THE SUCCESS of Vauxhall's Mokka compact SUV may well have surprised many - possibly including its makers - and now there's a new model which the company hopes will further increase its popularity to British buyers.

Designated the Mokka X, it's the first Vauxhall to introduce the "X" segment identifier which will also be used on future Vauxhall SUV and crossover vehicles.

It will arrive in showrooms from October following its debut at the Geneva Motor Show later this month with prices from £17,590 and diesel models starting from £19,515.

The Mokka has proven to be a huge success for Vauxhall since its introduction in 2013, surpassing 120,000 sales in the UK since its launch, and is currently number one in its segment.

The Mokka X has been given a bold new look by a design team led by Brit Mark Adams with a more solid and muscular stance.

On the inside, there's a completely new dashboard inspired by the new Astra. The centre stack has been redeveloped completely around the seven- and eight-inch touchscreens of the new generation infotainment systems. Now with fewer buttons, it has many functions that are accessible via the touchscreen.

The new Mokka X introduces a new powertrain to the segment, adding the 1.4-litre Direct Injection Turbo (152PS) petrol unit to the range, in addition to the much-lauded 1.6-litre diesel engine introduced last year. The 1.4-litre Turbo is available with manual or six-speed automatic transmission, as well as adaptive all-wheel drive and start/stop. The petrol engine can achieve up to 47.1mpg combined and CO emissions of 140g/km.

High tech features will include LED Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) headlamps which adapts the headlights' lighting patterns automatically to the driving situation to give the best possible light performance without dazzling other road users. It features nine different functions, with the new LED system replacing the previous BiXenon AFL.

The new Mokka X will be available with the personal connectivity and service assistant, OnStar, from launch. The system offers customers a broad range of safety and comfort services, including access to a trained advisor 24/7, 365 days a year. It also turns the Mokka X into a 4G mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing up to seven devices, from smartphones to tablets, to be connected simultaneously.

In addition, two versions of the new generation IntelliLink infotainment system will make their debut in the Mokka X bringing the world of smartphones to the car via both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone projection.