Vauxhall Mokka X
When automotive historians in the future gather to debate then second decade of the 21st century then they must surely agree that this has been the age of the crossover.
Nowadays these high-rise hatchbacks are everywhere, with fashion conscious buyers seduced by their 4x4-like style and choosing them as the thing to be seen in around town or their favourite local eatery. With its chunky sense of style and decidedly 21st century connectivity the Vauxhall Mokka X could just be the thing to tempt you out of a Nissan Juke, Renault Capture or Peugeot 2008.
It may not look especially modern inside but the Mokka X does contain some properly cutting edge technology. For example, the buttons in the roof give you access to Vauxhall’s OnStar service which gives you a Wi-Fi hotspot inside the car as well as 24/7 access to an advisor that can answer all sorts of queries. Queries such as locating the nearest fuel station, diagnosing problems with the car and even helping in an emergency. It’s another nice modern touch that all Mokka X cars get a colour touchscreen on top of the dashboard that helps to control the infotainment system. However, there are a few disappointments elsewhere such as with the heater controls which feel a little flimsy and there are also far too many cheap plastics on show for our liking. On the positive side the high driving position gives an excellent view to the front and there’s plenty of room even for the tallest of people.
In the back you’ll easily fit in a couple of adults as long as the front seats aren’t pushed all the way back. However, because the centre seat is so narrow it won’t be any more than a couple. Likewise, the boot is good but not brilliant. We like the usefully practical shape but several rival’s cars have better capacity. While it’s nice that you can split and fold the rear seats to expand the space it’s annoying that you can’t do so when the front seats are pushed right back.
The Vauxhall Mokka X may look like a rough and tumble 4x4 but it’s not really that sort of a car. In fact its natural hunting ground is the urban jungle, think more high road than off-road. The problem is that around town the Mokka X really isn’t that pleasant to drive and it’s ride it its biggest problem. It’s just too firm too much of the time and the car really thumps and bumps its way around. On a positive note, the steering is quite nice and light which makes the car easy to manoeuvre. However, the thick windscreen pillars do restrict your view as does the small rear screen and the pillars either side of that. Sadly, things get no better when you fancy a bit of adventure or excitement by heading out of town. The firm ride is still a big issue and the light steering now feels vague while there’s way too much wind and road noise on the motorway.
Typical stats (based on 1.6 CDTi 110PS Design Nav):
0-62: 11.5 seconds
Fuel economy: 72.4mpg
CO2 emissions: 103 g/km
Generally, the engine line up is economical and all units give a reasonable amount of speed but they’re generally noisy which is something you’ll notice particularly around town.
What we like
Reasonable practicality
Excellent connectivity
Well equipped
What we don’t like
Overly firm ride
Noise on the motorway
Restricted view out
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