ON THE ROAD- IAN LYNAS PREVIEWS THE NEW OPEL MOKKA

Early next year Opel will launch the new Mokka in Ireland and it will be available from launch with an all-electric powertrain, alongside petrol and diesel engine variants. According to Opel, the newcomer is stylish; fun to drive, compact and efficient and it sports Opel’s exciting future brand face.

The Opel Vizor is a new digital interior cockpit and the Opel Pure Panel is perfectly attuned to urban life and motorway driving, making the newcomer crossover a bold new departure for the brand.

“The new Mokka is a head-turner, destined to change the perception of our brand; we are reinventing Opel and introducing our design of the next decade. It shows everything the brand stands for today and in the future: the Mokka is fun, efficient and innovative in all respects. In addition, it perfectly embodies the Opel brand values, exciting, approachable, German, in the most progressive way. It is the first Opel that is electric right from its market introduction; a real proof that Opel goes electric,” commented Michael Lohscheller, Opel CEO.

Invented by design chief Mark Adams and his team, the Vizor front face will feature on all of the brand’s models throughout the 2020s. Extending across the front of the vehicle, below the bonnet, the new Vizor flows elegantly, beautifully framing the front headlights to deliver a strong lighting signature. The Vizor is proudly punctuated by the legendary Opel Blitz logo in the centre. At the rear, the strong, new visual brand identity continues, and the thin, LED-rear lights enhance the feeling of precision and quality. With a slightly longer wheelbase, a mere 2mm than its predecessor, short overhangs and wide stance, the robust newcomer offers plenty of cabin room for five passengers and a similar loading space of up to 350 litres in its luggage compartment.

A total length of only 4.15 metres makes it easy to manoeuvre and park in the city. “Bold and pure, this is what the Opel design of the future will look like. The new Mokka shows athletic proportions combined with precisely structured, flowing surfaces. We have developed this philosophy aligned to characteristic German design, combining progressive bold design with purity,” commented Mark Adams, Opel Design Vice President. The new Opel Pure Panel boasts two wide screens of up to 10 and 12 inches in size. The central display is deliberately tilted to the driver and provides the latest technologies and most important driver information, while all irritating visual stimuli are absent. To allow intuitive usage and the driver’s continuous focus on the road, Opel designers kept control buttons for essential functions, avoiding hazardous exploration into touchscreen sub-menus. The design of the centre console too has been impressively cleaned up, thanks to an electric parking brake and the new electric gear lever. Standard equipment includes Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, LED lamps at the front and rear, an electric parking brake and traffic sign recognition. Dependant on trim, equipment includes six-way ergonomic seats, heated leather seats, massage function, a 180-degree panorama rear-view camera, navigation, Advanced Cruise Control, Active Lane Positioning, wireless smartphone charging, and glare-free, IntelliLux LED matrix lights, unique in the category. As with the Insignia, Astra and the new Corsa, this advanced lighting system enables driving on permanent high beam. In order to not glare oncoming drivers, the individual LED elements dim down in milliseconds; nobody is dazzled, yet Mokka passengers experience stadium-like illumination.

For the first time in Opel’s history, the new Mokka will be available from the first day with electric power. The electric motor delivers 100 kW (136bhp) and 260 Newton metres of maximum torque, immediately available from a standing start. Drivers can choose between three drive modes; Normal, Eco and Sport. The electronically limited top speed is 150kph to preserve energy stored in the 50 kWh battery and the range. A 100 kW DC fast-charger replenishes 80% of the battery in just 30 minutes. The Mokka-e has a purely battery-electric range of up to 322 kilometres according to WLTP in Normal mode, while the Eco mode supports the driver in achieving the maximum possible range. The battery is covered by an eight-year warranty. Built on Opel’s highly efficient multi-energy platform CMP (Common Modular Platform). This efficient modular system offers maximum flexibility in vehicle development and allows the installation of an electric powertrain or an internal combustion engine without impacting the cabin space of the vehicle: the customer has the choice of powertrain that best suits their lifestyle needs, all-electric, petrol or diesel. The engineering team in Russelsheim has contained weight, saving up to 120 kg vs the previous generation, yet enhanced body stiffness, gaining up to 30% torsional stiffness in the case of the electric version, with its low-sitting integrated battery structure. The benefits are obvious: the new Mokka consumes substantially less energy, while being much more responsive, agile and fun to drive.

Ian Lynas