The 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid is an affordable and spacious compact hybrid SUV for families.
The Haval Jolion range starts from $28,000 for the petrol base model to $41,000 for this new top-spec Ultra Hybrid version. Let’s find out how practical this hybrid is for families when we put it through our BabyDrive testing…
Well, this car is a lot for the price. The exterior looks good and puts on a full disco of lights when you unlock the car. This is especially impressive at night, like the antennas of moths in lines on either side of the front of the car.
The Haval Jolion looks at home in any line-up of new SUVs with modern exterior styling.
The interior is modern and minimal too, but some of the plasticky feeling vinyls and textures do cheapen the interior a little.
The dash is perhaps a little too minimal because there are no aircon controls in the dash, meaning the only way to adjust the aircon is through the media screen and this feels like a fiddly, lengthy process when you are driving. Also you have to come out of any screen you are in to do it. So for example, if you are using the satnav at the time it’s frustrating.
The media screen is a large landscape screen with an easy-to-use system.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is great for accessing the navigation, messaging and music/podcast apps on your phone while driving.
The cameras are exceptionally good for a car of this price…
…with clear imagery and 360-degree views of the exterior of the vehicle.
You can easily turn parking sensors off with a button below the screen on the dashboard.
A nice storage feature in the front is the bridge central console which gives you somewhere to pop your handbag or the passenger's phone if it’s plugged in.
There is wireless phone charging pad, two USBs and a 12v socket there too. Storage throughout the rest of the car is good too, with a glasses case in the ceiling (fewer cars seem to include these nowadays to nice job GWM Haval)…
…there is a good-sized glove box and a big central console box, and the door bins in the front and back are large and will hold refillable water bottles and more.
In the front, there are two cup holders but they are different sizes. One holds a reusable coffee cup or water bottle and the other was the perfect size for my baby's water cup or a babyccino!!
In the back, there are two cup holders in a central fold-down armrest and map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold and conceal an iPad.
When it comes to the rear passengers they are very well looked after.
There is no hump in the rear footwell, which is great news for big kids or adults travelling in the back and it makes it easier for little kids to get in and out of their car seats.
There is so much room in the Haval Jolion, and the footwell makes it more spacious.
There are ISOFIX points in the two outer rear seats. They are not within plastic guides but within shaped parts of the seat fabrics. I found them tricky to connect to but once they are in they are fine.
The top tether anchorages are on the back of all three rear seats and are nice and easy to connect through the boot.
I could just fit between two child seats in the back and I’m 162cm. We travelled with an Infasecure Attain More rear-facing and an Infasecure Aspire More forward-facing and found it really lovely and spacious for our family of four.
Legroom is fantastic in the Haval Jolion. We found we could comfortably fit a 186cm passenger in front of a rear facing Infasecure Attain More. Or a 180cm driver in front of a rear facing Infasecure Attain More.
The boot of the Haval Jolion is quite shallow, probably to house the battery for the hybrid. I feel space has been taken slightly from the boot to give to the interior space.
Having said that, you can fit ten shopping bags in the boot of the Haval Jolion hybrid. This is comparative to the Nissan Qashqai and Honda HR-V that both hold ten shopping bags and the Kia Seltos which holds eleven and the MG ZS which holds nine shopping bags.
Or a twin pram side-by-side pram will fit in the boot underneath the parcel shelf.
A single pram fits nicely in the boot with room for a few bags of shopping.
If your family has a dog then you will fit a small or medium size fur baby in the boot of the Haval Jolion hybrid if you remove the parcel shelf.
Overall the Jolion hybrid makes a great family SUV. Interior space is good and for those that need to fit three child seats in the back you can, and legroom is very generous with rear-facing child seats installed.
The media system and cameras are very good for a car of this price.
The hybrid is economical and the transition from hybrid motor to engine is incredibly smooth, which I was not expecting and I loved sitting while my little one slept mainly using the hybrid system to run the aircon.
I was impressed and surprised by the Jolion. For families, it's one of the most affordable and practical SUVs of its size category on the market and the fact you can get it as a hybrid makes it even more appealing.
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid?
The boot of the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid holds ten shopping bags, which is comparable to the Nissan Qashqai and Honda HR-V that both hold ten shopping bags and the Kia Seltos which holds eleven and the MG ZS which holds nine shopping bags.
A twin side-by-side pram fits in the boot of the Jolion with a little room to spare.
A modular, tandem pram fits in the boot of the Haval Jolion with four shopping bags around it.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
A single pram fits in the boot of the 2022 Haval Jolion Hybrid with three shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits in the boot of the Jolion Hybrid with six shopping bags around it.
You can fit a medium size family dog in the boot of the 2022 Haval Jolion. The boot floor is flat and carpeted so good for emergency nappy changes too.
How good is storage inside the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid?
The cabin storage in the 2022 Haval Jolion is really practical for families, with two different-sized cup holders in the front central console that will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup with an espresso cup or kids Sippy cup.
