With refreshing styling for its class, the all new Mokka comes in three different powertrains which is simply a case of ‘tick the box’ when ordering. There’s the usual Petrol, Diesel and now Opel has added the Mokka-e Electric.
As well as offering test drives for potential customers of up to two days for the electric models, Opel are also giving buyers the option to swap back into a more traditional powertrain after 6 months if they find electric isn’t working out for them.
If you do go for the electric you’ll get a 50 kilowatt-hour battery and a motor which produces around 136 BHP which is actually more powerful than the Petrol or Diesel versions. The Opel Mokka-E has the same battery and motor setup as the excellent Corsa-e, Peugeot e-208, Peugeot e-2008 and the Vivaro van. With 320 Kms of range, an average full charge should take about 7.5 hours from a home wall box.
First drive impressions, when you get inside the car are actually quite impressive, textures on the interior include some nice faux carbon fibre on the door trim and across the front dash as well.
Instead of traditional dials you now get what Opel calls the pure panel display consisting of digital screens joined together to make one big display and it comes in either a 7” and 10” or a 10” and 12” depending on which model you choose.
Part of the touch screen shows all the electric car technical information, and one important part of that is the drive modes. The Mokka-e has three drive modes and unlike some other electric cars, these really do make a difference to the way the car drives.
When you switch the car on it’s automatically in normal mode which means you have an average amount of power, the equivalent of a 1.4 litre petrol engine and gives an average amount of range (300kms) fine for everyday driving.
If you’re only going a few miles and you can charge at the end of your journey, treat yourself and select sport mode which unlocks the full 136 BHP. Then when you really need to make the most out of every watt, you can select eco mode and officially stretch to 450kms before needing to charge which is pretty incredible and worth it if you’re going on long distance journeys.
Bearing in mind that electric cars always lose a bit of range in winter, the Mokka-e uses a more efficient type of heater so the range drop isn’t quite as bad as on other more established EVs such as the Nissan Leaf but it is still something you should factor in when planning your trips.
If you do find yourself waiting to charge you’ll be pleased to hear that the Mokka-e will take up to 100 kilowatts from a public DC charger which is fast for a car of this size. In fact some cars like the Nissan Leaf can only accept half of that which means the Mokka-e can get to 80 % full from empty in just half an hour. While you’re waiting you’ll find the seats are rather comfy and there’s a decent view to watch the world go by and everything feels pretty good quality throughout the cabin.
There’s plenty of kit including wireless charging for your phone, Android Auto and Apple Carplay and the usual app for route planning, car stats and emergency calls are supported.
Now the headlights, while they stand out, are also very functional. They’re LED matrix lights and the idea is that they avoid dazzling oncoming cars. So when you’re driving at night with very low levels of light and the LED Matrix lights are beaming out ahead, you’re not going to dazzle all the other drivers on the road. It also means you don’t have to keep switching full beams on and off.
The boot capacity is decent at 310 litres for the electric version and 350 for Petrol /Diesel, it’s not massive but certainly does the job. It’s bigger than the Renault Zoe or the Corsa and it’s got a hidden floor underneath which is brilliant for storing the extra cables.
The Mokka-e in SRi trim will be approx €33,000 (inclusive of grants) once it goes on sale at Easter. Comparatively the SC 1.2 Petrol Mokka with 100bhp will be approx €23,500. The Mokka is packed full of technology and you do get more space than a small hatchback. Comparing it to the Citroen eC4 which uses the same underpinnings, battery and motors, it’s a bit less like an SUV. Then you’ve got the Mazda MX-30 which is cheaper than the Mokka-e, however it does have less range, around 240kms less realistically. So there you have it, Opel’s new Mokka-e will be on the forecourts from April, alongside the Petrol and Diesel versions with full Irish prices available closer to the time.