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If you like your cars like your coffee - hot, strong but with a tasty dash of invigorating cream - then Vauxhall's new Mokka GSE may be just the job.
This exciting new all-electric hot hatch - the GSE stands for Grand Sport Electric - is inspired by motorsport, and there's even a specially tweaked rally version of it racing competitively.
And they're all fabulous fun on hot wheels, as I discovered on my last new car launch at the Daily Mail and This is Money.
My final stint involved driving the 'civilian' version of the Mokka GSE both on the road and on track.
Location for my spirited test driving was the beautiful area around Scotch Corner on the A1(M), just south of Darlington which - despite new Manchester-obsessed Prime Minister Andy Burnham's own perspective on what constitutes 'the North' - marks the real start of the 'true' North of England, according to locals.
Track driving was on the neat and rural Croft Circuit, which fittingly dubs itself 'the home of motorsport in the North'.
This exciting new all-electric hot hatch - the GSE stands for Grand Sport Electric - is inspired by motorsport. So, is it too harsh to be a capable family car?
Progressive performance
Riding on aerodynamically optimised 20-inch alloy wheels and powered by a 54kWh battery and a 281-horsepower electric motor, the new front-wheel-drive Mokka GSE is Vauxhall's fastest-accelerating all-electric production model, sprinting from 0 to 62mph in 5.9 seconds, up to a top speed of 124mph.
It is dubbed by Vauxhall an 'attainable' hot hatch.
The maximum range of up to 209 miles (on optional Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres, or 201 miles on standard Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres) will get you from London to Manchester on a single charge - or from Newcastle to Edinburgh and back - with a chance to travel en route via the famous Kielder Forest rally area in Northumberland.
The new Mokka GSE has three driving modes which progressively ramp up performance levels according to your mood.
Eco mode offers a maximum 190hp, combined with smoother acceleration for efficient driving and a top speed of 93mph.
Normal mode increases the power to 231hp, with a sportier calibration for throttle and steering and a top speed of 112mph.
Sport mode delivers maximum power of 281hp and torque, plus a top speed of 124mph, calibrating throttle, steering, brakes and electronic stability (ESP) for engaged driving on the road or on a track.
Mokka GSE is Vauxhall's fastest-accelerating all-electric production model, sprinting from 0 to 62mph in 5.9 seconds, up to a top speed of 124mph
The maximum range of up to 209 miles (on optional Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres, or 201 miles on standard Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres) will get you from London to Manchester
Out on the highway - with some wonderfully winding A and B roads to navigate - the Normal mode proved decently engaging and great for everyday driving around town or through villages.
But Sport mode really put some extra oomph into the equation as I whizzed along with a smile on my face thanks to its go-kart-like performance.
Try a 'kickdown' and you get instantaneous power and torque in every mode - though limited to the top speed within that mode.
Yet my Mokka GSE remained rooted, grippy, confident, agile and assured throughout. The ride and handling are excellent. And great fun.
Great performance needs suitably powerful brakes, and the bad-boy Mokka GSE has plenty of stopping power.
That is provided by Alcon four-piston front calipers in a bright yellow GSE Rally paint finish and 380mm front brake discs offering 100 per cent friction braking in Sport mode.
The new Mokka GSE has three driving modes which progressively ramp up performance levels according to your mood
Motorsport inspired
Inside and out, the new Mokka GSE is inspired by motorsport and rallying.
That includes suitably uprated steering, chassis and brake components compared with the standard Mokka, plus performance tuning for rally-inspired driving dynamics.
The motorsport-developed chassis has a 10mm lower ride height, stiffer springs and suspension, uprated axles and shock absorbers, plus a new rear anti-roll bar for greater body control.
The alloy sports racing pedals are specially tuned and the electrically assisted steering turns with a faster rack.
Other exterior tweaks include a high-gloss black sports bumper with performance inlets and GSE badging and accents, black-painted skid plates, and dark-tinted rear windows.
Sitting snugly in heated and grippy Alcantara bucket seats amid a performance-inspired GSE interior, the driver has access on the dashboard to special race-inspired data including a G-force display, acceleration times, torque data and battery management. The performance seats are six-way adjustable with integrated headrests.
Other interior tweaks include Alcantara door inserts with GSE stitching, a heated 'vegan leather' steering wheel, aluminium sports pedals, ambient lighting, a black headliner and black interior dashboard décor.
Ray says the Mokka GSE is a real pocket rocket. 'It grips the road as if on rails. And I've driven supercars in which I've felt less confident on track'
Rallying forth
The new Mokka GSE is inspired by Vauxhall's rallying heritage - past, present and future. This year Vauxhall has returned to motorsport by entering the ADAC GSE Rally Cup - taking place across seven rounds in six European countries - with the all-electric Vauxhall Mokka GSE Rally. Vauxhall's British entry is driven by 23-year-old Ioan Lloyd, one of the country's most talented up-and-coming drivers.
So as well as driving on the road, I also took the 'civilian' Mokka GSE for a solo spin on the serpentine Croft Circuit track.
There I could push it far beyond what I would ever attempt - both for safety and legal reasons - on a public highway.
Wow! A real pocket rocket. It grips the road as if on rails. And I've driven supercars in which I've felt less confident on track.
Vauxhall said the new GSE models build on the legacy of GTE and GSi models from recent decades 'and carry on Vauxhall's tradition of offering attainable high-performance cars', noting: 'The Mokka GSE can trace its lineage back to a long line of attainable performance models, beginning with the Astra GTE Mk1 in 1984.
'This marked Vauxhall's first foray into the relatively new "hot hatch" segment.
'It was succeeded by the Mk2 Astra GTE featuring a new aerodynamic design which also enjoyed motorsport success.'
The interior reflects the sportiness of the exterior, with bright yellow accent stitching on the seats and a pin stripe running through the middle
Plenty of room: Mokka GSE offers 310 litres of boot space - 1,060 litres with rear backrests dropped
The price is right
The new Mokka GSE costs £35,495 after deduction of a £1,500 taxpayer-funded EV grant.
Not cheap. But not out of reach for what Vauxhall dubs an 'attainable' hot hatch. And there are competitive finance deals to be had.
A body-coloured roof (in lieu of black) is a no-cost option, though adding a black bonnet will cost a marginal £250.
Similarly, upgrading to Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 tyres - which adds eight miles of range to make a total of 209 miles per full charge - is a marginal £100 added cost.
There are also optional spec packages.
By contrast, the Mokka range starts from £26,730 for a petrol version and £29,895 for a hybrid. The standard Mokka Electric costs from £34,280.
In his final new car review for Daily Mail and This is Money, Ray says the Mokka GSE is a sign that the hot hatch is back... even in an electric era
Cars & motoring verdict
My first ever hand-me-down car was a Vauxhall Viva, so it's fitting that my Daily Mail and This is Money farewell is at the wheel of this very British brand whose car-building history goes back to 1903.
Vauxhall is also spearheading the 'Electric Streets of Britain' campaign to get more much-needed on-street charging and sponsoring Team GB, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team.
It's great that Vauxhall's proud Griffin badge is on a roll again.
With the addition of the new rally-inspired Mokka GSE to the range - which is as fun as it is formidable - the hot hatch really is back. But in a cool electric form.