Vauxhall has reimagined what its little Mokka SUV can be. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

Vauxhall needs more of a competitive presence in the industry's fastest growing segment, that for small trendy SUVs. And, courtesy of shared Stellantis Group engineering, this second generation Mokka model provides it. There's nothing that changes the class norm here, but we can't remember a more visually appealing Vauxhall in recent memory - and that has to be a good thing.

Background

Welcome to the fresh new face of Vauxhall, showcased here by the trendy so-called 'Vauxhall Vizor' look of this second generation Mokka SUV. You might remember the Mokka, one of the earlier small crossovers, first introduced in 2012, then updated and relaunched as the Mokka X in 2016, which then petered out in 2019 as its place in the range became squeezed between the (smaller) Crossland X and the (larger) Grandland X. Like those two cars - but unlike the original Mokka - this MK2 design is based on the engineering of Vauxhall's Stellantis Group parent conglomerate. That means it's basically the same underneath as a MK2 Peugeot 2008 or a DS 3. Which in turn means that there's a full-EV version, the Mokka Electric.

Driving Experience

That Vauxhall's engineers wanted to create a slightly sportier confection here is evidenced by the slightly firmer ride you notice in the first half mile of driving this car. But it seems there wasn't really either the time, the money or the inclination to finish the job because the close body control, the poise at speed and the responsive steering that this Mokka would need to fully rival a Puma - or even a Juke - are all missing here. Still, the fashionista target market for this car probably won't care very much about that and what we do have is of course a massive improvement on the first generation Mokka model. No surprises beneath the bonnet. Not if, mindful of this car's Stellantis Group-sourced engineering, you're expecting a carry-over from the Peugeot 2008 anyway. If you're looking for a combustion engine, there are various versions of the brand's usual 1.2-litre petrol engine to choose from. The least powerful unit is a 1.2-litre turbo petrol powerplant with 100PS, which is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. This unit is also offered developing 136PS with a manual geabox and offering 230Nm of torque, which means rest to 62mph in 9.1s en route to 125mph. If you want an auto gearbox with your conventional cmbustion Mokka, an older 130PS version of this faster 1.2-litre powerplant will be fitted. We'd prefer to point you though, to the Hybrid version of this model, which mates the 1.2-litre petrol engine with a clever 6-speed DCT dual clutch auto gearbox with a 28hp electric motor built into it that can power the car alone for short periods. Like the Peugeot 208, the Vauxhall Corsa and the DS 3, this Mokka sits on the Stellantis Group's CMP2 platform. This allows for a full-electric variant, the Mokka Electric, which, like the Corsa Electric and the Peugeot E-208, offers a choice of battery packs and a front-mounted electric motor. There's a base 50kWh package, with a 136PS motor and 209 miles of range. Or a Long Range version with a 54kWh battery and a 156PS motor, offering up to 252 miles.

Design and Build

With all versions of this model, the front end features the so-called 'Vauxhall Vizor' look made up of bold nose treatment featuring ultra-slim LED daytime running lights and prominent badgework. Behind the wheel, there are no conventional gauges: just a choice of twin screen layouts. The base model has a Multimedia Pure Panel system with a 7-inch colour touchscreen and a 7-inch digital instrument cluster. The two top variants replace this with a Multimedia Pure Panel Navigation system, which gives you a 10-inch colour touchscreen and a 12-inch digital instrument cluster. Both layouts use that 'Pure Panel' design to make the two screens look like one long display. Everything else is quite sophisticated too, particularly in terms of switchgear and trimming - the shiny piano black lower centre console finishing for instance and the smart white double stitching on the doors. Plus despite the sporty exterior looks, there a proper, slightly raised SUV seating position, giving the more commanding feel that crossover customers like. Plus there's reasonable cabin storage space and most of the connectivity features you'll want. Space in the back isn't particularly generous - though it's much better of course, than you'd get in a Corsa. The 350-litre boot of the fossil-fuelled versions is 40-litres bigger than you'd get in the Mokka Electric.

Market and Model

There are three main trim levels - 'Griffin', 'GS' and 'Ultimate'. Pricing starts at around £21,500, but you'll need around £25,000 upwards for the Hybrid and around £30,000 upwards for the Electric version. All versions come pretty well equipped. Even base 'Griffin' trim comes with 17-inch silver alloy wheels, a black roof, dark tinted rear windows, rear parking sensors, a panoramic rear view camera, LED headlights and taillights and high beam assist. Inside there are 7-inch screens for the infotainment and the instruments courtesy of the Multimedia Pure Panel system. Plus air conditioning, an automatic anti-dazzle rear view mirror, cruise control with an intelligent speed limiter, heated front seats and a movable boot floor. Safety kit includes Lane departure warning with Lane keep assist, extended traffic sign recognition, driver drowsiness alert, forward collision alert at low speeds and enhanced automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. Mid-range 'GS' trim upgrade your screens to 10-inches for the infotainment and 12-inches for the instruments, plus adds satellite navigation, an alarm, electronic climate control, a red upper window moulding and rain-sensitive wipers. Top 'Ultimate' spec gets into 'IntelliLux' LED matrix headlights, alcantara upholstery, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control and a driver's seat massage function.

Cost of Ownership

Let's get to the WLTP-rated fuel and CO2 stats - which unsurprisingly, are pretty much identical to those you'd get from Peugeot 2008 or a DS 3. The 100PS 1.2-litre petrol unit offers a combined cycle reading of up to 51.3mpg and an emissions figure of up to 124g/km of CO2 - which puts that Mokka in the 30% BiK tax bracket. For the 1.2 136PS version, it's 51.4mpg, 124g/km and 29%. If you'd rather have the 130PS 1.2 petrol auto transmission version, the readings are 47.9mpg, with CO2 up to 132g/km and BiK at 31%. The Mokka Hybrid manages up to 57.6mpg on the combined cycle and up to 109g/km of CO2. As for the Mokka Electric, we mentioned earlier that it will cover either 209 miles or up to 252 miles of range, depending on your choice between 50kWh and 54kWh battery sizes. The powertrain can support most domestic charging standards, as well as most commercially offered DC rapid charging systems. It has support for up to 3-phase 11kW charging in AC mode for home use: and 100kW DC capability is standard, allowing the car to be replenished at a public charging point to over 50% capacity in under half an hour. What else? Well, Vauxhall being a mainstream brand, residual values aren't as strong as, for example, you'd get from a rival Honda HR-V, but the Mokka claws the advantage back with modest cost of options and very affordable servicing you can budget for with a range of pre-paid servicing plans. There's an unremarkable, but potentially extendable, three year 60,000 mile warranty.

Summary

This second generation Mokka offers an assertive identity for Vauxhall as it seeks to carve out a more distinctive volume brand niche within the Stellantis Group portfolio of brands. It certainly makes more of a driveway statement than its predecessor - as you'd hope it would given that it sells at a slightly higher price point. And the engineering is at a different level to anything previously seen in a Vauxhall SUV. It would probably be too much to hope here that this second generation Mokka would bring anything completely new to its segment - it doesn't. But customers of small crossovers aren't really looking for engineering ingenuity. Usually, they want to make a pavement statement - and this car does that with a lot more brio than quite a few of its class rivals. Will that be enough here? It'll be interesting to see.