VARIOUS car manufacturers make no secret of their admiration for the Nissan Qashqai.
In fact, the word
‘Qashqai’ has made an appearance at almost every one of the car launches and industry events I’ve attended over the past few years.
I didn’t make it to the launch of the new Opel Mokka and don’t know what was said, but after driving the car last week I would guess that Opel’s designers certainly had the Qashqai or maybe the smaller Nissan Juke on their minds when they were working on the design for their new crossover.
However, the Mokka is a completely new car, built on the Corsa platform and it could well take sales from the Qashqai and other crossovers. Opel is the first German manufacturer to enter the mini-SUV segment, which is growing all the time.
I was very impressed when I sat in for the first time. The seats in the Mokka are really comfortable and the heated leather seats in my top-of-the-range model, were very much appreciated in what was a cold week.
It’s a very high ride and you wouldn’t want to be troubled with arthritis to climb on board. But once inside the drive is very comfortable and the views over the hedgerows are fantastic in this green and pleasant land of ours.
I drove a white model, which seemed a bit strange for a crossover. As you may know white is fine in a warm country like Spain, but in Ireland it’s a colour that can be difficult to keep clean.
Externally the Mokka is attractive and the bumpers being a different colour adds to the attraction. Two roof rails also add to the SUV effect.
The interior is dominated by a large console on the dash. The dash is typical Opel, but it may contain too many buttons for newcomers. However, you quickly get familiar with the uses for all the buttons. In the back there is room for three well-built adults.
As mentioned earlier the front seats are really relaxing. There is an armrest for the driver and underneath is and old style handbrake. However, you will probably have to have the armrest up if you are using the handbrake.
Like most new cars the Mokka has the now familiar stop-start technology and if you have driven a car with this technology you may have noticed that it re-starts up just by adjusting the air condition control button.
All my driving was on good roads, but there is an option to upgrade to an all-wheel drive if required. And if you need to go off-road, there is plenty of ground clearance, but if you are thinking along those lines maybe you should choose a colour other than white.
There is a decent boot and you do get a spare wheel, which is always appreciated.
Prices start at
?¬19,995 for the 1.6 petrol, while the 1.4 turbo petrol version I drove will cost you
?¬23,995. It’s also available in 1.7 litre diesel, which starts at
?¬23,995.
Opel now has an impressive array of new cars available to Irish motorists and their new Adam city car will complete their line up for this year. There is also an Opel Cascada on the way, but it may not be available in Ireland.
All the company needs now is new customers. Maybe Angela Merkel should give Irish people a special discount on German cars to boost sales here!