The Stuff Of Legend? Inside The New Electric Ford Capri

Macho two-door has morphed into a family-friendly car that looks vaguely familiar. Motoring editor Jeremy Taylor and Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby delve inside the new Electric Ford Capri Coupe SUV.

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Review: New Electric Ford Capri Coupe SUV

J-TP – Aah, the Ford Capri. A favourite from ancient TV shows like The Professionals and Minder. A car with a slightly misogynistic reputation?

JT  – Are you old enough to remember? Yes, the Ford advertising department was a slightly different place 50 years ago. There were the ‘For God’s sake, don’t let a woman drive it’ and ‘the new Ford Capri 2.8 injection goes like…’ slogans.

And Ford is naming their new sports utility vehicle after that car? Interesting.

Indeed, but times have changed, apparently. Ford also has form using old nameplates – both the Explorer and Puma reference previous models. Ford also claims the new Capri is ‘what the Capri would have been’.

Not really sure how a high-rise SUV with enough room for a family is related in any way to a sporty coupe, but Ford still insists that the legend is back. That said, the new Capri does look rather similar to the new Polestar 4 pictured below, don’t you think?

Polestar 4

As our photos show, that is a matter for some discussion. I did hear that when Ford put the new Capri on display at Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer, some of the Polestar team offered the Ford salesmen their branded jackets.

Brilliant! What’s the latest Capri all about then?

Expect an all-wheel drive model with two motors and an electric range of around 370 miles for £52,000. The rear-wheel drive version is £48,000 and covers 390 miles on a single charge. As this is a Capri, both are said to be ‘sporty’.

The styling is rather generic if you ask me, nothing like the old Capri we drove last month. Now that was a car.

Yes, a Mk2 in light blue dating back to 1977. To be fair, Ford had made the car a little more user-friendly by then. The Mk2 was introduced in 1974 and slightly less glam than the original Mk1. The hatchback boot was practical and split-folding rear seats added to the appeal.

I’m not sure the 1.6L badge on the boot was that appealing. What was Ford thinking?

The brand’s entire range of cars – think Fiesta, Cortina, Granada – all had the same trim levels and that included the Capri. It was better to drive than the old version and some beefy engines did follow.

It was such a basic car inside – technology stretched to a two-spoke steering wheel and a LW/MW radio, which was probably an extra. I love the soft suspension, so comfortably.

Best of all, our car came with a vinyl roof! Ford sold almost 2 million Capris between 1969 and 1986, when the last Mk3 model was built. It was immensely popular car at the time.

Will new Capri be a hit?

I think there are too many electric SUV rivals that offer the same appeal. Motoring icons are few and far between these days.

DISCOVER

Discover more about the Electric Ford Capri at ford.co.uk

Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby is Director of Programmes at London College of Fashion, studying for a PhD in sustainable e-textile design.