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by Nic Cackett 4 December 2012 Follow @@autocar Share
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The days of the dreary old Vauxhall are numbered. Or at least that’s the message being transmitted loud and clear at the moment by General Motors’ UK outpost, and a vision that’s further reinforced by the launch of this, the Vauxhall Mokka.
It joins Vauxhall’s revised and updated range, sitting alongside the handsome Astra GTC, the boulevardier Cascada convertible and the perky Adam supermini.
Vauxhall aims to become a more desirable brandNic CackettRoad tester
The Mokka enters the competitive and rapidly expanding compact crossover segment, so it has its work cut out to stand tall among well established rivals such as the Nissan Juke and Skoda Yeti.
Fortunately, it has several factors in its favours. It’s offered with both two and four-wheel drive, with either petrol or diesel engines, and there are automatic versions of the two-wheel drive models for those who don’t want to row their own gears.
Its relatively low price should also help attract buyers, particularly when you account for its decent kit levels and ‘Lifetime’ warranty, which covers the car over a limitless period of time up to 100,000 miles.
Past caring about overall market share, Luton says its new strategy is to target private buyers with models desirable enough to tempt them into spending their own money.
Achieving that should also mean generating something Opel/Vauxhall hasn’t known in longer than a decade: profit.
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Sounds straightforward. But the strategy won’t be achieved unless the reputation of the Griffin badge can be transformed from something that harms the perception of a new car into something that enhances it. It won’t be the work of a moment.
Related Vauxhall Mokka 2012-2016 reviews
Vauxhall Mokka Tech Line 1.4 Turbo first driveVauxhall MokkaVauxhall Mokka 1.4T 4×4
Time for a temperature check, then. Is Vauxhall on course to achieve its ambitious goal? And will the Mokka take it in the right direction?
Verdict Model tested: Rating:
Vauxhall Mokka 2012-2016
GoodWell packaged practicalityValue for moneyBalanced handlingBadNot big enough for fiveUnsettled rough-road rideEngines can be unrefined at speed