The B-SUV segment is bursting at the seams, surpassing even C-segment hatchbacks in the popularity stakes these days. Those looking for something entirely different that epitomizes cool futurism, will be smitten with the styling of the new Opel Mokka. We travelled to the fairest Cape to take it for a spin.
Upon arrival at the Crystal Towers Hotel in Century City, Cape Town, I was greeted by a collection of brightly coloured new Opel Mokkas that glistened in the morning sun. Upon closer inspection, I detected some Dodge Challenger Hellcat or Chevy Camaro inspiration at first, but I was wrong. The Opel Manta, the brand’s answer to the Ford Capri in the seventies, is the muse behind the new Opel Mokka’s design. The Opel Manta has since been resurrected as an electric car namely the Manta elektroMOD GSe, which is at the top of my list of most-coveted EVs at the moment, but which won’t be available to South Africans, sadly!
The Opel Manta ElektroMOD GSe is what my EV-dreams are made of.
Styling
Looking like a beefy Ford Manta on stilts, the Mokka has an interesting appeal. There’s no point in even comparing it to the old model, apart from where its weight and dimensions are concerned: It’s lighter than the old Mokka, but with a slightly wider footprint, and it’s shorter from nose to tail by 12.4 cm.
In front, the complete lack of a shiny chrome grille is noticed immediately. Instead, the Mokka sports the new Opel Vizor, which combines the ‘grille’, angular LED headlights, and the updated Opel logo all in one, smooth, black element. And since all things silver are just so last season, the air curtain inlet in the front bumper looks equally dark and matte. Viewed from the side, there’s that outdoorsy black cladding on the edges of the wheel arches, stylish alloy wheels (blacked out on our model), and a coupé-beltline that curves upwards for that sporty appeal. At the back, the narrow LED taillights cut a striking picture, while stylish, contemporary ‘Mokka’ lettering accentuates the width of the behind. A black roof ties it all together nicely. The look is fresher and way more interesting than most of the cars currently on offer in the segment.
On the inside, the Mokka’s Stellantis roots are clearly visible; the cabin layout and many of the styling features (pictured below is the GS Line model) are reminiscent of other products in the Stellantis portfolio, such as the Peugeot 208, for example. The 3-cylinder, 1.2-litre PureTech turbocharged engine that powers the Mokka can also be found in cars such as the 208, 2008, and Citroën C3 Aircross.
Cabin class
The GS Line has larger screens and a full leather interior.
The interior of the Mokka is dominated by two large screens of which the central one is angled towards the driver, and interestingly, Opel says they’ve “placed great emphasis on digital detox”. By this, they mean that they’ve done away with all the buttons (except the ones that make your life easier), and ensured the infotainment system works intuitively. If you plug in your phone you have CarPlay and Android Auto at your disposal, but I felt I needed more time to fully get to know the ins and outs of the infotainment system and to learn how to customize the digital instrument cluster. This knowledge will probably come with a few more kilometres spent behind the wheel.
As for space, the rear seat offers a sufficient amount of legroom (when sitting behind the driver’s seat which was adjusted to fit my 1.73 cm frame). The boot has 310 litres of space on offer which will work well for new moms who need to take baby strollers along, or families with two older kids who have large, heavy school suitcases and bags full of sports equipment.
Tech highlights
Both the flagship GS Line and entry-level Elegance variants are big on tech and spec. Remember the Opel Astra, South African Car of the Year for 2017? It was one of the first C-segment hatchbacks that featured semi-autonomous tech and lane-keeping assistance. In The Opel Mokka (GS Line trim), this system has been fine-tuned to near-perfection and is integrated with the infotainment system’s Satnav to read road signs and to slow down and accelerate according to the speed limit on a specific road. Imagine my surprise when I was driving along at 120 km/h on the highway and felt the Mokka engaging the brakes to bring me down to 60 km/h in a rural area! You don’t have to make use of this feature, however – all assistance systems can be switched off, or if you’re just after a relaxing drive, you can switch on every electronic nanny on board and let the Mokka do most of the work on semi-autopilot.
Another notable feature of the Mokka GS Line is the Matrix LED Headlamps that feature different lighting modes for the freeway, city, and rural areas. These intelligent headlights also feature static curve/cornering and manoeuvring light modes that adjust the light concentration according to your location, relaying to the system via the GPS. This technology is not new, it’s just not often seen in cars in this price range – or it’s an extra that forms part of a pricey tech package.
Driving the new Mokka
The 1.2T Puretech engine (good for 96 kW and 230 Nm), mated to the 8-speed auto transmission, made light work of the open roads towards the West Coast and back, and the suspension felt pliant enough on dirt and grass when we pulled over for a quick photo stop. The Mokka’s three different driving modes comprise Sport, Eco, and Normal. It was no surprise that Sport felt sufficiently athletic, but Eco mode was rather lively too. Prod the accelerator hard enough and the Mokka accelerates with zeal even in Eco mode! In Sport, our average consumption quickly climbed to 9 litres per 100 km (my co-driver’s right foot is notoriously heavy), but the short economy run into town in Eco mode yielded an average of 6.2 litres per 100 km, including some trafficky bits. I’d say an average of around 7 litres per 100 km is a safe bet for normal, day-to-day driving.
Grade Walk
Opel Mokka Elegance, R469 900
Exterior Features: Eco LED headlamps, LED taillights, LED fog lamps and DRLs, body-coloured door handles and bumpers, integrated roof spoiler, 12-inch bi-colour alloys.
Comfort and convenience: Rain-sensing wipers, 7-inch infotainment system, 7-inch digital cluster, auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated seats for driver and front passenger (cloth seats), automatic climate control.
Safety and security: Front/side/curtain airbags, passenger airbag deactivation, ABS with EBD and brake assistance, ESP, hill-start assist, blind-spot detection, driver attention alert, lane-keep assistance, speed sign recognition, forward brake assist, cruise control.
Opel Mokka GS Line, R519 900 adds the following:
Exterior Features: Matrix LED headlamps, automatic headlamp levelling, directional headlamps, black roof, integrated roof spoiler, 17-inch black alloy wheels.
Comfort and convenience: 10-inch infotainment system with onboard navigation, 12-inch digital instrument cluster, full leather seats with a massaging function, keyless entry & go.
Safety and security: Adaptive cruise control, active lane-keep assist and lane-departure warning, forward collision avoidance and mitigation.
Both come with a 3-year/120 000 km warranty and 4-year / 60 000 km service plan.
Vertoolt
The Mokka, due in part to its space-age styling, has been met with the same amount of enthusiasm as the Volkswagen T-Cross which went on to become one of the German brand’s biggest success stories. While the Mokka is not cheap, it certainly has enough tricks up its sleeve to become a real rockstar in the Opel (and Stellantis) range, and it will certainly give the T-Cross as well as the T-Roc a run for its money, as well as the 2008 from Peugeot and even the MINI Countryman. Other competitors come in the shape and form of the Toyota Corolla Cross and even the RAV4.
Only time will tell what local consumers will say and do, and if they’ll feel like spending their hard-earned cash on an Opel, but judging by the comments on social media, I think its future looks bright!
Keyword: Reinvented Opel Mokka (2022) joins the local line-up