If you don’t know, Great Wall Motors (GWM) is a Chinese automotive manufacturer established in 1984. Today, it sells over 1.4 million vehicles annually, with 44% of those sales coming from overseas markets. The last GWM I drove was the Steed Pickup — and to be diplomatic, it was a work in progress rather than a true thoroughbred.

Fast-forward to today, and we have the GWM Haval Jolion Pro Hybrid. The name might be a mouthful, but does the car itself have real substance beneath all the marketing? Or is it just another generic SUV?

The Exterior

The last GWM I drove, the Steed, was built like a tank — and that’s about all I can say for it. But a decade later, the Jolion Pro represents a quantum leap forward. It’s a well-built, reasonably well-finished SUV that could easily be mistaken for something European in terms of quality and fitment.

The exterior design language is balanced and cohesive — I see hints of BMW’s X3 in the styling, and it looks well presented. The Haval Jolion Pro is available in three trim levels: Premium Hybrid, Lux Hybrid, and Ultra Hybrid, with prices starting at £23,995 and rising to £29,995 for the top-spec variant and four exterior paint options.

The Interior

Inside, the Jolion Pro makes a solid first impression. The driving position is comfortable, the build quality is good, and overall, it feels reasonably well thought out. Materials-wise, GWM follows a similar approach to Volkswagen’s T-Roc — mostly hard plastics, but the key touchpoints are soft-touch or wrapped in premium leatherette. In fact, the perceived quality is arguably better than the T-Roc’s.

The cabin offers reasonably generous space in both the front and rear, with well-cushioned seats finished in premium leatherette. The flat floor (thanks to the lack of a transmission tunnel) makes access easier, and rear passengers will have no complaints about legroom.

The trade-off comes in boot space. It’s fine for shopping trips, but the load bay is relatively shallow with the seats up. There’s no underfloor storage due to the hybrid components taking up space, which in turn reduces overall capacity.

It appears that rear-seat comfort and legroom were prioritised over overall cargo space. Fold them flat, however, and there’s ample room for luggage — though perhaps not for a full family getaway unless someone volunteers to sit on the roof rails.

Even the entry-level models come generously equipped, with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, rear parking sensors, and keyless entry as standard, features that make many European rivals look overpriced. The top-spec test car added ventilated seats, a head-up display, and more, all for under £30,000. See the Jolion Pro specs here.

Infotainment System

The 10.25-inch infotainment system performs adequately but feels somewhat dated. The graphics are crisp enough, though the interface and menu structure could be far more intuitive. There’s no shortcut bar for key functions like climate control or heated seats, and those features are buried in different menus, requiring a bit of patience to master.

Physical buttons below the screen do provide quick access to basic controls, but oddly, there’s no dedicated temperature dial. The system takes getting used to, and early on, it’s easy to find yourself going in circles through the menus.

Somehow, you manage to resolve the issue by finding memory hacks, but when you switch the ignition off the whole system resets, except for the heat settings, meaning you have to dive back into the menu again to set the vehicle up to your specific preferences.

The voice control works well for adjusting the temperature up or down, but it isn’t as advanced as the dedicated Android Auto system found in the latest Volvos.

The Drive

Under the bonnet, the Jolion Pro combines a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor, producing a combined 186 bhp and 375 N · m of torque. Power is sent through a two-speed CVT, and the result is punchy and smooth, with quick throttle response in the lower power band and near-silent operation.

The 1.69 kWh battery provides short bursts of EV-only driving — around 1.5 miles in range, typically at speeds up to 30 mph, though it can assist at higher speeds when charged. In fact, the driving experience feels far closer to an EV than to the hybrids of five years ago

Performance feels brisk, with a 0–60 mph time of 8.7 seconds, and the Haval never feels underpowered, even on steep inclines — traditionally an Achilles’ heel for 1.5-litre engines.

In terms of efficiency, I averaged 50 mpg on mixed driving and around 36 mpg in city conditions. Respectable, but not class-leading.

Ride and Handling

OK… The ride? It’s actually OK. The suspension does a good job of soaking up the bumps — it’s well-damped, in my opinion. As a comparison, the Haval’s suspension felt way better than our erstwhile, bloody awful VW Tiguan long-termer, which had genuinely bloody awful suspension.

As for the handling, I think the steering feels a bit too sharp and could be dialled back by a few percent. You have the usual drive mode settings; I switched to Eco mode because the steering felt at its most relaxed. Of course, at this price point, you’re not going to get Porsche 911 levels of steering feedback, but I’m OK with that.

What the Haval does do well is feel planted on the road and easy to drive on motorways — it requires very little in the way of micro-corrections. There is a bit of roll when traversing a series of corners. It isn’t sloppy, but it doesn’t encourage you to drive hard.

What’s interesting is that the Haval utilises EV one-pedal braking, so you barely touch the brake pedal unless you need to come to a complete halt.

The Verdict

The GWM Haval Jolion Pro is a reasonably competent SUV that clearly demonstrates how far Chinese automakers have come in matching Europe’s standards for build quality and finish. It has its quirks, it’s not perfect but it’s by no means a bad vehicle — and I’ve driven plenty of subpar cars from European manufacturers.

I’ve read numerous reviews of the Haval from established media outlets, and many of them have absolutely torn it apart. Yet, none of those assessments align with my own experience behind the wheel. It seems that Chinese car brands entering Europe — and other Western markets — have to work much harder to gain fair recognition from the media despite offering a fairly comparable European experience.

There’s undoubtedly a protectionist undertone to much of the negativity. It’s a familiar playbook — one that was used against Japanese carmakers in the 20th century and arguably still echoes in the attitudes of some Western journalists today.

If the Haval were genuinely terrible, I’d say so. But it’s not. It may not be brilliant, yet it’s solid proof that China’s automotive industry has caught up — and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Unless, of course, a trade war gets in the way.