This is the newly revived Ford Capri for the 21st century and it's going to be a bit… controversial.
Why? Well, the beloved original Capri from the '70s and '80s was a sleek, eye-catching coupe. The kind of car you might treat yourself to if you worked hard and saved all your spare cash.
The new Capri – quite clearly – isn't that. And, considering how cross Ford traditionalists got when it reused the 'Mustang' and 'Puma' names on yet another pair of SUVs, it's obviously not afraid to poke the wasps nest once again.
2024 Ford Capri EV styling
Okay, so this isn't a long-bonnet coupe like Capris of old. Instead, it sits in the middle of a Venn diagram that includes 'SUV', 'saloon' and 'coupe'. We'll leave it up to you to decide whether you think it's attractive or not, but we can't help but notice it bears more than a passing resemblance to the Polestar 2.
Take in some of the details and you might spot a few nods to older Capri models. The new car's headlights are a modern interpretation of the twin round lights often found on original cars, and they're joined by a black-painted faux front grille, mimicking the old car's bar-like front end. At the rear, there's a black strip joining the brake light units, echoing the rear end of '70s Capris.
Analyse the new Capri's profile closely and you might notice the distinctive curved trailing edge of the rear window. This curve sits above a long horizontal styling line that extends forward all the way to the bonnet – another hallmark that was especially obvious on '70s Capris.
2024 Ford Capri EV interior
The new Capri's cabin is very similar to the recently launched Ford Explorer EV. That means a fairly simple design with a wide and thin horizontal air vent running the width of the dashboard, intersected by a large, portrait infotainment system. Behind the wheel is a small driver's pod with a screen showing speed and key driving information. We don't like on-screen climate controls as much as proper buttons, but the Capri's heating and A/C settings are at least permanently shown at the bottom of the screen.
Just like the Explorer, there's a party piece beneath the infotainment screen, which has a distinctive backwards slant in its normal position. Grab the little handle at the base of the screen and you can push it backwards, sitting the display more upright and revealing a hidden storage cubby underneath. This is also joined by a sizeable 17-litre 'MegaConsole' storage box between the front seats.
Practicality should be decent considering the Capri's EV platform and 4.6-metre-long footprint. Four tall adults should fit in the cabin comfortably, with a fifth squeezing in for shorter hops. Boot space stands at a generous 572 litres – more than the 450 litres you get in the shorter Explorer, although the slanted rear windscreen may limit your ability to carry very tall cargo.
2024 Ford Capri EV range, motor and battery options
The badges might say 'Ford' but the Capri's actually based on MEB hardware developed by Volkswagen. As a result, the battery pack and motor options can also be found in several VW-Group models. For example, we've already tried the Capri's two motor setups in the updated Volkswagen ID.Buzz.
In the UK, we'll only be getting the Capri with the Extended Range battery option. That means the standard rear-wheel-drive model comes with a 77kWh battery and a claimed max range of 390 miles. It can recharge at up to 135kW from a suitable DC fast charger, taking 28 minutes to go from 10-80%. This option gets a single electric motor on the rear axle with a healthy 286hp, returning a 6.4-second 0-62mph time.
For more performance, you can upgrade to the Extended Range AWD version. The battery grows slightly to 79kWh, although the extra hardware means range is a touch shorter at 368 miles. Max DC charge speed grows to 185kW, however, shaving two minutes off the 10-80% time. The key addition, though, is the extra motor on the front axle, bringing four-wheel drive and a total of 340hp, dropping the 0-62mph time to 5.3 seconds.
2024 Ford Capri EV price and specs
The Capri's platform mate, the Ford Explorer, is priced between £40,000 and £45,000, so we reckon a starting price around £50,000 seems likely. That's a fairly steep figure but leasing deals or company-car savings should help make it a little more attainable. Or you could always wait a little longer and buy the Capri as an attractively priced used car.
Its motor range is simple with just two options and so too are the trim levels. There's just the standard Capri or the optional Capri Premium upgrade to choose from, and you can specify either with the single-motor or the AWD dual-motor option.
All models get 19-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, adaptive cruise control, all-round parking sensors, a reversing camera, heated front seats with massaging for the driver, a heated steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. There's also a big 14.6-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus wireless phone charging. Standard safety kit includes automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
Capri Premium adds 20-inch alloys, an upgraded 10-speaker B&O stereo, adjustable ambient cabin lighting, a powered boot lid and a panoramic glass roof. You also get 'matrix' LED headlights that can stay on full beams without dazzling other drivers.
2024 Ford Capri EV release date
We anticipate the first Ford Capris will arrive with customers at the end of 2024. Although you're more likely to start seeing them on the roads from early 2025.
That means you might need to wait until the end of 2025 for the first Capris to arrive at Motorpoint stores. It'll be worth it, however, because these nearly new examples will have substantial discounts over the brand-new list price.
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