Don’t Mock It – The Mokka GSE Is Better Than You Think
The Vauxhall Mokka has never really been a car enthusiasts talked about in hushed, reverential tones. Sensible? Yes. Stylish? Certainly. But exciting? That’s been a much harder sell.
So when Vauxhall announced it was reviving the famous GSE badge for the Mokka, plenty of people raised an eyebrow. Had they simply bolted on a more powerful motor and hoped the badge would do the rest?
That’s exactly the question Simon sets out to answer in our latest AutoEV review. After getting an early static look at the Mokka GSE last year, this is the first opportunity to discover whether the engineering lives up to the marketing—with drives on both the road and the Croft Circuit.
From the outside, the changes are understated. There’s no oversized spoiler or outrageous body kit. Instead, the Mokka GSE relies on subtle styling, a lower stance and carefully chosen details to hint that something rather more serious lies beneath. Under the skin, however, things become much more interesting.
Vauxhall hasn’t simply chased a quicker 0-60 time. The suspension has been extensively revised, the braking system upgraded, and perhaps most impressively of all, the Mokka GSE features a proper mechanical limited-slip differential—something rarely found in an electric crossover. It’s the sort of hardware that suggests this car has been engineered to enjoy corners just as much as traffic lights.
The day begins at Croft Circuit, where Simon gets to explore the car’s limits in a controlled environment before heading out onto demanding Yorkshire B-roads. Along the way there’s also an unexpected highlight: a passenger ride in the Mokka GSE Rally car, revealing just how closely related the competition machine is to the road-going version.
But does all this engineering actually translate into a genuinely enjoyable driving experience? Can a compact electric crossover really deserve to wear one of Vauxhall’s most respected performance badges? And how does it compare with increasingly impressive rivals like the Alpine A290 and Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce?
We’ll leave Simon’s final verdict for the video, but it’s fair to say the Mokka GSE delivers a few surprises along the way.
Watch the Full Review
So… don’t mock it. Before you dismiss the Mokka GSE as just another electric crossover with a bigger motor, watch Simon’s complete road and track review. You might find yourself looking at Vauxhall’s latest performance EV rather differently. Head over to the AutoEV YouTube channel to see the full test, and let us know in the comments whether you think the GSE badge has earned its place once again.
