Haval Jolion Pro review: the smart small-SUV buy Bahrain has not fully noticed yet
3.6/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The Jolion Pro is the strongest value case in Haval's Bahrain lineup: the 177 hp turbo engine is genuinely quick for the class, the safety and convenience kit undercuts a similarly priced Corolla Cross or Creta, and the cabin does not feel like a compromise. What it is asking buyers to accept is a shorter track record than the segment leaders. For a buyer who plans to keep the car rather than lease-and-flip, that is a reasonable trade for the money saved.
Pros
- 177 hp turbo engine is genuinely strong for a compact crossover in this price bracket
- Adaptive cruise control and automated parking standard on higher grades
- Facelifted cabin closes much of the gap to Korean and Japanese rivals
- Undercuts a similarly equipped Corolla Cross or Creta on price
Cons
- Firm suspension tuning is harsh over speed bumps at low speed
- Shorter Bahraini track record than the Corolla Cross or Creta
- Dual-clutch gearbox needs a moment to wake up from cold
- Resale certainty still trails the segment's Japanese and Korean leaders
The Jolion Pro facelift, which reached Bahrain in 2024, is the version that finally makes Haval's compact crossover a genuine cross-shop against the Toyota Corolla Cross and Hyundai Creta rather than just a cheaper alternative. The headline change is under the bonnet: the 130 kW (177 hp), 270 Nm turbo engine offered in the GCC is markedly stronger than the base 1.5T sold elsewhere, paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox that shifts quickly once warm.
Tech for less
Adaptive cruise control with traffic sign recognition and an automated parking assist system are standard on the higher Jolion Pro grades, features that cost meaningfully more as options on rival compact crossovers at this price. The facelifted cabin gets a digital instrument cluster and a larger touchscreen, closing much of the perceived gap to Korean and Japanese rivals.
Driving it in Bahrain
The turbo's mid-range punch makes overtaking on the Budaiya Highway or merging onto the causeway approach roads genuinely easy, a trait smaller-engined rivals in the class often struggle with. The suspension leans firm rather than plush, which keeps body control tidy through roundabouts at the cost of some low-speed harshness over speed bumps.
The trade-off buyers are making
Nothing about the Jolion Pro's engineering is the risk. The risk is entirely reputational: Haval has been in Bahrain since 2019, which is enough time to prove the cars run reliably but not enough to match the resale certainty of a Corolla Cross. Buyers prepared to hold the car rather than chase resale will find the value case compelling; those planning a quick three-year flip should weigh that against a Japanese badge's safer depreciation curve.