The Ford Capri is back… but not how we know it.
The US car giant has taken the daring decision to relaunch one of its greatest nameplates after a near 40-year hiatus and it is sure to ruffle a few feathers.
Why daring? Well, the ‘new Capri’ isn’t a low-slung, two-door sport coupe with svelte looks like the original; instead, the legendary name badge now controversially adorns a 2.1-tonne electric SUV.
Ford says the battery powered Capri will cost from £42,075 and ‘continues the story of the iconic cult classic’ while ‘injecting some soul into the world of EVs’.
But people are already disagreeing on social media. Responding to Ford UK’s Instagram post revealing the car, one person wrote: ‘Is it an SUV??? Electric??? Way to kill a legend and name.’
The build up to the vehicle’s release has centred around the statement: ‘The legend is back!’ – a phrase used by Eric Cantona in a podcast interview with Gary Lineker this month as it is revealed the former Manchester United player’s recent spate of viral stunts featuring a goat were orchestrated by Ford to promote Capri’s renaissance
Unveiled today, Ford says the all-electric performance ‘sports SUV’ will ‘rewire Capri for the EV generation’.
It adds: ‘The new all-electric Capri is the car the iconic sports coupe was destined to become. No other family EV has heritage like this.’
It is underpinned by the same platform used for Ford’s other new electric SUV, which coincidentally also uses one of the brand’s former hero names, Explorer – and is an EV This is Money has very recently tested.
Both models are built at the company’s Cologne factory in Germany, which was previously the production home for Fiesta before Ford killed it off last summer.
But sharing a platform with Explorer means the new Capri won’t necessarily be a Ford underneath.
Both use Volkswagen’s MEB electric architecture that underpins the similar-size VW ID.4 and ID.5, which is courtesy of a tie-up between the two automotive powerhouses in a cost-cutting, development-sharing partnership penned back in 2020.
However, bosses are adamant that it’s been tweaked and fine-tuned to feel like a Ford, especially focussing on how the coupe-SUV crossover handles.
‘Bringing back a legend as revered as the Ford Capri is a big deal,’ admits Jon Williams, general manager for Ford’s electric vehicle division.
‘We’re excited that the new all-electric Capri is ready to bring some swagger to the world of EVs and introduce a whole new generation of drivers to the spirit of a cult classic.
‘A cutting-edge EV, designed and built in Europe – Capri has soul that can only come from a brand with genuine heritage.’
How much will the new Ford Capri cost – and when can I order one?
Order books have opened today for two drivetrain options: the £48,075 rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Extended Range model and the £56,175 all-wheel-drive (AWD) Extended Range variant.
The former’s drivetrain is made up of a 77kWh lithium-ion battery sending energy to a single 282bhp (210kW) electric motor at the rear axle.
This marriage offers a 0-to-62mph acceleration time of 6.4 seconds and maximum claimed range of up to 389 miles from a fully-charged battery.
The AWD has a slightly larger 79kWh battery pack linked to dual electric motors – one at the front axle and another at the rear – that produce a combined output of 335bhp (250kW).
The extra potency knocks 1.1 seconds off the 0-62mph time (5.3 seconds) of the two-wheel-drive Capri but the compromise of the additional grunt is a shorter range of 368 miles.
Both have an electronically-limited top speed of 112mph.
First deliveries are due in the UK before the end of the year, likely around November.
The £42,075 entry-price ‘Standard Range’ RWD model will come early next year.
This will feature a smaller 52kWh battery, 168bhp single electric motor and range of around 250 miles. It will have a top speed limited to 99mph.
There are two trim levels to begin with: standard ‘Select’ and a higher-grade ‘Premium’. The former has 19-inch wheels while the latter can be upgraded up to 21-inch rims if you so desire – though the bigger wheels do slightly impact the battery range, which buyers will need to keep in mind.
Customers will have six colour options to choose from: Agate Black; Frozen White; Magnetic Grey; Lucid Red; Blue My Mind; and the eye-catching Vivid Daytona Yellow used for the majority of the unveiling pictures and footage.
Commenting on its unveiling today, COO of the ‘Ford Model e’ electric division, Marin Gjaja, said: ‘If you want the perfect example of how Model e is transforming the Ford business in Europe, look no further than our new all-electric Ford Capri.
‘A cutting-edge EV, designed and built in Europe – Capri has soul that can only come from a brand with genuine heritage.’
Ask a bunch of Ford fanatics what their favourite model is from the brand’s glittering history and plenty will name the Capri.
When it was first shown to the public in January 1969 at the Brussels Motor Show, it was marketed as a cheap, fast and fun coupe.
Production for the car began two months earlier at the Halewood plant in Liverpool to ensure every UK dealer would have at least one Capri on its forecourt by the time sales started, such was the stir of demand it created.
Prices started from £890 in 1969, which equates to around £12,500 today, which is a third of what the new version rings in from.
The two-door coupe instantly became a hit in the early seventies, with the blue-oval brand selling a staggering 400,000 units in the first 24 months.
Penned by a team led by American automotive designer Philip T. Clark, the Capri was originally intended to be named ‘Colt’ – a reference to the famous Ford Mustang in the hope it would mirror the American pony car’s enormous success on the other side of the Atlantic. And largely, it did.
The Capri gained popularity across Europe as one of the most affordable and popular sports cars, earning the moniker of ‘the working man’s Porsche’.
Its cult following was also boosted by major TV appearances.
TV tough guys Bodie (Lewis Collins) in The Professionals and Terry (Dennis Waterman) in Minder drove one, as did Del Boy (David Jason) in the comedy classic Only Fools and Horses.
On sale until 1986, the 17-year production run ended with the Mk3 version and a grand total of 1.9million being snapped up across the continent.
