Review: Vauxhall Mokka X (2012)
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Rating:
Front wheel drive or four wheel drive. Good rear passenger room. Efficient 1.7 CDTi. 140PS 1.4T is the engine of choice. Mokka X much improved. Very few reports of problems.
Not particularly quick or refined. Relatively high list prices (but always heavily discounted). Does not delude you with the quality of its trim.
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Recently Added To This Review
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Vauxhall Mokka X (2012): At A Glance
- New prices start from £20,035, brokers can source from £16,495
- Contract hire deals from £140.08 per month
- Insurance Groups are between 5–15
- On average it achieves 85% of the official MPG figure
Prior to the Mokka, apart from the rarely seen Antara (a car outsold by its Chevrolet Captiva counterpart), Vauxhall's current line-up consisted of everyday hatchbacks and MPVs.
The Mokka is Vauxhall's attempt to appeal to outdoorsy family buyers. People who want a practical car but one that makes a statement. So expect to see lots of 'lifestyle' stuff in the marketing. Cue people on beaches kitesurfing. Of course in reality the Mokka is a car that will spend more time in the car park of the local Sainsbury's.
It's not a bad looker though with a distinctive front end that's more aggressive than the usual Vauxhall design along with a sharply rising window line. That said, the rear isn't as successful and overall there's a lot going on. It's certainly not the cleanest of designs. However, the tall shape means there's plenty of space inside with surprising amounts of room for rear passengers, much more than the Nissan Juke – a car Vauxhall is hoping the Mokka will rival.
The line up includes three efficient engines all of which are fitted with a start-stop system. There is a 1.6-litre petrol or a 1.4-litre Turbo petrol. The one diesel is a 1.7 CDTi with 130PS and 300Nm of torque. The latter two engines are available with a six-speed automatic as an option. Most models come with 18-inch alloys as standard.
When it was launched, you could could sum up the biggest problem for the Mokka in two words – Skoda Yeti. The Yeti was a better car in every department from performance and refinement to quality and value for money.
However, in 2016 Vauxhall improved on some of the main criticisms of the Mokka, with the facelift model getting better infotainment and a redesigned interior. Indeed, by 2017 we had only recorded six complaints about the Mokka yet 73 about the Yeti.
What does a Vauxhall Mokka X (2012) cost?
| List Price from | £19,775 |
|---|---|
| Buy new from | £16,495 |
| Contract hire from | £140.08 per month |
Vauxhall Mokka X (2012): What's It Like Inside?
- Boot space is 356–1372 litres
- Euro NCAP rating of five stars
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length | 4271–4278 mm |
| Width | 1777–2038 mm |
| Height | 1654–1658 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2555 mm |
The interior quality is a bit hit and miss. First impressions are good with the usual Vauxhall cabin layout which looks pretty good, helped by touches like the chrome ringed instrument dials and the neat gear lever.
But when you start to investigate you'll find a few rattly bits of trim and some hard plastics. The finish isn't quite as good as it looks. Even the leather on the seats of top spec models feels on the thin side. You don't imagine it would wear well after several years of use.
The boot is usefully large with 356 litres - slightly more than an Astra - and the load area is wide with no load lip. The seats fold down with the usual 60/40 split and the bases flip up, but they don't feel especially sturdy and in terms of flexibility it lags behind other SUVs.
One neat optional feature is the latest generation of the integrated Flex-Fix bicycle carrier that slides out of the rear bumper and can carry up to three bikes at once. Elsewhere there's good storage, but for a family car of this ilk you'd expect a few more useful touches.
Standard features include:
- Switchable Electronic Stability Programme
- Traction Control
- Descent Control System
- Hill Start Assist
- Anti-lock Braking System
- Driver’s and front passenger’s airbags
- Front seat side-impact airbags
- Full-size curtain airbags
- Air conditioning
- Steering column adjustable for reach and rake
- Silver-effect roof rails
- Electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors
- Electrically operated front windows
- CD/MP3 CD player/aux-in socket (CD 400)
- DMB digital radio
- Steering wheel mounted audio controls
- Multi-function trip computer
- Cruise control
- 60/40 split-folding rear seat back
- 16-inch wheels with 205/70 R 16 tyres
- Alloy-effect protective front skid plate
- Side-protection mouldings
- Remote control alarm system with central locking
- Daytime running lights
Exclusiv
adds the following over S:
- Dual-zone Electronic Climate Control
- USB connection with iPod control
- Bluetooth® functionality
- Leather-covered steering wheel
- Front centre armrest
- Automatic lighting control
- High beam assist
- Rain-sensitive windscreen wipers
- Electro-chromatic anti-dazzle rear-view mirror
- 230-volt rear power outlet behind front seats
- Electrically foldable door mirrors
- Electrically operated rear windows
- Front fog lights
- Front and rear parking distance sensors
- Stainless steel exhaust tailpipe
- Sterling silver-effect 18-inch alloy wheels with 215/55 R 18 tyres
SE
adds the following over Exclusiv:
- Leather seat facings
- Electrically heated front seats
- Ergonomic sports front seats
- Rear seat centre armrest with drinks holders
- Bi-xenon headlights with dynamic beam levelling
- Adaptive Forward Lighting
- Electrically heated steering wheel
- Driver’s sunglasses holder
- Chrome-effect exterior door handles
- Alloy-effect door sill covers
- Dark-tinted rear windows
- Midnight silver-effect 18-inch alloy wheels with 215/55 R 18 tyres
Child seats that fit a Vauxhall Mokka X (2012)
Our unique Car Seat Chooser shows you which child car seats will fit this car and which seat positions that they will fit, so that you don't have to check every car seat manufacturer's website for compatibility.What's the Vauxhall Mokka X (2012) like to drive?
