What is it?
Ford is not the only car manufacturer to dip into its history for inspiration when deciding to name a new model, but the blue oval’s efforts have attracted rather more controversy than the likes of Renault – the Mustang Mach-E and now the Capri have little or no relation to their famed predecessors.
The new Capri is a mid-sized coupe-SUV and forms an essential part of Ford’s belated efforts to take a proper slice of the burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) market. This car extends the Ford electric range to four models after the Mach-E, the Puma Gen-e and the Explorer, an electric SUV that the Capri is effectively a sister to.
Under the body styling, Capri and Explorer share basically the same hardware, and that hardware is Volkswagen-sourced. An alliance between the two manufacturers has allowed Ford to offer its equivalents to the Volkswagen ID.4 and in the case of the Capri, the ID.5.
The Capri is on sale in three trim levels, a choice of two powertrains – a single motor rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or dual motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) – and two battery capacities, either 52kWh or the ‘Extended Range’ variant of 77kWh, increased to 79kWh in the AWD model.
The standard model is dubbed Style and costs from £41,485, a Select grade offers more equipment starting at £48,085 but is only available with the extended range battery, while the top level Premium grade starts from £46,185 with the 52kWh battery and £52,185 with the 77kWh battery. Finally £56,185 buys a Premium model in AWD form.
Note that all these prices place the car above the ‘Expensive Car Supplement’ threshold which means £425 extra in annual road tax from the second to sixth year.
The Business Motoring test car has the RWD single motor, which produces the equivalent of 286hp and an impressive 545Nm of torque. The car will pass 62mph from rest in 6.4 seconds and being fitted with the more powerful battery, comes with an official WLTP combined cycle range between charges of up to 389 miles.
The standard RWD model only produces 170hp and 310Nm, which means an 8.7-second 0-62mph time and a range quoted at 242 miles. Meanwhile the AWD two-motor variant is rated at 340hp and 679Nm. It cuts the 62mph sprint time to 5.3 seconds but has a lower maximum range of 368 miles.
All versions offer DC fast-charging capability, the RWD version at up to 135kW and the AWD model at 185kW. This enables the replenishment of their battery packs from 10 to 80% in under half an hour. Notably, however, a battery-optimising heat pump is only offered as an option at a cost of some £1,050.
Visually the Capri is an Explorer with a much more dramatic exterior look, centring on sharper lines and a strong swoop to the rear roof line, Ford claiming that the exterior design offers styling nods to the original Capri. Move inside and the design of the cockpit is minimalist, again claimed by Ford as the kind of thing a classic Capri driver would expect.
In addition to the central touchscreen, which measures 14.6 inches and is of vertical format, the driver gets their own 5-inch digital instrument cluster as is normal in today’s market. There are some novel touches, not least the way that the central touchscreen slides to reveal a hidden storage area beneath it.
Ford’s SYNC Move electronics offer voice activation and connected navigation, as well as compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphones. Two of these can be accommodated in a space below the screen, while a wireless charger also comes as standard on all but entry-level Style trim.
Between the front seats is a very deep storage box that will swallow and usefully hide a 15-inch laptop, while the car’s main luggage compartment will accommodate 572 litres of cargo with the rear seats in use.
The Capri comes with plenty of equipment though the list favours the mid-level Select over the entry-level Style version. Go for Select or above and heating on the steering wheel and front seats is standard, while the driver gets electronic adjustment and a seat massaging facility as well. Said seats are also sculptured sports-type items with their headrests integrated.
Dual-zone climate control is fitted across all versions as standard as is keyless starting (upgraded to keyless entry from Select trim), while the car sits on 19-inch wheels. On Premium versions these increase to 20 inches, while a 21-inch variant is available as an option on both trim levels. Note however that choosing the largest wheels does not help battery range.
Premium versions also get an upgrade of the seven-speaker sound system to a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen unit with subwoofer and soundbar, ambient lighting with 10 different colour adjustment options, a hands-free tailgate and a panoramic sunroof which again can be had as an option on the stock cars. Finally matrix LED headlamps replace the standard versions of the cheaper car.
Ford also emphasises the driver-assistance features available for the Capri – 12 ultrasonic sensors, five cameras and three radar sensors look after the car. Adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go function is standard as are several ADAS electronic safety aids including parking sensors and cameras, but a few more are on the options list, such as lane centring, traffic sign recognition and a head-up display, as well as a 360-degree monitoring camera.
Safety body Euro NCAP seems happy with the Capri’s specification. While recognising that much of the car replicates the Explorer, tested in September 2024, additional tests were carried out on the car before it earned the same five-star safety rating as its sister.
What do we think of it?
In the time that Business Motoring spent with this car, the constant comment received from virtually every onlooker was “That’s not a Capri”. Ford has tried hard to link its new model to the TV star car of the 1970s, even producing in the press information a series of artist’s impressions showing how had it continued in production after 1986 the original Capri might have evolved into today’s model, and pointing to retained elements such as the four headlights of the old car.
However the argument that the new Capri “brings some swagger to the world of EVs” and tears up the rulebook like its predecessor by such means as in-your-face yellow paintwork and that sliding central touchscreen, does not really wash.
So never mind the name, what about the car? Well circumstances conspired to extend our time with the Capri to double the planned week and it very quickly became a familiar and comfortable car to use. It has plenty of space inside – notably that sloping rear profile does not adversely affect back-seat headroom – while the fit and finish is up to the standards expected in today’s market. As interiors go it’s also rather stylishly thought out.
The driver’s environment is highly practical, especially the placement of the central touchscreen, the combination of the vertical format (something this reviewer has always considered more sensible particularly when using navigation) and the sliding ability making it easy to place it for use with minimal distraction from viewing the road ahead – none of this stretching across the cabin as is the case with some rivals. There area also a line of buttons at its base and proper ones on the steering wheel.
Our extended test provided an extensive selection of environments from traffic-choked city centres to long motorway trawls and cross-country B roads, and the Capri proved more than competent on them all, following the Ford tradition of quality driving dynamics.
It follows the EV norm of being a very easy car to drive, though this does mean efficient rather than particularly exciting, again not following the reputation of its predecessor. It’s comfortable to travel in, stays well behaved when cornered at speed, and dispatches slower traffic with the ease that instant EV torque provides.
The Capri offers four different drive modes, dubbed Comfort, Sport, Eco and one individually selectable with the driver’s favourite settings. We worked through the first three and to be honest there is not a great deal of noticeable difference between them, maybe a little more mileage with the Eco setting.
Brake regeneration is somewhat limited – there are two modes but they won’t bring the car to a complete stop, so you can’t really indulge in proper one-pedal driving. And in terms of battery range our car returned reasonably close to the official WLTP figures, though in energy-friendly high summer and with the optional heat pump fitted. Recharging at public points brought no issues though the car’s maximum rate of 135kW lags behind some rivals.
In summary – forget the nameplate and the new Capri becomes a rather more attractive proposition. This is a throughly competent mid-sized electric SUV which looks rather more stylish than the Explorer and is well worthy of consideration by those looking for an EV at the more expensive end of the market.
Business Motoring Test Drives are the initial test of a new vehicle, of usually between 50 and 100 miles. Business Motoring Reviews are usually conducted over a full week, completing several hundred miles.
