A STUNNING sporty SUV is the latest to join the Vauxhall stable as Britain's oldest car maker launches a brand new Mokka.

Available with all three powertrains - petrol, electric and diesel - it's styled for the future inside and out.

A huge step forward from the first generation model, the latest Mokka is priced from £20,735 for a 1.2-litre petrol model and £30,840 for an all-electric version. Diesels cost from £22,555.

It sits alongside the latest Vauxhall Crossland in the compact SUV sector but is aimed at a much younger and adventurous market, setting the two models clearly apart.

Like the Crossland, the Mokka features Vauxhall's new Vizor front design with a single, gloss black strip running across the nose which gives it an unmistakable appearance.

The Mokka costs some £1,000 more than the Crossland and at the moment it tops out from £28,645 for a high specification First Edition Model.

The electric Mokka-e comes in from £30,810 after the Government plug-in car grant and the EV line up starts in mid-range SE Nav Premium Trim. The zero emission range will also finish with a First Edition specification and that is priced from £34,970 after the subsidy.

We tried the new Mokka with both petrol and electric powertrains with the petrol model coming in Ultimate Nav trim and the Mokka-e in First Edition specification.

The petrol version - which will become the flagship grade once the First Edition run is finished - was powered by a 1.2-litre 130ps three-cylinder turbo engine mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission, complete with paddle shifters for added sportiness.

All of the new Mokkas are a very different proposition to their predecessor and the clean cut transformation to design continues on the interior with what Vauxhall calls its Pure Panel approach to instrumentation.

The Pure Panel is available in two formats with entry versions of the Mokka featuring a seven-inch digital instrument panel with a seven-inch central touch screen.

Higher grade trims get a 12-inch digital instrument panel along with a 10-inch central colour touchscreen which looks nicely purposeful and very modern.

As such the car cost from £28,455 and it's an auto model exclusively with manual gearboxes available only on lower grades.

That said, it's a great box to use and there are three drive modes to go at, selected by a flick switch on the central console.

On the performance front it is rated at 9.2 seconds 0 to 60 with a maximum of 124mph and an official fuel economy of up to 47.9mpg. Emissions are between 133 and 137g/km.

We managed an average of 44 to the gallon on a good run on open roads which in this day and age is nicely acceptable.

While the new Mokka is very well equipped on the technology front with the likes of lane keeping, accident avoidance systems and a front camera system all as standard an oversight is the lack of an auto-hold facility on the electric parking brake - a handy feature which is becoming increasingly common on other compact SUVs.

The electric Mokka is equally refreshing - almost identical on every front except the instrumentation where it comes with its own displays for EV operation.

It can be recharged to 80 per cent capacity in half an hour and the model we tried was showing a range of 188 miles on a full charge - within the stated limits for operating on a winter's day.

A full charge will take between five and seven-and-a-half hours depending on charger type.

Maximum range is claimed by Vauxhall to be 201 miles with that falling to around 150 miles in cold conditions.

On our run the range readout was spot on and showed a remaining capacity of 83 per cent at finish with 168 miles still available.

Recharging is done from a point on the back nearside just where the fuel filler is on the combustion version and the main difference between the two is boot space which is 310 litres on the Mokka-e and 350 on the regular models.

Maximum space is less impacted at 1,105 litres on the combustion cars and 1,060 on the electric.

From a performance point of view the Mokka-e is quicker under acceleration than the petrol model coming in a 8.7 seconds 0 to 60 - and the whole feel of the EV is that it has more get up and go, although maximum speed is down to 93mph.

As with the new Corsa supermini the Mokka covers all power choices and that's something for which Vauxhall should be commended.

With this car you can take your pick of whatever you want in an SUV that is quite deliciously styled inside and out.

It's a huge improvement on the original Mokka and a car which looks certain to be a keen seller - whatever lurks under the bonnet.