Vauxhall Mokka SUV pricing announced - easier.com
Vauxhall will expand its already broad range later this year with the addition of the Mokka SUV, which is available to order from today at a starting price of just £16,995.
The new model will enter the growing sub-compact SUV B-segment, but despite its compact 4.28 metre length can accommodate five adults in comfort. Its key rivals will be cars like the Skoda Yeti and from Nissan, the Juke and Qashqai. Like all Vauxhalls, the Mokka comes with Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty.
Available in three trims – S, Exclusiv and SE – the Mokka comes with generous levels of standard equipment, including DMB (Digital Media Broadcast) radio, air conditioning, Descent Control System, cruise control, aux-in and a multi-function trip computer.
Three engines, ranging in power from 115 to 140PS, will be available from launch. The 1.6-litre petrol produces 115PS and 155Nm of torque, and with its standard Start/Stop system delivers a combined 43.5mpg. With 140PS, the 1.4-litre turbo is the Mokka’s most powerful petrol engine and brings with it standard four-wheel drive and sub-150g CO2 emissions.
The Mokka has a choice of two diesel models, both of which use Vauxhall’s 1.7 CDTi 130PS engine, with CO2 emissions as low as 124g/km. In front-wheel drive form, the 1.7 CDTi is available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, and with all-wheel drive the Mokka comes with the six-speed manual only. Like the petrol-powered cars, all manual models have Vauxhall’s fuel-saving Start/Stop system as standard.
“The Mokka takes its design cues from larger SUVs and integrates them into a compact, yet modern form,” said Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. “We are now growing a compelling and diverse range of products that appeals both to retail and fleet customers, and the Mokka will complement this perfectly.”
Front- or four-wheel drive transmissions
The Mokka has been designed to perform efficiently in urban environments, but with the ability to be driven off-road when the need arises. Both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models are available, with the AWD system being fully adaptive. When the vehicle’s being driven on smooth, dry surfaces all drive is sent to the front wheels for maximum efficiency. But when the road surface is slippery, as much as 50 per cent of the drive automatically and seamlessly is diverted to the rear axle. The entire AWD system weighs just 65kgs, benefitting handling and fuel economy.
Mokka brings wide range of new tech to sub-compact SUV segment
A variety of state-of-the-art driver-assistance systems will be available in the Mokka. The Vauxhall Front Camera – first seen in the latest Insignia, and also the new Zafira Tourer – gives drivers access to Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, Forward Collision Alert, as well as a rear-view camera, which works with park-assist sensors front and rear.
Reinforcing its role as a recreational car for families, the Mokka also has the option of Vauxhall’s latest generation FlexFix rear bicycle carrier. The carrier is fully integrated into the rear bumper, and slides out like a drawer to accept up to three bicycles at a time. The system even allows easy access to the tailgate/cargo area when the bikes are on the carrier.
Standard on all Mokkas is a comprehensive package of safety systems, including Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control, providing drivers with reassurance, no matter if they’re on or off-road. HDC is an excellent ally when a driver is descending a steep hill, when it determines and limits the speed of the vehicle, meaning that the brakes need not be applied.
Adding further still to the Mokka’s comprehensive safety armoury is Vauxhall’s Advanced Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL+). This technology automatically adapts the Mokka’s lighting to suit its driving environment, whether it be motorway, country, urban, adverse weather, increased full beam, or cornering beam. The system is also equipped with High Beam Assist, which adjusts the high beams automatically so that oncoming traffic isn’t dazzled.
Bold SUV design combined with generous functionality
Muscular and attractive, the Mokka incorporates Vauxhall’s signature ‘blade’ on the body side, sweeping towards the rear. The Mokka’s stance is reinforced by its higher ground clearance as well as a 1540mm track and 18-inch wheels on most models.
Inside, the Mokka has 19 storage locations, 60:40 split rear seats, and an all-up load space of 1,372 litres with the rear seats folded down.
British team play integral role in RHD chassis development
Gerry Baker, Vauxhall’s manager of vehicle dynamics based at Millbrook, has been involved with Mokka chassis development from an early stage. “Early prototype cars were tested in the UK during 2011, to establish if bespoke damper settings were required for cars sold in Britain,” said Gerry.
“We’ve also been evaluating a RHD steering tune for the car, which is important, given the unique road conditions British drivers have to deal with. Finally, a large part of the Mokka’s durability testing has been carried out at Millbrook, here in the UK.”
There’s been great emphasis on the Mokka’s dynamic performance, both on- and off-road, The front MacPherson suspension has been fitted with side-load compensation springs to improve damper reliability and consistency. At the rear, a U-section compound crank is mounted ahead of the rear wheels, angled to suit either FWD or AWD set-ups, and ensuring that both on- and off-road dynamics are not compromised.
Vauxhall has adopted a state-of-the-art Electric Power Steering (EPS) system for Mokka, which provides more speed sensitive assistance for drivers, no matter what model they opt for. The specific settings for the steering will be tuned to suit the UK market.
