New Okavango: 2023 Geely Haoyue gets new look, more power

One of Geely's most popular models in the country is the Okavango. With the combination of 7-seats, SUV styling, powerful hybrid motor and competitive pricing, it's no surprise we see lots of examples of it out on the road.

In its home market, the Okavango is known as the Haoyue, and it has been on sale since 2020. Now that it's close to reaching three years old, Geely decided to introduce some slight changes to the crossover.

The most obvious change lies in its front fascia. Gone is the Cosmic Recall grille, and in place of it is a bigger octagonal shape grille with horizontal chrome stripes connected to a sharper-looking pair of LED headlights. Complementing the new face are the bigger side intakes and a faux front skid plate to give the 7-seat crossover a more imposing look.

Moreover, Geely also made changes to the Haoyue's LED taillights, which now has a distinct light bar that runs through the width of the tailgate. The license plate holder has been moved up to the trunk door, while a pair of faux exhaust tips have appeared on the lower sides of the bumper, making the Haoyue's rear look closer to the likes of the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro.

Size-wise, the Haoyue is 25mm longer and 10mm wider than the initial model. As it stands, the crossover now measures 4860 mm long, 1910 mm wide and 1770 mm tall. Wheelbase has also been stretched from 2815 mm to 2825 mm, which translates to more space inside.

For its interior, the new Haoyue ditched the infinity motif on its A/C vents, and in place of it are two horizontal bars that runs across the width of the dashboard. Meanwhile, a new 10.25-inch screen serves as an instrument panel, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen unit is used for the infotainment system.

In China, Geely upped the luxury ante by putting contrasting tan upholstery on the door cards, seats, the middle part of the dashboard and the flat-bottom steering wheel which retained its design.

Furthermore, the 2023 Geely Haoyue was revealed packing a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo with 218 PS and 325 Nm of torque paired to a 7-speed wet-type dual-clutch transmission. However, it remains to be seen if the Philippine-spec Haoyue (Okavango) will get the same motor, since it's being offered here with the 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbo with 48V EMS hybrid system.

Since Geely Philippines is getting their units directly from the People's Republic, there's good reason to expect the distributor to hold a launch of the refreshed 7-seat crossover in a couple of months. 

Source: Sohu