Opel's compact cross over- SUV, initially known as the Mokka, was introduced globally in 2013 and arrived in South Africa in March 2015.
Initially, the Mokka was available here in four different models. These were the Mokka Enjoy 1.4T manual (R288 500), the Mokka Enjoy 1.4T Automatic (R298 500), the Mokka Cosmo 1.4T manual (R325 500) and the Mokka 1.4T Cosmo Automatic (R335 500).
All of these models used the 1 364 cc turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine from Opel that produced 103 kW and 200 Nm of torque between 1 850 and 4 900 rpm. Gearboxes were a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque-convertor automatic. Only front-wheel-drive Mokkas have ever been sold here.
Performance was quite strong, with a 0-100 km/h time of just over 10 seconds and a top speed of 191 km/h for the automatic models. The manuals were even quicker, with a 9,8-second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 196 km/h.
What about a diesel Mokka?
No diesel engines were ever offered in the South African Mokka line-up. However, in Europe, three different diesels were offered between 2013 and 2020. Initially, a 1,7-litre diesel producing 96 kW was on sale, but from 2015 onwards, two 1,6-litre CDTI engines replaced the 1,7-litre unit. The 1,6-litre turbodiesels were offered in 81 kW form with 300 Nm of torque, and in a more powerful 100 kW version with 320 Nm.
Other European petrol engine options included two naturally-aspirated units: Non-turbo fans could choose an 85 kW 1,6-litre or a 103 kW 1,8-litre engine, but, like the diesels, these were never introduced to the South African market. Also available overseas were all-wheel-drive versions of the Mokka.
Name change to Mokka X
In late November 2016, the vehicle was facelifted and also received a name change. The chunky Opel compact cross over-SUV would from this point be known as the Mokka X. It was explained at the time that this part of a global strategy to identify all Opel products enjoying an SUV format with an upper-case “X”.
The Mokka X from late 2016 onwards is identified by the badges, as well as revised lighting. Standard on both models was now light clusters featuring LED daytime running lamps. Optional on the Cosmo models was a special lighting package that also added rear LED light clusters, and, more importantly, auto-levelling headlights with Adaptive Forward Lighting technology that offered automatic dimming and cornering lights.
Infotainment screens with phone-pairing were also introduced, with the Cosmo model having a more expensive colour screen.
Manual model dropped in 2019
Presumably, due to low demand, the 6-speed manual version was dropped in mid-2019, and now there are only two models available: the 1.4T Enjoy Automatic and the 1.4T Cosmo Automatic. Prices for these models have now risen to R400 000 for the Enjoy and R450 000 for the Cosmo in June 2020.
For now, the Opel Mokka X continues to remain on sale here in its current form. However, it has recently been announced in Europe that a new, second-generation Mokka, based on the Peugeot-Citroen CMP platform has been introduced.
As for sales numbers, the Opel Mokka X has been a reasonable seller for Opel here. The Mokka model, before the addition of the “X” suffix, had sold 2 672 units from March 2015 until the time of the X facelift introduction in November 2016.
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