Johannesburg - South Africa’s hybrid SUV space has another new entrant with the Haval Jolion HEV going on sale this week.

Priced at R549 950 in Luxury trim and R579 950 in Super Luxury guise, the Haval Jolion HEV is the country’s second cheapest hybrid SUV, slotting between the Toyota Corolla Cross (R442 400 to R480 200) and its larger brother, the Haval H6 HEV, which sells for R669 950.

Although it can’t match the Corolla Cross for affordability, the new Chinese contender does offer a performance advantage, with its 1.5-litre turbopetrol combining with an electric motor to produce system outputs of 140kW and 375Nm. For the record, the Toyota offers 90kW.

Like its aforementioned counterparts the Haval Jolion HEV is a self-charging hybrid that can cover limited distances on electric power alone, with the combustion engine kicking in when increased speed and acceleration are required.

The system can switch seamlessly between EV, Series Hybrid, Parallel Hybrid and Regeneration modes, depending on the driving scenario. At the flick of a switch, drivers can choose between Eco, Standard, Sports and Snow modes.

But how much fuel does it use? According to Haval, the Jolion HEV will sip 5.0-litres per 100km on the combined cycle.

As you’d expect from Haval, both models are well stocked with luxury and safety features.

The Luxury model ships with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, push button start, panoramic sunroof, rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, ESC stability control and six airbags.

The Super Luxury derivative gains a 12.3-inch infotainment system as well as Head-Up Display, 360-degree panoramic camera and a raft of driver assist features, including Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Change Assist and Blind Spot Detection.

The Haval Jolion HEV models also receive a unique exterior design package to tell them apart from regular Jolion models. This includes a bespoke front bumper incorporating a unique ‘diamond’ grille, as well as LED Premium Vision headlights with blue accents, silver roof rails and 17-inch or 18-inch alloy wheels.

Both models are sold with a five-year or 60 000km service plan as well as a five-year / 100 000km warranty, while the hybrid battery is covered for eight years or 150 000km.

Haval Jolion Pricing (January 2023)

1.5T City 6MT - R342 950

1.5T Luxury 6MT - R377 950

1.5T Premium 7DCT - R384 950

1.5T Luxury 7DCT - R414 950

1.5T Super Luxury 7DCT - R446 950

1.5T S 7DCT - R479 950

1.5T HEV Luxury - R549 950

1.5T HEV Super Luxury - R579 950

IOL Motoring