Cell division
This’ll become a familiar face on Britain’s streets: the new face of Vauxhall. Literally. The new Mokka wears the ‘Vizor’ front end and sharply creased flanks that we can expect all over Vauxhall’s new range of Peugeot-ified cars. On the evidence of the new Mokka, the superb styling and inherited underpinnings are going to be quite the revolution for the griffin badge.
This new Mokka manages to look fresh and modern without seeming overdone, and proves to the likes of BMW, Audi and even Ford that you don’t need to plonk a huge, fake grille onto the front of a car to make it look assertive.
What’s more, the Mokka has morphed somewhat in shape from the underwhelming (but bestselling) car it replaces, shedding 124mm in length but gaining 10mm in width. It’s got a planted stance, like a bulldog wearing a crash helmet, but it’ll seat a young family and won’t feel bloated in a narrow parking space.
Inside there’s almost room for five, though narrow rear door access and pinched kneeroom means your lankier teenager will be even moodier. Seems well finished too, but the giant fillets of piano-black plastic surrounding the media screens and centre console will age as gracefully as an election promise. Some optional colour-coded trim really lifts the drab ambience to match the bodywork pizzazz.
Ready to go electric? The Mokka-e’s 50kWh battery claims a test lab range of 201 miles, but our wintery real world test involving heated seats and motorways knocked that down to 165 miles. Still, it’s only a mite less efficient at 3.3 miles per kWh than Honda or Mini’s electric hatches – not to mention the electric Corsa. Such is the price for sitting a bit higher. It’s swift enough to spool up the front tyres on a greasy road, but otherwise a neat-handling, pleasant little crossover. Watch out for the mildly brittle ride and horribly spongy brake pedal in the EV, neither of which afflicts the 1.2-litre turbo petrol, which remains peppy as ever, and is allied with a mostly obedient eight-speed auto for £1,600. The token 1.5-litre diesel will probably be dropped by Christmas.
Think of this thing more as a Peugeot 2008 with fewer weird art school quirks. You get a grown-up-size steering wheel, more legible dials, proper climate control knobs and a snappier touchscreen. A Ford Puma’s sweeter in the corners, but in this mini-SUV game you just need to do the basics well enough, and look smart. Job done. The Mokka goes from zéro to héro. If only all Anglo-French co-operation was this successful, eh?