Driving Report: Opel Mokka - Versatile SUV with new diesel

Opel further expands the engine range in the already successful mocha. The manufacturer from Rüsselsheim wants to make its upbeat and versatile SUV even more attractive and makes the mocha even faster and more efficient with the specially tuned for this model diesel engine. The range of all units in the compact SUV has been supplemented by the 1.6 CDTI turbodiesel since spring this year. The entry is the mocha at a price of 18.990 Euro.

Opel served us the mocha with a new entry-level diesel - loud was yesterday

Test: Opel Mokka 1.6 CDTI 4 × 4

The front of the compact SUV features a swinging apron pulled up to the sides. The "Opel-Blitz" is prominently framed by long lines and the lateral rounding of the headlights continues in a straight bead over the entire length of the vehicle before it drops off in an arc at the rear lights. At the rear, the headlights ensure a strong appearance.

The roof rail is firmly connected to the roof. That improves the aerodynamics. With just under 1,78 meter width and 1,66 meter height, the car is also narrower and lower compared to its competitors. The optimized wind slipperiness has a positive effect on fuel consumption (4,7 liters in the standard test) and exhaust emissions (124 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer). The mocha, which is only available as a five-seater, is on the road both as a city dweller and as a soft off-roader, which it masters very well thanks to its different drive variants.

Once seated, the cockpit seems to be self-explanatory. All the instruments that concern the vehicle, as well as the navigation device located in the middle of the dashboard, offer neither too much nor too little information. The extremely well-tailored front seats not only look perfectly ergonomically styled, but also provide support in every driving situation. In terms of flexibility, the mocha is clearly in line with the trend of its competitors. The folding mechanism for the rear seat bench increases the cargo space from 356 liters to a reasonable 1372 liters.

The 136-PS-Diesel tested by us conveys a good portion of driving pleasure. With a maximum torque of 320 Newton meters at 2000 revolutions, the unit can noticeably refill at any time. Combined with the short graded six-speed manual transmission, the mocha can be controlled very efficiently through city and urban traffic, but also via the motorway. The steering is designed extremely spur-proof, so that in the city, especially in conjunction with the small turning circle a very relaxed driving and parking is possible.

The driver assistance systems, which we already know from other Opel models, can also be found in the mocha. So the engineers from Rüsselsheim installed not only a much improved ESP with Bergan and Bergabfahrhilfe. Traction control and the adaptive driving safety light system are also used. It is based on bi-xenon headlamps and provides with variable adjustment of the light cone in width, range and direction for a good illumination of all road situations. Additional systems are available at an additional cost, such as a next generation front camera for 700 Euro, which controls the front collision warning system and the traffic sign and lane assist.

The mocha, which is available both as a front-wheel drive and with adaptive 4 x 4 all-wheel drive, is available from a price of 18.990 euros. For Opel offers a 1.6-liter petrol engine with 115 PS. The diesel engines, however, start with the 1.6 CDTI as a front-wheel drive unit with the power level 81 kW (110 PS) and six-speed manual transmission. The base price here is 24.185 Euro.

The price differences between the five equipment lines Selection, Edition, Color Edition, Innovation and Color Innovation are kept moderate. Thus, the difference between the basic edition and the top equipment Color Innovation is just 2.725 Euro for the most powerful diesel. This already includes Opel OnStar (personal online and service assistant), adaptive driving lights (AFL +), a parking pilot system for front and rear, and the comfort package (with two-zone air conditioning).

Opel Mokka 1.6 CDTI 4 × 4, innovation

Photos in the article and cover picture: Stefan Beckmann