The Mokka is one of Vauxhall’s funkier cars and is its first compact SUV.

That said, it didn’t feel compact at all, but pleasantly spacious inside. And although the Mokka is aimed at sporty, outdoorsy people, it’s actually a decent family car too, with enough space to accommodate kids and all their stuff but still small enough to make parking a piece of cake.

It comes with both two and four-wheel drive, and you can choose either petrol or diesel engines.

There is a 1.6-litre petrol or a 1.4-litre turbo petrol. The diesel is a 1.7 CDTi with 130PS and 300Nm of torque.

It is expected that half of all Mokka customers will opt for the front-wheel drive variant, while the most popular engine will be the 1.7.

With up to 1,372 litres of loading space, the Mokka offers loads of features, including a cleverly-designed parcel shelf, which can be adjusted by hand, and a rear bench that can be split and folded in a 60:40 ratio, providing even more flexible loading.

Its high-up driving position is great for visibility, and it even has a fold-down armrest attached to the driver’s seat, although I didn’t use this as I felt it was in the way.

But it’s the little things I love – DAB radio is standard and easy to use, Bluetooth phone connectivity is simple to set up and a three-pin plug socket between the front seats allows you to charge laptops, iPads, Nintendos and so on.

Other kit included a seven-inch sat-nav, cruise control, auto lights and wipers and all-round parking sensors.

On the safety front, all models have stability control to help prevent a skid and airbags which extend to the rear windows, as well as the option to disable the front passenger airbag if you need to fit a rear-facing child seat.

It has the maximum five stars in crash tests by Euro NCAP, and its Hill Start Assist allows the car to take off and park more easily on a hill without rolling backwards.

Although the Mokka is much better looking than its closest rivals – the Skoda Yeti and the Nissan Juke – I can’t help feeling that the Yeti has the edge on performance and comfort, so it really depends on where your priorities lie.

However, like all Vauxhalls the Mokka is covered by the manufacturer’s lifetime warranty, which provides warranty cover up to 100,000 miles.

Fact File:
Car: Vauxhall Mokka 1.6
Price: £15,995 (on the road)
Top speed: 108mph
0-62mph: 12.3 seconds
Fuel: 43.5mpg (combined)
CO2 emissions: 153g/km