Vauxhall Mokka X (2012 – 2019) Review

The Vauxhall Mokka – or Vauxhall Mokka X from 2016 – was a decent proposition: a small SUV with running gear from a small hatch, plus decent equipment and low costs. It’s just a shame it wasn’t finished to a higher standard or as good to drive as rivals which included the trailblazing Nissan Juke, the stylish Mazda CX-3 or Skoda Karoq and Skoda Yeti. Read on for our full Vauxhall Mokka X review.

The Vauxhall Mokka was the company’s attempt to appeal to people who want a practical car, but one that makes a statement. 

It’s not a bad looker, 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.

However, there’s plenty of space inside with surprising amounts of room for rear passengers, much more than in the Nissan Juke.

The line-up included three efficient engines, all of which were fitted with a start-stop system.

The range comprises a 1.6-litre petrol or a 1.4-litre turbo petrol, plus a 1.7 CDTi diesel with 130PS and 300Nm of torque. The latter two engines were available with a six-speed automatic as an option.

Most models came with 18-inch alloys as standard.

When it was launched, you could sum up the biggest problem for the Vauxhall Mokka in two words – Skoda Yeti.

The Czech company’s offering was a better car in every area, from performance and refinement to quality and value for money. As a used buy, the same rings true.

However, in 2016 Vauxhall improved on some of the main criticisms of the original, with the facelifted model getting better infotainment and a redesigned interior – and a minor name change to Vauxhall Mokka X.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar’s Vauxhall Mokka X review.

Both the Vauxhall Mokka and Vauxhall Mokka X suffer from a lack of refinement.

On the motorway there’s a lot of wind noise at 70mph, and a surprising amount of road noise, too.

On the plus side, the ride is smooth and it feels stable at high speeds. It’s also more than adequate in corners with decent handling, and only let down by a bit too much body roll.

The steering is nice and light in town, which makes manoeuvring into small spaces easy. However, rear visibility is severely limited by the thick rear pillars, which makes reversing out of supermarket parking spaces, for example, tricky.

This seems a big oversight for a car that many will use mainly for urban driving.

The Vauxhall Mokka started life with a choice of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines, plus a 1.7-litre turbodiesel.

That changed to a 1.6-litre turbodiesel in mid-2015, with the option of 110PS or 136PS. These are far better engines for refinement and general driving pleasure than the coarse 1.7.

The 1.6 petrol unit was a fixture of the range until late 2018, but it was not the most suitable engine, as it needs to be revved to give a decent account of itself.

Drive it this way, though, and it’s noisy, so it’s a bit of a lose-lose situation.

Much better in every way is the 1.4 Turbo petrol that has good pulling power at low revs, works cleanly and quietly, and delivers decent all-round performance, whether you choose it in the most common 140PS form or the rarer 153PS version for the 4x4 model.

When crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2012, the Vauxhall Mokka scored a very good five-star rating. It was helped by six airbags, ESC traction control and a speed limiter.

However, times move on and the Vauxhall Mokka X lags behind newer rivals when it comes to vital safety tech, with lane assistance and automatic emergency braking unavailable.

Most Vauxhall Mokkas can tow an unbraked trailer of up to 500kg. Some can also tow as much as 1650kg with a braked trailer, while others are limited to a mere 500kg.

You need to check carefully with the spec of any particular model if it will suit your towing needs.

The tall styling of the Vauxhalll Mokka X means there’s more space for passengers than you might initially suspect.

In this respect, it’s better than a Nissan Juke of the same era, but not as good as the Skoda Yeti.

Front occupants are well looked after and the dash is clear and simple to use. It’s a shame, though, that the heater controls feel like they are made from very cheap plastic.

Sit in the back and there’s still enough room for kids to relax – adults might find their knees rubbing against the front seats.

The upswept window line also means smaller children could have trouble seeing out of the side windows.

The boot is usefully large with a 356-litre capacity, 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, the car lags behind rivals.

One neat optional feature, though, is 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 you’d expect a few more useful touches.

The interior quality is a bit hit and miss. First impressions are fine, with the familiar Vauxhall cabin layout of this era.

It looks pretty good, helped by touches like the chrome ringed instrument dials and the neat gear lever.

But investigate more closely, and you’ll find a few rattly bits of trim and some hard plastics.

The finish isn't quite as impressive as it looks. Even the leather on the seats of top-spec models feels on the thin side.

The British brand was quick to get on terms with infotainment, and initially offered the Vauxhall Mokka with a seven-inch touchscreen in even the basic trims.

If you went for a Design Nav or higher spec model, this was uprated to a clearer eight-inch display.

The 2016 update brought a new IntelliLink system to the infotainment, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

If you’re on a limited budget, an earlier Vauxhall Mokka will be a low-cost route into compact SUV ownership.

However, we’d recommend looking at the Vauxhall Mokka X, with its better specification and updates, which costs from £8000 for the 1.6-litre diesel model in Active trim with 60,000 miles covered.

A four-year-old example with 30,000 miles and the 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine will come in at £10,500 for a Griffin spec version.

The earlier 1.7-litre turbodiesel is frugal but unrefined, so the 1.6-litre CDTi makes a better choice and offers a claimed combined economy of up to 68.9mpg.

It’s best to avoid the 1.6-litre petrol four-wheel-drive model, as it’s not a genuine off-roader and is the thirstiest of the Vauxhall Mokka line-up.

Instead, we’d advise seeking out the 1.4T engine that delivers claimed consumption of up to 47.1mpg.

The 1.4T comes with emissions of 150g/km for most models, so road tax is the usual £180 for 12 months for cars registered after 1 April 2017. The same rate applies to the diesel engine, too.

With insurance sitting in groups 5 to 15, it’s easy to see why the car appeals to many drivers, as premiums will be at the lower end of the scale.

The Vauxhall Mokka X came in four trim levels, beginning with the Active model. It gets kit including a seven-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and 17-inch alloy wheels. 

Vauxhall Mokka X Design Nav models are almost identical to Active cars, the only difference being they swap the basic infotainment screen for an eight-inch display that has built-in sat-nav. 

Vauxhall Mokka X Griffin models get the larger infotainment screen, but also automatic headlights and wipers, a heated steering wheel and front seats, auto-dipping headlights, and 18-inch alloy wheels. They feel a tad posher inside thanks to their ‘Premium’ leather-effect/fabric seat trim.

Vauxhall Mokka X Elite models have the same kit as Griffin cars, but have real leather seats and 17-inch alloy wheels. Elite versions of the Vauxhall Mokka X are the only cars in the range that could be specified with four-wheel drive.