Ford Capri Review 2024

It must be sorely tempting for long-established car manufacturers to dust down a long-retired name for a new model. After all, it guarantees media coverage as experts and otherwise offer opinions about whether the newcomer is worthy of the revered badge. One of the most recent — and controversial — examples is the latest Ford Capri.

Why the controversy? It’s over 37 years since the previous Ford Capri disappeared from UK price lists, meaning there’s been plenty of time for memories of those who were fond of it to become rose-tinted. Any new Capri will have to continue its forebears’ legacy in the aficionados’ eyes — this one is unlikely to do that.

For those too young to remember Ford Capris of yore — and for whom the name means little — they were sportier, coupe versions of Ford’s core family car range, most sought after when fitted with rorty V6 petrol engines. In truth, before sales ended in 1987, they were also considered more than a little… naff.

Given that whistlestop history lesson, it seems all the more unusual that the Ford Capri name would be bestowed upon this five-door, family friendly, electric SUV — albeit one with a coupe roofline.

Sure, there are some styling details mildly reminiscent of the Capri generation introduced back in 1969 but half-close your eyes while looking at it from the side and it could almost be a Polestar 2. A convenient coincidence given it's one of its rivals.

Among others it must vie for attention with are the Cupra Tavascan, Skoda Enyaq Coupe and Volkswagen ID.5. Here’s the thing, because not only do those three models share the same Volkswagen Group modular underpinnings, battery packs and electric motors, so does the Capri.

How so? Because the Capri is effectively a slinkier version of the Ford Explorer, which also uses modified versions of the Volkswagen-provided hardware. Although fairly well-hidden, the two Fords also share some bodywork, with identical front wings, front doors and the lower panels of the rear doors.

Their dashboards are also facsimiles of each other, including the tiltable, 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen, the soundbar-style speaker arrangement on top of the dashboard and the enormous 17-litre MegaConsole storage cubby system between the front seats.

Where the two Fords differ most significantly is at the rear, with the Capri being slightly less tall and considerably longer than the Explorer to give the impression of being sleeker. The roofline will mean rear seat headroom is marginally compromised in the Capri yet the extra length means that, at 570 litres, its boot is 100 larger than the Explorer’s.

As with the Explorer, Ford offers the Capri with three motor and battery combinations, although the least powerful of these — a 170PS motor driving the rear wheels with a Standard Range 52kWh battery pack — won’t reach showrooms until spring 2025. Ford claims this Capri will sprint from 0-62mph in 8.7 seconds and has a governed top speed of 99mph.

In cheaper Select trim, the Standard Range Capri has an official WLTP Combined range of 242 miles, dropping to 231 miles in Premium guise due to the increase in wheel size from 19 to 20 inches. A 145kW on-board DC charger means a 10%-80% recharge takes just 25 minutes.

Still with rear-wheel drive, the Extended Range versions have a 77kWh battery and a 286PS motor. Top speed is pegged slightly higher at 111mph, while the 0-62mph dash is reduced to 6.4 seconds. Range is quoted at 389 miles for the Select and 369 for the Premium, with a 10%-80% recharge requiring 28 minutes when hooked-up to a 135kW DC charger.

Topping the Ford Capri line-up, and only available in Premium specification, is the Extended Range with all-wheel drive. A second electric motor propels the front wheels, with total output reaching 340PS, shaving the 0-62mph time to 5.3 seconds. Top speed remains unchanged.

Battery capacity is increased slightly to 79kWh for a 346-mile range, while the faster 185kW on-board DC charger enables a 10%-80% recharge in 26 minutes.

Also similar to the Explorer, the Ford Capri is generously equipped with all models featuring LED head and tail lights, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate control and a plethora of safety assisting technology.

If you want an upgraded, 10-speaker B&O sound system, ambient interior lighting, a glazed roof and an electric tailgate, then you’ll need to opt for the Premium specification.

Disappointingly, a heat pump to pre-condition the battery pack is only an option on the Ford Capri, rather than being standard-fit — it’s something that we’d recommend having.

With a starting price a smidge over £42,000, the Ford Capri isn’t exactly priced in the brand’s usual mainstream-appealing manner. That’s also £2200 more than the similarly equipped Ford Explorer, although the Capri is a little larger and can travel a further nine miles per charge.

If you’re wondering where the Ford Mustang Mach-E — the company’s larger-still SUV coupe — fits into this picture, you’d need a further £8800 to get behind the wheel of one of those.

Available to order already, customer deliveries the Ford Capri will commence before the end of 2024.