Vauxhall Mokka - Engines, performance and drive

The previous-generation Mokka X was not a good car to drive, and while the second-generation Mokka still doesn’t offer as much driver involvement as the Ford Puma, it is a more refined car than before.

We found the Mokka rides best at low speeds around town, where its CMP chassis (shared with Peugeot and Citroen) deals with the worst elements of scarred UK tarmac quite well. The suspension set-up can struggle to remain composed at higher speeds, but overall, the balance will be fine for most drivers.

Our experience with the 128bhp Mokka suggests this engine will be perfectly adequate for most urban journeys, with the eight-speed automatic transmission in particular impressing us at lower speeds. It's easily a match for the dual-clutch set-up of its Volkswagen Group rivals such as the Skoda Kamiq and SEAT Arona. 

If you start to flex the right foot and push on, you’ll notice the unmistakable growl of the three-cylinder engine. Don’t be fooled into thinking any extra noise will yield an equal increase in performance – the Mokka is not a particularly quick car. Vauxhall has tried its best to accentuate the positive by offering a Sport driving mode, but it doesn’t make any meaningful benefits to the driving experience.

The Mokka Electric EV is much quieter than the petrol versions, and it’s extremely smooth when accelerating off the line. It doesn’t feel as rapid as some electric cars, but it’ll keep up with traffic well enough. You’ll need to engage Sport mode to exploit all its performance potential because power is pegged in Normal and Eco driving modes in a bid to preserve electric range.

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0-62mph acceleration and top speed

The entry 99bhp 1.2-litre petrol version manages the 0-62mph sprint in 10.6 seconds, while the more powerful 134bhp manages the same sprint in a brisker 9.1 seconds. The 128bhp eight-speed automatic is just a tenth of a second slower.

The outgoing Mokka Electric (formerly the Mokka-e) has an electric motor producing 134bhp and 260Nm of torque, and manages 0-62mph in 9.2 seconds. However, the higher-output Mokka Electric produces 154bhp and 260Nm of torque from its single electric motor, which should allow for a sub-nine-second 0-62mph time. Both versions of the electric Mokka have the same electronically limited top speed of 93mph.