The Haval Jolion impresses with quality build, family and wallet-friendly design — and it’s an absolute breeze to drive.
Two issues that have troubled prospective buyers of Chinese-made cars in South Africa are: what’s the quality like, and how reliable are they?
Because some Chinese brands haven’t been around long enough to establish trends, it’s difficult to identify any positive or negative trends yet.
So, if you’re looking for word-of-mouth recommendations, it’s not that easy.
However, assessments don’t get more “straight from the horse’s mouth” than they would from someone who has to make vehicles work hard and make them earn their money.
That’s why I was interested to hear the thoughts of Dirk Klopper, chief revenue officer of Pace Car Rental, one of the first companies to buy large numbers of GWM/Haval models for their fleet.
Why the Jolion?
“A lot of people in the business looked at us a bit strangely — as if we were mad — but we got a good bulk deal from GWM, so the price made sense.”
Since then, “a few others are starting to follow our example and dip their toes into the Chinese vehicle offering,” says Klopper.
And why is that? Klopper, a trained engineer, agrees that there is no place to hide in a high-turnover, low-margin business like car hire. “Quality and reliability, if they’re bad, will hurt your bottom line,” he adds.
So far? Just the opposite with Pace’s GWM and Haval vehicles. The company runs a wide variety
of them — from the P Series bakkies (in both two- and four-wheel drive), as well as SUVs like the H6 and the Jolion.
“They’re efficient, they’re reliable, and they don’t get stolen,” he says.
After 600km behind the wheel of one of the Pace fleet Haval Jolions — the first GWM I have driven — I can’t help but be impressed.
The silver car looks unprepossessing at first glance and a lot less flashy than the metallic burgundy H6s, which accompany us up to the Pilanesberg.
It’s a family car, and the starting price of just R350 000 is wallet-friendly.
Many happy kilometres
At a recorded 31 000km, there are no rattles, testimony to build quality. And let’s not forget this is a hire car where most drive it like they stole it…
A quick check of the logbook (no apologies from me for being a document nerd) confirms Pace has had the Jolion serviced on the dot twice at the 15 000km intervals.
With a 110kW 1.5 litre turbo petrol engine, the Jolion is a lot more spritely than others in its price range… although if you put your foot down often enough, you’ll pay for it at the pumps… it will return just under 10 litres per 100km in the city, but driving gently, you can get into the low 6s on a long run.
There’s decent boot- and legroom in the back which would be fine for kids but might be a squeeze for adults. But that is what this car is – for the family.
The Jolion is a light, easy-to-drive car, with all the bells and whistles you’d reasonably need from a safety or from a comfort and convenience point of view – from Apple Car Play and Android Auto to a full suite of airbags, you have what you need to get to your destination safely and well-entertained.
It is a sensible choice, and if you don’t believe me, then listen to Pace Car Rental’s Klopper. If it works for them, it’ll work for you…
