2027 GWM Haval Jolion Max review: International first drive

GWM's first electric vehicle from its familiar Haval SUV product line, rather than its dedicated Ora EV brand, has been confirmed to arrive in Australia later this year.

Set to be joined by a plug-in hybrid version, the 2027 Haval Jolion Max will slot between the Jolion and H6 in GWM's local line-up. However, Australian buyers won't get the option of the turbo-petrol-only, or 'plug-less' hybrid, versions available overseas.

As its suffix suggests, the Haval Jolion Max is built on the same platform as the smaller Haval Jolion, but with larger, family-friendly dimensions similar to the Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson midsize SUVs.

Measuring 4590mm long, the Jolion Max is 120mm longer than the Haval Jolion Hybrid but 113mm shorter than the current H6 – or 190mm less than the new-generation GWM Haval H6, due in Australia early next year.

First launched in China in 2023 as the Haval Xiaolong, the Haval Jolion Max was initially previewed to global media 12 months ago, following the 2025 Shanghai motor show.

A year on, at GWM's global media drive day following the 2026 Beijing motor show, we now know a little more about the new midsize SUV, including the opportunity for a brief drive at the brand's proving ground.

The Jolion Max has taken some time to reach Australia, and even the overseas-market examples Drive sampled at GWM's proving ground in Baoding, China, were not reflective of what we'll receive later this year – thankfully.

While Australia will be limited to plug-in hybrid and electric versions of the Jolion Max, the vehicles available for testing in China were 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder non-hybrid petrol models.

In Australia, GWM's newest model will rival the BYD Sealion 5 and Chery Tiggo 7 in plug-in hybrid guise, along with the Geely EX5 and BYD Atto 3 in electric form, joining the growing field of affordable, Chinese-built electrified family SUVs.

It is clear that the Jolion Max has been designed with cost-cutting in mind, but we hope the Australian-market version will be less barren than the cars on test in China, because it felt out of line with the current direction of the GWM brand in Australia.

For instance, the 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen – and the overall cabin layout – are a step sideways from recent GWM models, even the competitively priced Ora 5 electric SUV.

I was surprised to see a singular rear air vent in the Jolion Max, too, when even the smaller Jolion has two directional rear air vents, further highlighting the cost-cutting measures applied to this model.

A specification sheet shared by GWM in China lists a larger 14.6-inch central touchscreen, potentially with the latest Coffee OS infotainment software, and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, but neither has been seen in the real world.

It's difficult to talk about how the Jolion Max drove, as our time behind the wheel was extremely limited and focused on the swerve-and-avoid 'moose' test rather than a complete assessment of the vehicle.

However, driven back-to-back with hybrid and electric versions of the new GWM Ora 5 small SUV, the petrol-powered Jolion Max did not feel as confident or as agile, with some oversteer in the 'moose' test.

Australian examples of the Jolion Max are expected to receive a localised 'AT-1' suspension and steering tune, which should improve how they drive compared with the overseas-market examples.

The Jolion Max plug-in hybrid features a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine matched to a single electric motor, for a combined system output of 238kW and 528Nm, similar to a front-wheel-drive H6 PHEV.

It features a 19kWh battery, also similar to the current H6 PHEV, for a 95km electric-only driving range, compared with 100km for the BYD Sealion 5 Premium on the NEDC lab-test standard.

The Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid and Geely Starray EM-i plug-in hybrids claim 93km (NEDC) and 83km (WLTP), respectively.

Under the skin, the electric Jolion Max features a 61kWh battery pack and a 150kW/260Nm front electric motor, the latter equivalent to the GWM Ora 5 electric SUV, for a 400km driving range.

A 7.3-second 0–100km/h acceleration time is claimed for the PHEV, or 8.4 seconds for the electric version.

Features listed by GWM include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 50-watt wireless smartphone charger, an electric tailgate, a surround-view camera, a panoramic sunroof, and a head-up display.

The electric Jolion Max has a 412-litre boot, which extends to 1175L with the second row folded and is equivalent to the petrol-only version, while the plug-in hybrid falls to 362L and 1125L, respectively.

The concept of the GWM Haval Jolion Max makes sense.

Similar to the BYD Sealion 5, it is a value-focused plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV that allows for a more affordable entry price than the better-selling, more refined BYD Sealion 6 and GWM Haval H6, respectively.

The Jolion Max will also offer customers the choice of an electric GWM SUV with larger dimensions than the Ora 5.

While it didn't leave a great first impression, in fairness to the Jolion Max, our time with the vehicle in China was extremely limited and focused on the swerve-and-avoid 'moose' test rather than a complete assessment.

We also assessed the non-hybrid turbo-petrol model, which isn't planned for Australia.

To have a chance at success in Australia, the Haval Jolion Max plug-in hybrid will need to sit within the mid-to-high $30,000 region, similar to the BYD Sealion 5 Premium.

The electric version will also need to be super-competitively priced – unless significant changes are made to both models between what we sampled in China and the Australian-market version, because in its current form, it is at risk of being undercooked upon local arrival.

Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.

Read more about Jordan Hickey