GWM, the Chinese vehicle maker formerly known as Great Wall Motors, and its SUV offshoot Haval are rapidly rising the sales rankings and giving the well-established brands the hurry up, courtesy of growing consumer appetite for more-affordable vehicles.

Like most manufacturers these days, GWM is on a mission to electrify its fleet, aiming to launch more than 50 of what the brand dubs New Energy Vehicles (NEV) by 2025.

The new Jolion Hybrid is one of these NEV models joining bigger brother, the H6 Hybrid, and expanding the Jolion small SUV range to five models.

There is but one well-equipped grade sporting hybrid power, the Ultra, and it’s the dearest Jolion variant with a drive-way price of $40,990. That’s a neat $7,000 upstream of the Ultra petrol model, but still looking attractive in a class where there are several hybrid competitors on offer.

The Hybrid Ultra is well equipped for the price and shares interior, safety, driver assistance, and connectivity features with the equivalent petrol model.

Exterior styling changes to set it apart include a new front grille, blue accents for the LED headlights and front fog-lights, new bumpers front and rear, a new rear spoiler, and restyled 18-inch alloy wheels.  

Infotainment features on Ultra models include a larger 12.3-inch colour touchscreen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers, AM/FM radio (there’s no DAB+), USB ports front and rear, wireless phone charging, and a head-up display for the driver.

Annoyingly, the central screen menu houses the controls for climate settings, heated front seats, drive modes, regenerative braking, and safety systems.

It’s a fussy interface and the driver distraction alert – its sensor attached to the right side ‘A’ pillar like an afterthought – quickly chides the driver if searching while on the move.

Steering adjustment is reach only and there’s no height adjustment for the front seat belt upper anchors which may bother some drivers, but the 360-degree multi-view camera system is a welcome feature.

The standard active safety kit includes AEB with pedestrian, cyclist and cross-roads detection, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, lane change assist, forward collision warning and traffic sign recognition.

Seven airbags including a front-centre airbag are fitted and all petrol models carry a five-star (2022) ANCAP crash rating, although this new hybrid version isn’t yet rated.

The Jolion’s interior is respectably spacious feeling more generous, even for rear-seat passengers, than its small SUV classification might suggest.

The petrol models offer 430 litres of cargo space expanding to a maximum of 1,133 with the split rear seat folded, but the hybrid loses some space thanks to its battery packaging, coming in at 390 and 1069 litres respectively.

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Hybrid buyers are also short-changed in the spare wheel department, making do with a mobility kit instead of the slightly more practical space saver spare found in the petrol versions.

The Jolion’s hybrid powertrain combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, producing combined outputs of 139kW and 375Nm.

Drive is delivered to the front wheels via GWM’s Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, which features two ratios.

The power and torque figures place the hybrid well ahead of the standard turbo-petrol models, even bettering the high output Jolion S turbo-petrol.

The smart hybrid system is designed to maximise efficiency and performance according to speed and load conditions, smoothly switching drive between EV mode, series hybrid, parallel hybrid and regeneration modes.

It responds willingly to throttle inputs and is a noticeably stronger and quieter performer than petrol models, but damp roads can see the front tyres scrabbling for grip under acceleration.

Running on regular unleaded, the hybrid returns official combined cycle fuel consumption of 5.5L/100km, which is just over 3L/100km more fuel-efficient than the standard petrol variants.

Our test average for a mix of urban and fast backroads driving came in at just over 7.0L/100km, which is still about 3.0L/100km better than our test average for the standard petrol model.

Out on the road the partially electrified Jolion’s ride is reasonably comfortable, with handling that’s secure and competent, although it falls short of the dynamic polish of class rivals like the Mazda CX-30 and Hyundai Kona.

Some of the Jolion’s interior trims also lack the quality look and feel of its mainly Japanese and Korean rivals, although overall styling and levels of finish will likely satisfy most buyers, particularly given the price. 

There are soft-touch trims to be found inside, including on the door cards and dash pad, and a microfibre leather trim steering wheel, as well as Comfortek faux leather-trimmed seats.

Both real and moulded stitch details and the Haval name stitched into the front seat backrests contributed to the attractive interior ambience.

The confidence of a seven-year unlimited kilometre vehicle warranty, extended to eight years unlimited kilometres for the HEV battery, as well as five years capped price servicing, will only add to the appeal of this easy-to-drive small SUV, particularly as cost-of-living pressures continue to bite.

Key stats

• MLP: $40,990 drive-away
• ENGINE: 1.5-litre petrol/two electric motors
• ANCAP CRASH RATING:  Not rated
• FUEL CONSUMPTION (combined cycle, litres/100km)_:  5.0 (115g/km CO₂)
• FOR: Decent value, good performance and fuel economy, spacious for a small SUV, long warranty, safety equipment.
• AGAINST: Higher price, no steering reach adjustment, key controls buried in screen menus, less polished road manners than competitors, driver attention monitor looks like an afterthought, mobility kit. 

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