Hybrid vehicles are becoming popular in the Philippines because of the fuel savings and the technology they offer. It also helps that these vehicles are coding exempt, which is excellent for the average car buyer.

Toyota Philippines was one of the early adopters of this technology as it brought in the Toyota Prius in 2009. While expensive then, it was priced at ₱2.25 million, the Japanese brand brought in more affordable options only in the past few years, such as the Camry Hybrid, the RAV4 Hybrid, the Corolla Cross hybrid, and the Toyota Corolla Altis hybrid.

Not to be left behind in the new trend, other automakers have also brought in their hybrid vehicles—case in point, GWM Philippines with the Haval Jolion Hybrid Electric Vehicle or HEV. 

As Toyota is one of the pioneers in this segment, we will compare the Corolla Cross hybrid to the newcomer, the Haval Jolion HEV, to see which one will come out on top.

The crossover aesthetic

Crossovers are the raging trend in the car market as more and more automakers offer these vehicles over sedans. They offer you a balance between a car-like ride and an SUV's ground clearance and macho looks. 

In terms of styling, the Corolla Cross goes with a sleek yet sporty look with its sharp LED headlights and massive front grille. It also helps that the Toyota crossover has a GR Sport model available, which dials up the sporty look of the regular hybrid variant. 

GWM, on the other hand, goes for a more rounded look with the Haval Jolion. It comes with sleek LED headlights, but these come with fake venting underneath to give it a unique look. Like the Corolla Cross, it, too, comes with a large grille at the front. 

However, unlike its Toyota Rival, the Jolion HEV has a chrome grille that's a bit more flashy. 

Sizewise, the Haval Jolion HEV takes the lead with its larger dimensions.

If aggressive and sporty is what you are after, you can’t go wrong with the Corolla Cross, but if you want something a little more rounded and with more considerable heft, then the Jolion is a decent alternative.

Simple yet effective interiors

The Toyota Corolla Cross (Specs | News) has a similar interior layout to the Corolla Altis. It has a simple dual-layer dashboard design with a massive “floating” infotainment system in the middle and a digital display flanked on either side by analog gauges. 

It's a simple, clean interior that gets the job done, with buttons placed easily within arm’s reach.

The Haval Jolion hybrid takes a similar design to its Toyota rival with the same dual-layer dashboard design. Still, it does get a bigger horizontally oriented screen and a digital display. Moreover, the Jolion HEV gets a panoramic sunroof which the Cross Hybrid does not have.

Both vehicles use similar quality materials and leather seats, so it boils down to your taste; we put it as a tie for this category. 

Screens and more

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are the standard for most vehicles today. The Corolla Cross and the Jolion are no different as they have access to these features, making phone connectivity much more accessible. 

It's a matter of screen size, as the Jolion has a more extensive 12.3-inch infotainment system than the much smaller 8-inch infotainment system found in the Corolla Cross. 

However, the Jolion has a 360-degree camera, which puts it ahead of its Toyota rival in terms of technology.

We give the win to the Haval crossover for this category because it has more technology and a bigger screen. 

Hybrid technology

Under the hood, these two vehicles are very different. The Toyota Corolla Cross has a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter gasoline engine paired with its hybrid system, and it produces 122 PS for its maximum system output.

We must mention that Toyota has not posted the total system output for the torque of the Corolla Cross, only indicating 142 Nm of torque on the vehicle spec sheet. However, the Japanese automaker has shown that the electric motor alone does have 72 Nm of torque, so if we add engine output plus the electric motor output, the Toyota hybrid should have around 214 Nm of torque total. 

The Haval Jolion, on the other hand, has a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine paired with its hybrid system. It produces 186 PS and 375 Nm of torque and gets a dedicated hybrid transmission with a built-in motor. It also has several driving modes, including Standard, Sport, and Eco. 

For this category, the win goes to the Jolion has more power available. However, we have yet to test how far these vehicles can go on electric power alone, which could be a deciding factor for you if fuel efficiency is what you are after. 

Advanced safety and convenience 

Regarding safety features, both vehicles are on similar ground. The Toyota Corolla Cross comes with the brand’s Toyota Safety Sense which grants it access to the following features:

• Pre-collision System
• Automatic High Beam
• Lane Tracing Assist
• Lane Departure Alert
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

The Corolla Cross also has other standard features, such as SRS airbags, rear cross-traffic alert, ABD, vehicle stability control, reverse camera, ISOFIX tethers, and reverse sensors.

The Haval Jolion HEV, on the other hand, has the following safety features:

• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Cross-Traffic Alert and Brake
• Forward Collision Warning
• Intelligent Cornering Control
• Lane Center Keeping Assist
• Lane Departure Warning
• Lane Keep Assist
• Lane Change Assist
• Adaptive Cruise control
• Rear Collision Warning
• Traffic Jam Assist
• Emergency Lane Keeping Assist

These are just a few key features of the Jolion hybrid, as its spec sheet goes on to cover our minor safety features. However, as standard, the Haval crossover does come with ABS with EBD, a 360-degree camera, reverse sensors, and ISOFIX tethers. 

The Haval Jolion HEV has a more extended and compressive suite of safety features, so it wins this category.

Which to get: Price and verdict

It all boils down to price if you want a hybrid crossover in the local market. The Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid starts at ₱1,680,000 for the standard hybrid variant. If you want to go for the GR-S model, then the price bumps up to ₱1,844,000.

The Haval Jolion HEV, on the other hand, has an introductory price of ₱1,588,000. It represents a difference of ₱100,000 versus its Toyota rival with a more extensive spec sheet. You not only save more, but you also get more power from the Haval hybrid crossover.

We understand that not everyone is ready to test out Chinese cars or the technology that they offer. Still, there is no denying that the spec sheet of the Haval Jolion is exciting and competitive.

On specs alone, we award the win to this comparison to the Haval Jolion as you get more for ₱100,000 less than the price of the Toyota Corolla Cross.