Vauxhall’s filled with beans: As RAY MASSEY enjoys a chocolate-infused Easter, automotive big provides a brand new coffee-sounding Mokka to its line-up
As we get pleasure from a chocolate-infused Easter weekend, Britain’s Vauxhall has simply added a brand new coffee-sounding Mokka to its line-up.
However not like bamboozling espresso menus, there is a easy alternative of three Easter bonnets: petrol, diesel or pure electrical, with costs from £20,735.
All of them characteristic Vauxhall’s sharp new V-shaped ‘vizor’ face — and the aerodynamic design cuts drag at motorway speeds by 16 per cent.
Feisty: The energising Vauxhall Mokka is out there as petrol, diesel or electrical
This week I have been driving well appointed petrol and electrical variants round city Coventry and leafy Warwickshire.
I first tried out the brand new Mokka SRi Nav Premium petrol model, costing £27,450 (£27,770 with additional White Jade paint).
Powered by a feisty turbo-charged 1.2-litre 3-cylinder 130 hp petrol engine linked to an agile eight-speed computerized gear-box, it feels taut and nippy round city and cruises properly on motorways, accelerating from relaxation to 60mph in 9.2 seconds as much as a high velocity of 124mph.
For additional engagement, you may play up and down on the guide paddles. It has frugal gas effectivity, with a median as much as 47.9mph and CO2 emissions of 137g/km.
There’s additionally a 100hp model, and each can be found with a six-speed guide.
However I bought my actual energising caffeine hit from the pure electrical 136hp Vauxhall e-Mokka in a vivid, statement-making shade referred to as Mamba Inexperienced, complemented by a black roof.
Powered by a 100kW electrical motor and a 50 kW lithium-ion battery, it flies alongside and feels very agile, accelerating to 60mph in 8.7 seconds as much as a high velocity of 93mph and with zero emissions.
You’ll be able to select between Eco, Regular and Sport driving modes — I used to be primarily within the most participating Sport. It has a claimed vary of 201 miles.
You will pay an electrical premium with my automotive, in Elite Nav Premium trim, costing £32,730 (together with the £2,500 plug-in automotive grant), of which £650 was for metallic paint.
There are seven trim ranges for the Mokka, beginning at £20,735 and 4 for the electrical e-Mokka, costing from £30,840.
Aside from the silent working, and having to charge-up moderately than fill-up, the driving expertise from behind the wheel of the electrical model is just about the identical.
No new buttons and knobs to grasp or intimidate. Digital contact screens are straightforward to navigate.
Pulling on a easy rocker swap strikes you from park to drive or reverse.
Hitting the B-button will increase braking resistance, helps generate extra cost as you decelerate, and means you may drive ‘one-footed’- barely having to the touch the brakes.
It has a bit much less area within the again due to the batteries and cabling, which reduces the petrol model’s 350 by 40 litre to 310 litres.
With the rear seats pulled down, that will increase to 1060 litres (1105 litres for petrol).
The brand new automotive is 124mm shorter, 10mm wider and with a barely longer (2mm) wheelbase, giving it a sportier and extra dynamic stance. It is also 120kg lighter.
A full cost on a home 7kW wall-box takes 7 hours and 35 minutes or 5 hours and 5 minutes on a public 22kW charger.
Nonetheless, an 80 per cent enhance takes 45 minutes on a 50kW rapid-charger (half-hour on a 100kW charger).
There’s nonetheless a spot for diesel with a 1.5 litre 110 horse-power engine linked to a six-speed guide gear-box providing as much as 65.7mpg with CO2 emissions of 114g/km.
POLESTAR DELIVERS FOOD BOXES TO THOSE IN NEED
Forward of showrooms re-opening on April 12, Swedish electrical automotive maker Polestar has delivered 325 packing containers of meals — sufficient to offer 10,000 meals — to these in want in the course of the pandemic.
The packing containers have been despatched out to and stuffed by journalists, celebrities, together with Dynasty actress Emma Samms, and the general public after the agency launched a #NoWasteofSpace lockdown marketing campaign whereas its new Manchester showroom stood idle.
Contribution: Polestar Manchester is delivering the packing containers to native Fareshare UK foodbank hubs for wider distribution
The Polestar Manchester Area within the metropolis’s Trafford Centre is a contemporary ‘no-hassle, no-pressure’ various to conventional automotive showrooms with workers who usually are not on fee.
Impressed by footballer Marcus Rashford’s Feeding Britain’s Kids documentary, Polestar Manchester is delivering the packing containers to native Fareshare UK foodbank hubs for wider distribution.
Donated meals parcels are being delivered by a fleet of ten Polestar 2 electrical efficiency fastback automobiles (costing from £49,900 and in the stores on-line at polestar.com ) which might in any other case be idle as check drives are prohibited throughout lockdown.
Help got here from Coventry-based van and taxi agency LEVC. Each are owned by China’s Geely group.
The 325 #NoWasteofSpace packing containers full of non-perishable meals and private care objects weighed 2.2 tonnes – and Polestar matched that to double the burden to 4.4 tonnes.
Jonathan Goodman, head of Polestar UK, stated: ‘We may by no means have envisaged the unimaginable response this marketing campaign obtained, and the generosity of all who took half is really heart-warming.’
ANNUAL MOTOR INSURANCE PREMIUMS FALL
Annual motor insurance coverage premiums have fallen to a median of £652 within the first three months of this 12 months — the bottom since autumn 2015, says comparethemarket.com.
Premiums have diminished by £55 over 1 / 4 and £103 12 months on 12 months, accelerated by lockdown and fewer claims.
Blissful motoring: Premiums have diminished by £55 over 1 / 4 and £103 12 months on 12 months, accelerated by lockdown and fewer claims
Most cost-effective premiums accessible have additionally tumbled to £560; down from £627 in the identical interval final 12 months.
Drivers may save a median of £92 by switching to a greater deal, rising to £185 for younger drivers below 25 who nonetheless face paying £1,097.
Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance coverage at evaluate themarket.com, stated: ‘Motorists will probably be thrilled that the price of automotive insurance coverage has nosedived within the first quarter of this 12 months. The drop in insurance coverage claims appears to be trickling by way of to the price of premiums.’
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