The article was originally produced on January 14, 2013, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Opel Mokka

The old, venerable brand from southwestern Germany is fighting hard for its survival. Could the new small SUV, Mokka, be what is needed to save Opel. With 80,000 sold already in October, it actually looks like it. Cars Collection took a closer look at what the Mokka has to offer at the international test drive located in St. Peter-Ording on the German North Sea coast. 

Opel's position in the industry is critical, one factory in Bochum, Germany is to be closed and the others are going for overproduction. The reason is mainly that the Korean car brands have gained such ground in the last five years, which has made Opel suffer. Even the French car brands suffer from the same phenomenon and do everything to maintain their market shares. In their fight for this, everything is done to attract customers back. But is it enough?

First impressions are tough! Mokka's size and shapes are compact and large. Short but wide wheelbase and high front give a muscular and supportive attitude. Exactly what a brand in Opel's situation needs to get noticed. To make Mokka extra attractive, an attractive price level has also been set. The entry-level model, which is a 1.6 liter petrol version with a manual gearbox, has a price starting at SEK 179,900. That price includes a range of things such as hill start assist, downhill assist brake, cruise control and 18-inch wheels to name a few. On this level, the Korean brands are also incredibly affordable and offer at least as much, if not more, to their models.

The bright blue Mocha that CS chose to test drive was unfortunately not equipped with the very tasteful chocolate brown leather upholstery that is also available. With it, the interior feels very inviting. Instead, this was equipped with black interior and fabric seats. Guaranteed more affordable but not as attractive. In terms of shape, most things are placed where they should be, easily overlooked and with neat lines as a frame. The feeling of quality is okay, but not one hundred percent, There is a long way to go to the same feeling as, for example, in an Audi or BMW. But then a Mokka costs about half of any car from these two. In an independent test conducted, the Mokka won with its infotainment system for best driving safety. The system is still experienced as a bit complicated and difficult to maneuver.  

You take what you have and under the new body on the Mokka we find some components from other Opel models. Parts of the chassis will e.g. from Meriva and the brakes from Astra. As standard, the Mokka is front-wheel drive. If you want all-wheel drive, you have to add SEK 15,000. Then you get an electromagnetic clutch that supplies the rear wheels with power when needed. So not permanent four-wheel drive. On normal country roads, none of this is noticeable. When the road starts to hill and with some provocation, you can experience how the car's behavior changes. The performance is positive and the Mokka will easily cope with most difficult conditions that can arise on Swedish winter roads. It should not be confused with an all-terrain vehicle, so the Mokka does not belong outside public roads. With its cheerful design, Mokka should hit the spot for the conscious city person. And hopefully that's exactly what Opel needs to survive in this tough industry.