Let’s be honest, the old Vauxhall Mokka X wasn’t really anybody’s idea of a big car.
It has sold in fairly decent numbers to people who consider cars to be white goods but, along with the Ford EcoSport, has been left for dead in recent years by the rapid improvement among B-segment SUV rivals such as Renault. Captur, Nissan Juke and Peugeot. 2008.
Now, however, Vauxhall is fighting back, not with a half-hearted facelift, but with an all-new car that aims to be more than the automotive equivalent of a fridge-freezer, with improved looks, handling and quality.
Ditching the X, the new Mokka took inspiration from the 2018 GTX Experimental concept car and brings the bold styling of this car to the mainstream. The new car is shorter and wider than its predecessor, while being lighter, more aerodynamic and structurally more rigid.
The front end of the Vizor, almost unchanged from the GTX, is large, bold and futuristic – everything the previous generation wasn’t. The high position, the wide flat hood and the sloping grille give it an assertive and unique style that is vital in this segment.
Her bold physical style can be enhanced with different color packs. My particular test car featured a black roof over a white body, separated by a red highlight. This splash of color carries over to the wheels, dashboard and seats and perfectly matches the look.
The futuristic feel continues inside where there’s even a hint of Knight Rider in the way the digital instrument display flows into the touchscreen, which is tilted toward the driver. These digital instruments and touchscreen are standard across the range, getting bigger and bigger in premium cars.
If you’ve driven an Astra or Corsa in the past five years, a few of the switches will sound familiar and suggest that Vauxhall didn’t have full access to the sleek Stellantis coin bin. But overall, the interior of the Mokka is a sleek, modern place with clean, bold lines and a logical layout.
Space is what you’d expect from a small crossover – the front passengers are fine and the riding position is good, but it’s more of a squeeze in the rear. It’s no worse than most rivals, however, and the seats are comfortable, and there’s a decent 350-liter trunk.
As you might expect, the Mokka’s engine lineup includes a few small-capacity turbo gasolines, with a single diesel and a more expensive all-electric version also available. Both petrol options use a 1.2-liter three-cylinder unit with 99 hp or 128 hp. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, but I tested the more powerful version with the optional seven-speed auto. The 109 hp diesel is only offered by manual.
The essence is a familiar unit of the PSA / Stellantis group and very successful in the Mokka. Its 9-second 0-62mph time isn’t smashing, but it’s responsive enough and matches the similar power units of any of its rivals while being refined enough to go largely unnoticed most of the time.
I also tested the electric version of the Mokka, which uses a 134bhp motor to drive the front wheels and draws its power from a 50kWh battery sandwiched in the ground. Unlike most gasoline-powered cars where drive modes make little difference, in the Mokka-e, normal or eco selection limits engine power to varying degrees to help preserve the load. In normal mode – limited to 107bhp, electric drive provides immediate and seamless response at urban speeds, but on higher-speed roads, you’ll want Sport mode to access the engine’s full potential.
The Mokka-e uses the same battery and motor configuration as the Citroën e-C4 and Peugeot e-2008 and has similar concerns about actual range – not only compared to WLTP figures (around 201 miles) but with the very optimistic predictions of the on-board computer. On a positive note, the Mokka-e supports 100kW charging, which means you can add 80% charge in half an hour if you find yourself running out of battery.
Like many brands, Vauxhall only offers its electric model in higher trim levels, from SE Nav Premium, and the EV version is more expensive – from £ 30,540 after the plug-in car subsidy.
However, the range starts at just over £ 20,000 for base petrol SE models. Even these feature 16-inch alloys, digital instruments, and a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All-around LED lights, cruise control, air conditioning and automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning are also standard. Vauxhall likes a jumble of trim levels and above SE there are six more grades, each adding more tech and luxury. Highlights of the higher grades include adaptive cruise control, connected navigation, heated seats and steering wheel, larger screens, a parking camera and automatic adaptive headlights.
Push all the way to the Launch Edition spec and you’ll get a lot of kits you can live without and a price tag of £ 30,000 which is just plain silly. A little lower in the pecking order, the SRI Nav Premium petrol I drove was £ 27,500, which puts it directly up against the top-of-the-line Puma ST Line X Vignale. While the Ford still has the advantage in driving dynamics, elsewhere the Mokka is a worthy rival to the Puma.
Considering that the Ford has won several awards since its launch, that’s quite an achievement and sums up the scale of the Mokka’s transformation. The whole segment has evolved and improved, but perhaps not as much as the Mokka, which went from racing status to one of the best mainstream cars in its class as well.
Opel Mokka SRi Nav Premium
Price: £ 27,455 (£ 27,775 depending on testing); Engine: 1.2 liter, three cylinder, turbo, gasoline; Power: 128 hp; Couple: 169 lb-ft; Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; Top speed: 124 mph; 0-62 mph: 9.2 seconds; Economy: 47.1-47.9 mpg; CO2 emissions: 137g / km
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Source: www.bedfordtoday.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-02 08:32:57
