Vauxhall Mokka engines, driving and performance

First impressions are good – the Vauxhall Mokka has a sporty driving position and nicely weighted steering. Immediately, it’s clear that the Mokka is better to drive than the Vauxhall Crossland, although that’s not really saying much. The Mokka has the same youthful verve that the Corsa offers, and even pipes in extra ‘exhaust’ noise in Sport mode.

So it’s good, until you stick it into a corner. Through the bends, it leans more than you might expect. It’s probably not a dealbreaker – especially if you drive at a more sedate pace – but the Mokka can’t match the Ford Puma’s handling or the Volkswagen T-Roc’s sophistication.

Our test car came with the largest available 18-inch alloy wheels. The ride on this car was a little bitty and bobbly around town, although smaller wheels are likely to improve the ride quality. Pleasingly, the Mokka settles down at high speeds and is very comfortable on the motorway, cancelling out road scars and expansion joints really nicely.

The main choice in the Mokka lineup is petrol or electric. If you can’t charge at home or don’t want an electric car, petrol it is. The 1.2-litre petrol engine comes in 100hp or 130hp flavours – there’s no entry-level 83hp version like there is in the Corsa and Crossland – and both are easy to recommend.

Both will return up to 50mpg, so running costs will be nice and low, and both offer enough power to get the Mokka up to speed without fuss. We really like the 130hp engine, which is faster than the 100hp engine and better suited to motorway driving, with next-to-no compromises on efficiency.

Most electric Mokkas come with a 50kW battery and a 136hp motor, which enables a maximum range of 209 miles and nippy acceleration. Vauxhall has recently introduced a second electric powertrain with a 54kWh battery and a 156hp motor – the differences don’t sound huge but the changes add up to a 252-mile range and a fractional improvement to performance.

Whichever you pick, you’ll easily manage over 150 miles in the real world, which should be enough for the occasional long journey or a few days’ worth of commuting. 100kW fast-charging capability means that you can top up to 80% in under half an hour at a suitable public charger.

Even the least powerful Mokka takes a very respectable 10.6 seconds to get from 0-62mph, which is quicker than most Renault Captur engines, for example. The 130hp version knocks this down to about nine seconds, which is roughly the same as both of the electric options.

As usual with electric cars, the EV versions are quickest immediately off the line, and then don’t feel as powerful when accelerating at higher speeds.