In-depth reviews

Vauxhall Mokka - Practicality, comfort and boot space

The Vauxhall Mokka is a reasonably comfortable and well-equipped small SUV, but rivals have more rear space

Overall Auto Express Rating

3.5 out of 5

Practicality, comfort and boot space Rating

3.0 out of 5

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If you check out Vauxhall’s marketing blurb on the Mokka you’ll see it’s firmly positioned as the good-looking, stylish alternative to its more straight-laced Crossland sibling, which offers more space and useful practical touches. 

The Mokka still offers a pleasant, comfortable ride, though, with enough positive attributes to make it a decent buy. For example, the range of petrol and all-electric powertrains allows customers to make the best choice to suit their day-to-day needs, while standard kit, even on base Design-spec cars, includes helpful features such as a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel, cruise control and electric door mirrors.

We found the Mokka’s A-pillars were quite wide and could be an issue for some in attempting to gain the best view of the road – particularly at junctions. The rear window is quite small, too, so we’d suggest stepping up to mid-range GS trim because that provides you with rear parking sensors and a reversing camera to make parking easier. The range-topping Ultimate adds front parking sensors.

That top-of-the-range version has fancier matrix LED headlights that automatically adapt the beam pattern at night to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

Size

The latest Mokka measures 4,151mm in length and 1,791mm across (not including mirrors). In comparison, the Ford Puma – already one of the shortest supermini-sized small SUVs, measures 4,207mm nose-to-tail and 1,805mm wide.

Leg room, head room and passenger space

Space up-front is more than adequate for two adults to travel in comfort, although a family will struggle because space in the rear is tight. Like the Toyota Yaris Cross, there isn’t much space to fit a child in a child seat (even though there are two Isofix points provided on the outer rear seating positions), and adult passengers will not wish to spend much time tucked behind a similarly sized adult upfront. 

If you’re seeking practicality and want to remain a Vauxhall customer, then perhaps look towards the Crossland, which comes with a convenient sliding rear bench to maximise legroom or boot space.

Boot

At 350 litres, the Mokka offers a decent boot size, although this is comprehensively trumped by the capacity of the Renault Captur, which has 422 litres of load space. And that’s even before the Renault plays its ace card with its sliding rear bench opening up a vast 536 litres – although this does come at the expense of rear passenger room. Folding the Mokka's rear seats down gives you 1,105 litres of space to play with if you load the car to the roof.

It’s worth noting that the Mokka Electric offers 310 litres of boot space with its rear seats in place, expandable up to 1,060 litres, due to the packaging requirements of its battery and motor. It also doesn't feature any additional storage under its bonnet.

Towing

Maximum towing weight for the petrol Mokka is rated at 1,200kg, which is good enough to be able to tow a trailer or small caravan. The electric version isn’t rated to tow anything.

For maximum towing capacity in a small SUV, look at the four-wheel drive ‘4Motion’ VW T-Roc, because that can tow up to 1700kg in both 2.0-litre petrol and diesel forms.

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