Not content with rattling Mustang fans by bringing out the Mach-E, Ford is electrifying another classic nameplate for Europe: the Capri.
Born in 1969, five years after the Mustang took America by storm, the original Capri was also a two-door, four-seater coupe for the masses, and a huge sales success.
It was “The car you always promised yourself,” claimed the launch advertising campaign, but will the same be true of the 2024 Capri?
Ford states that the new electric model is “the car the iconic sports coupe was destined to become,” but that seems to be more of a resignation to regulations than an ambition.
The Capri is built on the same MEB platform as the Explorer and VW’s ID.5, and is expected to sit above it in the range, but below the Mach-E, suggesting a price above £40,000.
Power comes from either a rear motor offering 282 bhp or a twin-motor all-wheel-drive setup with 335 bhp. Battery packs are 77 kWh and 79 kWh respectively, giving a potential maximum range of 368 miles. It can fast charge at 185 kW to juice up from 10 to 80 per cent capacity in 28 minutes.
As for performance, the new Capri can easily outrun its predecessor, with the single-motor version reaching 62 mph from rest in 6.4 seconds and the twin-motor car cutting that back to 5.3.
Design-wise it’s definitely more European in styling than the Explorer or Mach-E, looking not unlike a Polestar 2, while the interior is very similar to the Explorer. There are some nods to its classic forebear in the lighting design, but the main connection between past and future comes in vibrant paint hues such as Vivid Yellow and Blue My Mind.
Ford has come up with an acronym to summarise the new Capri. C is for Cool, A for Athletic, P stands for Past meets future, R is Rebellious to its core, and I indicates the car’s Intelligent technologies.
The new Capri is supposed to “continue the story of the iconic cult classic,” says Ford. No doubt it’s a capable, practical family car, but when it comes to the name perhaps some things are best left alone.