- Engines range from 1.4 Turbo 140 4x4 to 1.7 CDTi
- Readers report Real MPG to be between 25–63 mpg
The Korean-built Mokka lacks refinement. On the motorway there's a lot of wind noise at 70mph and a suprising amount of road noise too. On the plus side the ride is smooth and it feels stable at high speeds plus it's also more than adequate in corners with decent handling, only let down by a bit too much body roll.
The steering is nice and light in town which makes manouvering into small spaces easy, but rear visibility is severly limited by the thick rear pillars which makes reversing out of supermarket parking spaces tricky. This seems a big oversight for a car that will be used for plenty of urban driving.
The engine line-up is simple – there's a 1.6-litre petrol (front-wheel drive only) with a five-speed manual gearbox along with a 1.4 Turbo that has four-wheel drive as standard. The 140PS turbocharged engine promises much – especially with the 'Turbo' badge emblazoned on the boot - but it feels pretty lacklustre, especially compared to other small turbo petrols like Volkswagen's excellent TSI units.
With 200Nm available from 1850rpm and a six-speed manual gearbox, the 1.4 T should be pretty zesty, especially considering the Mokka only weighs 1350kg, but it lacks poke and has to be worked hard to get any meaningful performance. It's fine around town, but feels lacklustre when you're joining fast flowing traffic or overtaking. On the plus side it returns a reasonable 44.1mpg according to the official figures.
The most popular engine will be the 1.7 CDTi – a mainstay of the Vauxhall range. With 130PS and 300Nm of torque it has the pulling power that the 1.4 Turbo lacks and is the engine best suited to the Mokka, particularly on the motorway. It comes with a nicely positive six-speed manual with either front-wheel drive or 4WD plus there's a six-speed automatic with front-wheel drive.
The all-wheel drive models have an on-demand system, so in normal driving all the power is sent to the front wheels. However, if it detects a break in grip it can transfer the power up to a 50/50 split. Useful in snow and ice. There's also hill start assist and hill descent control - which controls the speed of the car down steep slopes - as standard.
Like all the engines, the CDTi has start/stop as standard and the good news is that the manual front-wheel drive version averages a claimed 62.8mpg with CO2 emissions of 120g/km, meaning cheap annual VED. The bad news is that the diesel engine really lacks refinement. It's noisy, both on start up and when revved, while there's a lot of clatter when pulling from low revs.
| Engine | MPG | 0-62 | CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 Turbo 140 | 41–47 mpg | 9.3–9.4 s | 139–154 g/km |
| 1.4 Turbo 140 4x4 | 39–44 mpg | 9.4 s | 149–154 g/km |
| 1.4 Turbo 140 Automatic | 40–42 mpg | 10.1 s | 116–162 g/km |
| 1.4 Turbo 153 | 42 mpg | - | 150 g/km |
| 1.4 Turbo 153 Automatic 4x4 | 44 mpg | - | 150 g/km |
| 1.6 | 42–44 mpg | 11.9 s | 153–158 g/km |
| 1.6 CDTi 110 | 66–71 mpg | 11.7 s | 105–114 g/km |
| 1.6 CDTi 110 ecoFLEX | 69–72 mpg | 11.7 s | 103–109 g/km |
| 1.6 CDTi 136 | 58–69 mpg | 9.3–11.7 s | 106–131 g/km |
| 1.6 CDTi 136 4x4 | 60 mpg | 9.7 s | 124 g/km |
| 1.6 CDTi 136 Automatic | 55–57 mpg | 10.3 s | 132–134 g/km |
| 1.7 CDTi | 63 mpg | 10.0 s | 120 g/km |
| 1.7 CDTi 4x4 | 58 mpg | 10.4 s | 129 g/km |
| 1.7 CDTi Automatic | 53 mpg | 10.9 s | 139 g/km |
Real MPG average for a Vauxhall Mokka X (2012)
Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.
Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.
Average performance
85%
Real MPG
25–63 mpg
MPGs submitted
334
Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.
What have we been asked about the Vauxhall Mokka X (2012)?
Every day we're asked hundreds of questions from car buyers and owners through Ask Honest John. Our team of experts, including the nation's favourite motoring agony uncle - Honest John himself - answer queries and conudrums ranging from what car to buy to how to care for it as an owner. If you could do with a spot of friendly advice before buying you're next car, get in touch and we'll do what we can to help.
Why does the turbo on my diesel whistle so much?
What Cars Are Similar To The Vauxhall Mokka X (2012)?
Key attributes of the this model are: Diesel engine, Family friendly, Four-wheel drive, Generous head room, Petrol engine, Raised driving position, Crossover and SUV.
Unclear on what your next car should be? Use our Car Chooser to pick something that suits your needs.
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What do owners think?
Our view gives your our opinion, based on driving hundreds of cars every year, but you can't beat the views of someone who lives with a car day-in, day out.
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- 4 star 60%
- 3 star 20%
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