OFFICIAL Vauxhall goes radical with its new Mokka
Brand’s baby SUV tackles rivals with PSA tech and new-found sense of style
THIS is the all-new Vauxhall Mokka, a key model for the British company as it aims to take on several fresh rivals in the small SUV market.
Revealed in full after months of teaser images, the Mokka gets a radical new look compared with Vauxhall’s previous baby SUV that carried the Mokka X name. The new model is 125mm shorter than its predecessor, but it has smaller front and rear overhangs, and the wheelbase has actually been extended very slightly – by two millimetres.
That means this new Mokka should feel more compact than the old Mokka X, yet maintain at least the same level of space and practicality. The new car is wider, too, giving it a more aggressive stance.
The overall look of the SUV is quite different from the outgoing Mokka X’s. It’s heavily influenced by the Opel GT X Experimental, a concept that was released back in 2018. It uses much of that car’s front-end treatment, including an ultraslim LED daytime running light and a more prominent badge in the grille.
The new front-end treatment has its own name, too. Called Vauxhall Vizor, it’s set to be adopted on every new Vauxhall for the rest of this decade. The firm’s design boss,
Mark Adams, said: “This is what the Vauxhall design of the future will look like. The new Mokka shows athletic proportions combined with precisely structured, flowing surfaces.”
Its roofline is similar to the concept’s too, and although the production car doesn’t feature the GT X’s rear-hinged back doors, Vauxhall’s designers have used a single chrome detailing line to give the impression of a more rakish look.
The tail is rather more conventional, although a crease leading out from the rear door adds a little bit of muscle on top of the rear wheelarch.
The Mokka is another new Vauxhall based on a platform from the brand’s latest owner, Groupe PSA. Called CMP, the chassis architecture is shared with a host of other products from Peugeot and Citroen, as well as Vauxhall’s own Corsa. CMP’s cleverest trick is that it is able to use a wide variety of powertrains – and that means that the Mokka will be available with a choice of petrol, diesel or pure-electric power.
Indeed, the EV version – called Mokka-e – will be among the first wave of variants to arrive. It’ll be equipped with a 50kWh battery and an electric motor driving the front wheels, with 134bhp and 260Nm of torque. No performance figures have been released, but the claimed range for the model on a single charge is 201 miles; and the car is ready for pretty much all
domestic charging standards (see panel on Page 9), as well as DC rapid charging.
Vauxhall hasn’t issued any details of the combustion-engined versions, which should be available by the time first deliveries start at the beginning of 2021. But expect a line-up similar to that of the Peugeot 2008, with 1.2-litre turbo petrols in three states of tune – 99bhp, 128bhp and auto-only 153bhp.
The diesel-engined model, which is almost certain to be the smallest seller in the range, will use PSA’s latest 1.5-litre motor, which produces 99bhp.
The switch to CMP means that there won’t be a plug-in hybrid version of this Mokka, however, because the platform simply isn’t engineered for that technology. But the combustion-engined variants ought to bring notable efficiency gains over the outgoing model, because this new car is up to 120kg lighter.
Inside, the Mokka promises a further step up in the design and quality of Vauxhall’s cabins and dashboards. There are no conventional instruments; instead there’s a digital display of up to 12 inches across, which operates in combination with an extra infotainment screen (seven or 10 inches, depending on the trim level) in the centre that is angled more towards the driver.
The intended effect of the set-up, called Pure Panel, is for the layout to look like one long display, and it seems a more coherent design here than the arrangement in the latest Corsa. It also helps to cut down on the number of buttons on the fascia.
Current Mokka owners should see a jump in the quality of materials on offer, too. Full leather will be available, along with Alcantara upholstery and a heated driver’s seat with massage function.
The boot capacity is described as ‘up to 350 litres’, just six litres shy of the space offered in the old Mokka X. But this could be an indication that electric versions have a little less flexibility in the position of the
boot floor, as is the case in its sister car, the Peugeot e-2008. The Mokka also gets a fresh range of driver-assistance systems including adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, and active lane positioning. All Mokkas will get LED headlights and taillights, along with an electric parking brake and traffic-sign recognition technology. Matrix LED headlights, which turn individual LED elements on and off to avoid dazzling oncoming road users, will be optional.
Vauxhall will start taking orders in the autumn, and the first cars should arrive from early 2021. There’s no word yet on pricing but we expect the range to start from around £20,000 for an entry-level 1.2 petrol, rising to roughly £28,000 for the Mokka-e.
“There won’t be a plug-in hybrid version of the Mokka, but the platform should bring major efficiency gains”