Retail launch later this year
Customers can order the Mokka from today through the Vauxhall retail network. The car will arrive in UK showrooms in November this year.
London 2012: counterfeit Olympics merchandise seized - BBC News
Fake gym bags and cigarette lighters were found in a container from China
Thousands of counterfeit versions of official London 2012 merchandise have been seized by customs teams.
The largest haul was of 7,000 Olympic bags and 540 cigarette lighters at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.
More than 400 vests were seized at Dover, 100 polo shirts and football tops were found in Coventry and plastic ticket holders found at Heathrow.
The organisers of London 2012 said counterfeiting undermined their ability to raise funds to stage the Olympics.
The seizures were made between March and May.
The shirts were found at Coventry's international postal hub, while the ticket holders found at Heathrow Airport were found packed in boxes and weighed 220lb (100kg).
'Inferior quality'Kevin Sayer, a Border Force officer at Felixstowe, said: "Some of the indicators in the way the shipping was organised made it worth us having a look and opening the doors of the container.
"It was right at the back of the container among a load of other goods - some of them illicit, some not."
Chris Townsend, commercial director for the London Organising Committee of the Olympics and Paralympic Games (Locog), said the fake goods undermined their ability to raise funds.
He added: "The fake goods themselves are likely to be of inferior quality and not meet the stringent safety and sustainability standards that all official products must meet."
Locog said all official merchandise bears a hologram which, when tilted, shows the London 2012 logo rotating.
The Border Force said it would not be bringing any criminal charges in these cases, as it was up to the rights holders to bring a private prosecution against the importers of any counterfeit goods.
Our Cars: Vauxhall Ampera - June - News - What Car?
Week ending June 8
Mileage 5030
Driven this week: 180 miles
My brother-in-law is a dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead. The list of cars he's owned includes a Fiat Barchetta, Toyota Celica and VW Golf GTI. His current car is a 1996 Mercedes E240. He thinks electric cars are just a fad.
However, that changed after a half-hour passenger ride in our Vauxhall Ampera.
He liked the instant acceleration, the refinement, and was pleasantly surprised by the fit and finish of the Vauxhall. The range-extending petrol engine wiped out any concerns he had about electric cars and their range.
This total change of mindset bodes well for Vauxhall if it can convince enough people to at least test drive such cars.
I'm not sure that my brother-in-law's next car – or even the one after that – will be an electric car, but at least the acorn that one day he could own one has been planted in his mind.
What we didn't appreciate was the decidedly non-futuristic recharging mechanism. When the car has finished recharging, your hands get covered in dirt and crud as you wind-up the power lead. Some kind of retractable lead, such as that in a vacuum cleaner would be more user friendly, but Vauxhall says the lead can't be coiled when the car is being charged because it will get too hot.
Iain.Reid@whatcar.com
Week ending June 1
Mileage 4850
Driven this week: 100 miles
Now that the fun of having a new car is beginning to wear off, I've started to notice a few issues with our Vauxhall Ampera. It's great to drive through town – there's nothing quite like the smoothness you get from electric motors – and you get just as much attention as you do in, say, a Range Rover Evoque, but there are a couple niggles.
The first is that the incredibly low front diffuser scrapes on every speed bump. Bearing in mind that the car is badged a Vauxhall and, by virtue of its electric powertrain, destined for a considerable amount of town use, it's frustrating that it doesn't seem to have been tested in London, a city full of speed bumps.
The second thing I'm surprised about is that, although there's a fully functional Bluetooth phone connection, there's no Bluetooth audio to allow you to play music from your phone without plugging it in. In any other car, you wouldn't give it much consideration, but in the top-spec version of what would appear to be the UK's most technologically advanced car it's a strange omission.
Ed.Keohane@whatcar.com
Hume: London Mayor Boris Johnson says bikes civilize cities - Toronto Star
The Lord Mayor of London, England, Boris Johnson, wants to make it clear that until Friday morning, he had never been to Toronto, and never heard of Rob Ford.
With that out of the way, the great apostle of urban bicycling does have a message for Toronto.
“Bicycles,” declares the man who rides one to work every day, “civilize cities. Closing bike lanes; that’s not what we’re doing in London. In fact, I’m very proud that bicycle use went up 15 percent last year. Bicycles put the village back in the city. It’s not a war on motorists. I’m a motorist, too. We’re going to keep going, extending bicycle routes all the way out to the suburbs of London.”
In town to flog his latest book, Johnson’s Life of London (Harper Press), the shaggy-haired blonde is, by his own account, having the time of his life. Fresh from an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman — “How long have you been cutting your own hair?” — Johnson likes what he has sees.
“Toronto looks beautiful,” he enthuses, with apparent sincerity. “You have some lovely old buildings. The quality of life is obviously very potentially high.”
Johnson smiles nervously. As the use of the word, “potentially,” indicates, he knows things are seldom what they seem. Still, he insists, cities are where nations will succeed or fail:
“I keep on telling the government that if it wants the economy of the U.K. to grow and grow fast, it has to invest in London. We should be investing where it creates jobs. In Britain, for example, things are pretty sharply divided; there’s what’s happening in London and what’s happening everywhere else.