In front of the cup holders are a few varying size storage slots. Good for the keys or a pen or my Bub's books fit well too so I had a supply to pass back to her!
In front of that is a wireless phone charging pad and underneath the central console is a bridge and so there is a nice big storage area.
It has two USB sockets and a 12v socket. I love this storage area for popping my hand bag. The central console box is a good size in the Jolion too.
The glove box is a practical size for families and it will hold a wallet and iPad with the manual.
There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling (nice to see it given they are getting rare these days) and lit vanity mirrors in the front visors.
The front door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle with plenty of room for your iPad too.
Storage in the back is good as well, it has slightly smaller door bins that will hold a refillable water bottle but not room for an iPad.
There is a fold-down armrest in the central seatback of the Haval Jolion with two cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup.
In the back of both front seats are map pockets that will hold and conceal an iPad and a small shelf underneath the rear aircon vents.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid? How good is the media system in the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid?
The 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid has a lovely modern media system with a large landscape screen, that is easy to navigate.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too.
There are some great features within the media system where you can customise the sound settings for lots of things in the car.
Also you can turn on and off a lot of drive assist features within the media screen too.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
The reversing camera image is very good quality and lovely and clear.
It fills the entire screen and has 360-degree camera views which is very impressive for a car of this price.
The doors and windows of the 2022 Haval Jolion Hybrid close quite gently and they are not baby waking.
The doors close quite easily with a gentle close, which was surprising for a car of this size. With baby asleep you can get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy. The same for the windows their mechanism is not too noisy and I didn’t notice them having a loud opening or closing sound.
With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up!Â
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid?
There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats. They are behind a flap of seat base fabric in little divots and I found them tricky to connect to around the seat fabric but once they were connected they were fine.
There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seatbacks that are clearly labelled and easily accessible through the boot.
I could just fit between two child seats in the back of the Jolion Hybrid and I’m 162cm. We travelled with an Infasecure Attain More rear-facing and an Infasecure Aspire More forward-facing and found it really lovely and spacious for our family of four.
Legroom is fantastic in the Haval Jolion. We found we could comfortably fit a 186cm passenger in front of a rear-facing Infasecure Attain More. Or a 180cm driver in front of a rear-facing Infasecure Attain More.
You can learn more about and purchase the Infasecure child seats in this review here.
Posting Bub into their child seat from outside and inside the Haval Jolion Hybrid is really nice and easy, the doorways are wide and the ceiling inside is nice and high.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is plenty of room to feed Bub in the back of the Haval Jolion if you only have one child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid? And How good is the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid to drive?
The front cabin of the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid has lots of great storage including the central console bridge giving a perfect handbag spot!
The seats are comfortable for front and rear passengers but I found the vinyl got very hot if I parked in the sun! The seat upholstery has minimal panelling and stitching so it is easily kept clean. Cooled seats would be welcome though…
The headrests are not adjustable so I could not wear a ponytail while driving.
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the seats are quite comfortable too, I could only just squeeze between two child seats. The central seat has a firm backrest where the fold down armrest is. Legroom is good in the back and I had plenty of legroom behind a 182cm driver and I'm 162cm.
For the first year of my Bub's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The cruise controls are on the right-hand side of the steering wheel. We found it to not be very accurate and it ran away with itself, especially when set at lower speeds. It also would accelerate and slow down constantly rather than keep a smooth pace. Overall the cruise control was the most disappointing thing about the 2022 GWM Jolion Hybrid.
Across the front dashboard, there are four air conditioning vents, two in the centre below the media screen and one at either end.
In the second row, there are air-conditioning vents in the back of the central console box and USB sockets. I could reach the vents to adjust them for my children while driving.
The controls for the air-conditioning come up in the media screen when you press a button on the dashboard below it. I found this a little inconvenient because if you are using the sat-nav for example you then lose it from the screen if you need to adjust the air-conditioning.
Visibility in the Haval Jolion is good and even with three Infasecure child seats in the back I could still see out of the back window and out of the side windows.
The Haval Jolion Hybrid has a surprisingly smooth transition from electric to petrol which makes it good to drive the family around.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2022 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid?
The new 2022 Haval Jolion Hybrid has not been ANCAP tested. All petrol variants have been tested and scored a five-star ANCAP rating in 2021.
Petrol variants score 84% for child occupant protection, that is broken down into 13.18 out of 16 points for the frontal offset crash and full points for the for the side impact test and for restraint installation. The Haval Jolion scored 8 out of 13 for on-board safety features.
Seven airbags come as standard in the 2022 Haval Jolion Hybrid;
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
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About Tace Clifford
Tace Clifford founded BabyDrive in 2017 after discovering a huge information gap in mainstream car reviews that left new parents and expanding families in the dark when it came to one of the biggest purchasing decisions of their lives.
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