T City Plus 7DCT                                       R370,950

Haval New Jolion Luxury 7DCT (Limited Edition)                     R420,950

Haval Jolion PRO 1.5T Premium 7DCT                                          R391,150

Haval Jolion PRO 1.5T Super Luxury 7DCT                                    R425,950           

Haval Jolion PRO 1.5T Ultra Luxury 7DCT                                     R462,950           

Haval Jolion PRO 1.5T S Ultra Luxury 7DCT                                  R495,950           

Haval Jolion PRO 1.5 HEV Ultra Luxury DHT                                R516,950

Colin Windell

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