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Car Review

Ford Capri review

£42,020 - £57,420
810
Published: 29 Oct 2024
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The Explorer’s close cousin is a little slinkier looking but more expensive and much the same to drive

Good stuff

Drives well, interface is usable, roomy, decent range

Bad stuff

Dash materials a bit drab, heat pump is optional, not a Capri (obviously)

Overview

What is it?

We could waste a lot of time in an argument about the heritage of this car, but let's start with the facts. It's a mid-size electric SUV from Ford. The mechanics and interior are closely related to the electric Explorer. As with the Explorer it's not going to America and has no parts in common with the Mustang Mach-E.

Ford says it's slightly sportier than the Explorer. You hardly feel it in the drive, but you see it in the looks. Ah yes, the looks. Controversy ahoy. Ford has taken design cues – the front and rear faces, the window outline and cabin silhouette – from its old drag queen the Capri. The Capri was a coupé version of the Cortina.

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The new one is a coupé version of the Explorer. Problem though. It's not really a coupé at all is it? Not in the sense that Capri/coupé once meant two doors and a low-slung outline.

The old Capri did well in several sorts of tintop racing. The new one won't. The professionals who drive the new one will be solicitors and accountants, not Bodie and Doyle.

Hmm. Thing is, most people don't remember the Capri. Most of them that do remember don't care. Thus we guess by using the Capri name, Ford has shortcutted the usual lengthy and irksome process of dreaming up a new name and scouring the world's trademark libraries to make sure it's not owned by someone else. Finally those Capri design cues are actually pretty attractive, so why not?

Moving on. What are its rivals?

Oh there are loads of fastback EV crossovers. The Explorer and Capri are actually closely related to the VW ID.4 and ID.5 – although Ford builds them at its own Cologne plant. So you can immediately mention the crop of related VW Group cars, including the Skoda Enyaq Coupe, Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron and Cupra Tavascan.

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Looking beyond, we find the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX2, Genesis GV60, Kia EV6, Nissan Ariya, Lexus RZ, Peugeot e-3008. There are others we could mention but we fear blisters in our typing fingers.

What are the key figures?

Rear-drive ones with a 52kWh battery start at £42k, but they've got only 170bhp and 240-mile range. 77kWh Extended Range versions come with prices spanning £48,075 to £56,175, and electric range is 346 to 385 miles. Higher price means shorter range paradoxically, because you add bigger wheels and another motor.

Our first test drive is the top one, AWD Premium. Its combined front and rear motor output of 340bhp gets it to 62mph in 5.3 seconds.

Do you lose anything for the fastback looks?

Not really. All passenger dimensions are the same as the Explorer's, except you lose a negligible 3mm rear headroom. Strangely, if you spec both with a pano glass roof, the Capri actually has more headroom back there. Weird. The Capri has a longer tail than the Explorer, so its boot - loaded to seatback height - is longer and 100-odd litres bigger. That's a lot. The Explorer pulls ahead only when you need to get tall stuff in.

Does it have all that annoying VW screen stuff?

In part it does: the screen in front of the driver, and one or two other VW annoyances, most notably the electric window switches. But Ford's own graphics and logic suffuse the main touchscreen, and it's good.

Otherwise the cabin is very practical, thanks to big and versatile storage spaces, and a flat floor. Get more details by clicking the Interior tab of this review.

Ford usually makes cars that drive well…

Yes, and it has again here. Look, we have to begin by saying mid-size electric crossovers are among the most generic sorts of car the industry makes. Their differences aren't huge. But the Capri sits at the better end. All its dynamic moves are well-calibrated and each balances the rest. Steering, braking, ride – they each operate with smooth, damped precision.

Our choice from the range

What's the verdict?

It's spacious and easy to use, and perhaps the best of its rivals to drive

If you want a £50k electric crossover, don't get the hump with Ford overusing the Capri name. We've been through that before with the Puma and Mustang badges. If you allow that hang-up to blind you to the new Capri's virtues, you'll be missing out.

Maybe the Capri's biggest problem is that it's more than £2,000 more expensive, model for model, than the Explorer. Still, it's spacious and easy to use, and perhaps the best of its rivals to drive.

The Rivals

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