Vauxhall Mokka review: This baby SUV is contemporary and genuinely desirable

WHIP the badge off this car and ask someone to guess what it is.

It’s unlikely they will say Vauxhall. It’s even less likely they will know it’s a Mokka.

I think we can all agree it looks absolutely nothing like the old Mokka. Thankfully.

This baby SUV is contemporary, genuinely desirable and appears more expensive than it’s £20k price tag suggests.

The old one was as trendy as a hearing aid. But as with most cars, the pursuit of style usually comes with the odd compromise in the practicality department.

Where this all-new Mokka is concerned, they are largely found in the dull but important day-to-day family-focused areas.

The boot, at 350 litres, is smaller than the Ford Puma and Nissan Juke and not designed with flexibility of space in mind. Head and leg room in the back lags behind its rivals and the firm – occasionally unsettled – ride and interior sound insulation do not score highly.

But it does looks good, it really does, from all angles. This means people will want a Mokka first and foremost and deal with the kids and their potential problems in the back later.

Nailed the Mokka this time

One of its considerable strengths, however, is customer choice. It is available as a petrol, diesel or pure electric, so not finding a Mokka to fit your life is as likely as not finding a mocha on a coffee shop menu.

The best of them is the electric Mokka-e with its 200-mile range. The extra bulk of the battery and e-gubbins combine to make it feel considerably more planted on the road. But it is also the costliest at a hefty £33k, from £311 a month with Vauxhall finance.

The petrol versions are expected to make up around 75 per cent of Mokka sales.

Even the Billy-basic of the range – the £20k SE (£227 per month with Vauxhall finance) 1.2-litre, 100hp petrol-turbo model – features the radical new blacked-out “Vizor” grille and the strikingly modern, fully digital widescreen “pure panel” dashboard.

The interior materials do not improve much the more you fork out, which further bolsters the bargain-basement option being where you need to focus on first. Relatively generous base SE trim includes twin 7in screens with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 16in alloys, cruise control/speed limiter, front and rear LED lamps, lane departure warning and speed sign recognition.

Rising up through the not-very-catchily-named trim levels of SRi, Elite Nav and Ultimate Nav, the fossil-fuelled range tops out with the £28k Launch Edition.

This features heated leather massage seats, intelligent Matrix lights, bigger 10in and 12in screens, 18in alloys and a load more safety-conscious alerts to beep at you.

Climate controls throughout the range are all good, old-fashioned knobs underneath the touchscreen, which is a most welcome and user-friendly touch.

The SRi model and above have the option of an eight-speed auto and 30hp added to the petrol-flavoured party.

These are quite welcome here as the Mokka isn’t the liveliest SUV out of the blocks. But don’t expect a radical transformation to its performance prowess.

There is also a 1.5-litre turbodiesel option for those who still have the long, pre-pandemic daily commutes. But for some reason this is only available with a six-speed manual.

Vauxhall has nailed the Mokka this time. So much so that it should have gone all in and changed the name too.