It's 2021 since I last drove an Opel Mokka, and at that time it was the all-electric version of the then second generation small SUV, writes Brian Byrne. Somehow I missed trying the petrol variant since, but now I've kind of bypassed that by taking on the very new hybrid. There's a lot to be said for it.
The small SUV is the second-largest segment in the Irish market, representing one in every four car sales. There's keen competition. In Opel's own sales, Mokka is in second place after their small hatch Corsa, between them accounting for 60pc of Opel sales here.
The Mokka's very edgy looks are holding their attractiveness. The sharp front design is not over-styled, but has just enough elements to make it interesting. The flat bonnet with single central ridge adds to a sense that the car is wider than it actually is. There's some deft designer work in the side view where curving lines in the roofline and the bodywork meet at the rear C-pillar area and flow to a cleanly smooth back hatch. Bladed design in the alloys offers a 'going forward' impression even while the car is standing.
Inside the designer's pen had sketched a good dashboard look, overall smooth contours and a highly integrated driver and entertainment screens presentation, which in production works well. The central screen itself is actually quite small, especially the nav map element when you hook up CarPlay, but by the same token is comfortable in not requiring the scan of a wide area to take in the detail. The rotary knobs for climate and volume are straightforward and welcome, and all specification levels have front seats heating which is also operated tidily by proper switches.
The Mokka is spacious for those in front, but rather tight in knee-room in the rear if there are long-legged driver and front passenger. The boot space at 350 litres is about average for the segment and format (though the electric version has a bit less capacity). Two carry-ons will fit easily in the boot length with space left for a computer bag and some shopping.
My interest this time around was in the hybrid powertrain, which only arrived as an option in Ireland in the autumn. It's a special version of the 1.2 turbo three-cylinder petrol unit, with a total 136hp output compared to the petrol-only motor's 100hp. The 48-volt electric component is of the mild-hybrid variety, where regenerated energy to the battery is used to boost acceleration and minimise emissions in urban driving. Despite its MHEV status, this system can unusually drive in electric-only mode for up to a kilometre and under the right conditions can be in EV operation for up to 50pc of the time in city driving. A strong regeneration on accelerator lift-off is a characteristic, offering one-pedal driving almost like a full EV. The transmission is automatic, a 6-speed dual-clutch system that provides quite seamless shifts. The whole thing was very quiet.
In my review time with the Mokka I had on two separate occasions a need to drive round trips totalling 400+ kilometres in the same day. The first thing that these proved was the essential comfort of the car on long trips. The second was, despite half the journey being on motorway-level roads where the hybrid doesn't really offer advantage, the fuel economy was still on the frugal side — Opel says a 20pc improvement over the petrol-only model is achievable. Third, when I needed on single-carriageway roads acceleration to overtake, the extra heft from the electric motor made a reassuring difference.
As my car was in GS spec and also automatic, the lighting was LED matrix. My long drives did necessitate night journeying, and I found that really useful as the headlights adjusted much more flexibly than simple heads-dips.
The first two cars I owned were Opels. Fifty-six years later, the Mokka in this hybrid form would definitely encourage me to own another.
PRICE: From €30,295; review car €37,995. WHAT I LIKED: Tidy size, good looks and easy on the juice.