“My general view is that cities are where the world’s going to be in the future. I believe in cities. People who live in cities live longer, they have better health and they are better educated. Only in cities can we find the praise we all seek. Cities are where we find other people to impress. Cities are fame’s echo chamber …”
Suddenly, a bright red London double-decker bus drives by and Johnson falls momentarily silent.
“My God,” he splutters. “There’s an old Routemaster. They only made about 6,000 of those buses between 1956 and 1970, but they’re everywhere.”
“I’m also a believer in mass transit,” says Johnson, who points to the recent royal celebrations in the British capital and the changes unfolding in London’s East End due to the summer Olympics. “The Jubilee went well. We ticked a lot of boxes there. The crowd was huge, about 1.3 million, but transit worked well. We have a new LRT in East London, new train lines and thousands of new houses.”
In Toronto, Johnson would be dismissed by some as just another Don Cherry-style bike-riding pinko. But keep in mind he is a former Tory MP and a disciple of what he calls “compassionate conservatism.” He attended Eton and Oxford — on scholarship, mind you — and could easily be mistaken for a pillar of the British establishment.
He is also an author. Johnson’s Life of London, his sixth book, tells the story of the “City That Made the World,” from Roman times to the present, Emperor Hadrian to Keith Richards. Like the man, it is clever and quick, learned but not stuffy.
Then Johnson, a former journalist, has a few questions of his own. He wants to know about municipal politics in Toronto, federal politics under Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the “cottages” to which Torontonians escape every weekend.
Oh, yes, and one more thing: “Do you have bears here?” he asks. Not in the city, comes the answer, but up north, behind the cottage.
Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca
London 2012 Olympics: Three British triathletes have their secret appeals over selection dismissed - Daily Telegraph
However Hall, 20, is an extremely fast swimmer and is believed to be the only UK triathlete capable of setting a fast first-leg pace to help break up the pack early on and drag Jenkins to the cycle leg in an even more prominent lead.
The second woman, Vicky Holland, appears to have been selected on form.
The selection of the third male in the Olympic team has also created a storm among triathletes. Hayes is a strong cyclist and he will be expected to push the front of any bicycle pack to save the legs of the Brownlees, both of whom are exceptional runners.
Tim Don appears not to have appealed against his non-selection, although he would have been forefront of many of the selector’s minds.
But Clarke, who has Beijing Olympic experience and who finished eighth at the Sydney world series race and 20th at the recent San Diego event was not happy with the selection policy, telling the BBC recently: “I think [the selection policy] is really harsh, I can’t see a reason why athletes finishing eighth, 10th or higher can’t be right up there on the day.Everyone knows anything can happen, people do big things on the day.”
London Olympics 2012: Ex-Goldman CEO, Paul Deighton climbs Olympic hill with a smile - Economic Times
For all the mighty symbolism, the torch can't shield Deighton from the sceptical audience gathered one evening in March to hear how they can profit from this summer's Olympics, The hall is filled with about 200 small-business owners, and a gloomy mood prevails as Britain struggles through its first double-dip recession since the 1970s.
One woman waves a London 2012 brochure and asks why it was printed in China when the games should be helping British businesses. "I'll look into it," Deighton promises. He gently reminds her that 95% of London 2012 contracts were awarded to British firms. Another man asks about a feared shortage of portable toilets in the Olympic Park.
Deighton politely reassures him that they've got that one covered. It's fitting that a former Goldman Sachs banker is running the business end of the Olympics - and getting dumped on by cantankerous Londoners.
In the Public Eye
Deighton, 56, says his 22-year career at Goldman didn't prepare him for being quizzed about such nitty-gritty details by a cynical British public. "When you're in investment banking, you're pretty much under everybody's radar all the time," he says.
Together with London 2012 committee chairman Sebastian Coe, the only man to have won 1,500-metre Olympic gold twice, Deighton is overseeing everything from transport to security while making sure he's got enough of those portable toilets. Surely his is one of the toughest jobs in the world right now?
"The best job in the world," Deighton says, smiling.
While the games will take place in an age of austerity, they won't be austere. In 2007, after underestimating the cost of cleaning up the site and constructing sports venues, the Blair government more than tripled the original spending plan, to 9.3 billion ($14.3 billion).
In addition, Deighton's LOCOG, has a separate 2.2-billion budget. For a country still reeling from the financial crisis, the money amounts to a backdoor Keynesian stimulus. Plus, Deighton says, the total outlay guarantees London a boost in tourism.
Dancing Nurses
Although the spending pales in comparison to the $67 billion China lavished on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the government of Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron is doing what it can to make Britain cool again.
The government even found an extra p41 million in public money to mount Olympic spectacles, including Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle's secrecy-shrouded opening ceremony, which somehow will merge Shakespeare's The Tempest, a play about a shipwreck, with dancing National Health Service nurses, singing schoolchildren and Paul McCartney.
Spending on security has risen to more than 1 billion as the government tries to guarantee a trouble-free Olympics.
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