And they’re now collector’s item, with values soaring in recent years.
The highest price paid for one at auction changed hands in June 2022 when an enthusiast paid £74,250 for the ‘Holy Grail’ of Capris – a 1972 RS3100 prototype, which is a one-of-a-kind version of the souped-up classic coupe.
Last summer, a pair of Capris used in The Professionals also sold as a two-vehicle lot for a whopping £186,000. Individually, they’d be the record holders today.
Celebrity fans of the original include TV chef Jamie Oliver and former One Direction member, now solo artist, Harry Styles.
It’s fair to say Ford fans aren’t happy about the new Capri
Such is the Capri’s cult following that the decision to reintroduce the name for a large SUV with electric power has been surrounded in controversy. And the instant reaction today suggests the vast majority are unhappy with the move.
People have already been angrily voicing opinion about the new Capri on Ford UK’s official Instagram account within moments of it sharing a video about the car.
One commenter wrote: ‘Imagine previously making good cars for years, the cars of the everyday person, then getting rid of great vehicle lines for soulless and costly electrification and now producing this and calling it a Capri somehow? A fall from grace.’
It was swiftly followed by another user writing: ‘It was clear when they released the Mach-E but now it’s official! Ford does not care about their heritage at all. Hope it doesn’t sell well at all!’
Another Instagram user responded to the video with the comment: ‘Another legendary name destroyed by @ford, first Mustang, now the Capri. Just think up of new car names and stop killing historical names.’
Does it look like the Capri of old?
Overlooking the 2024 Capri’s electric drivetrain for one moment, there’s very little about the shape of the new model that triggers the memory to its predecessors of the same name.
Ford says it has a ‘soulful coupe SUV design’ that ‘continues the story of the iconic cult classic’.
However, to attempt to reimagine the original Capri’s style in SUV form was always going to be an impossible task for Ford’s design team – even the sloped roofline does little to inspire a nostalgic reaction thanks to the car’s enormous proportions and jacked-up ride height.
Where they have tried to implement elements of the original Capri is in the finer details.
Like the headlight, for instance, which incorporates a pair of oval LEDs per cluster as a reference to its predecessor. The C-shape created where the rear window meets the C-pillar is a design feature of the 1969 motor, too.
The black blade panel spanning the rear – flanked at each end by the brake light clusters – is also a nod back to sporty RS variants of the past.
Thomas Morel, who headed up the exterior design for Capri, said: ‘It’s not every day that you have the chance to redesign an icon.
‘We wanted to bring this spice into the next generation.’
Whether Morel and his fellow designers have achieved this is something we expect to generate plenty of debate among Fast Ford aficionados and collectors.
2024 Ford Capri is no lightweight
The 1969 original tipped the scale at around just one tonne and Capri owners notoriously referenced how ‘tail happy’ the car was, with some often resorting to putting a bag of cement or paving slab in the boot to stop it skidding around, especially in the wet.
But that’s the last thing you’ll want to put in the back of the Capri EV, with the electrified successor weighing in at more than twice the bulk of the original.
The introduction of stricter rules around crash protection, mandated safety features and modern luxuries in today’s cars means there’s little point comparing old with new – especially across such a significant gulf in time.
But the Capri SUV is no lightweight, even by 2024 standards thanks to its electric drivetrain.
The lightest (RWD Extended Range Select) measures in at 2,098kg, whereas the heaviest (AWD Extended Range Premium) is 2,190kg.
It means the Capri – marketed as a sporty coupe – is only a fraction lighter than the current Range Rover.
In terms of dimensions, the Capri is much smaller than the British luxury off-roader; the Ford is 4,634mm long, 2,063mm wide (with mirrors out) and 1,626mm high.
For comparison purposes, it is much closer to the scale of a Range Rover Evoque than the full-fat Range Rover.
In terms of the wealth of technological safety kit the Capri boasts, the latest systems include Assisted Lane Change and Clear Exit Warning.
The former powers automated lane changes at the flick of a switch, while the Clear Exit feature alerts occupants if a cyclist is about to pass so they don’t open their door into their path.
Capri EV is the ‘ultimate getaway car’
No, Ford isn’t suggesting you rob a bank in its reborn Capri – but it does recommend it for weekend trips and longer holidays.
It says the performance figures should make the Capri ‘the ultimate car for a getaway’ when also taking into account the EV’s short charging times and capacious luggage volume.
If drivers can locate a compatible public fast charger en route to destinations, both Capri drivetrains can up battery capacity from 10 to 80 per cent in less than half an hour (28 mins for the RWD and 26 mins for the AWD).
And with 627 litres of boot space (1,510 with the rear backrests folded down), it offers plenty of room for four medium-size suitcases – though these figures are based on loading up to the roof so you can’t see out of the rear window. Use the parcel shelf and it will only take up to 560 litres.
In terms of boot capacity, the Capri offers around the same as a BMW 5 Series Touring estate, which is pretty impressive.
What’s it like inside the Ford Capri EV SUV?
Ford is promising a ‘luxurious interior’ that – like most new models being unveiled right now – focuses on a ‘minimalist and digital feel’.
However, this also means it has overlooked heritage by carrying no original Capri cabin features over, such as classic oval dials and a few retro switches.
Instead, it looks fairly nondescript by modern car standards. The only nod back to the original is the lower spoke of the steering wheel having three holes machined out of it.
The cabin has a two-layer dashboard. The upper section, which runs from behind the narrow digital instrument cluster to the centre console, is a 10-way Bang & Olufsen soundbar, like you’d have as part of a home cinema setup. Owners should be able to turn up the bass to drown out the sound of people telling them it’s not a proper Capri!
Dominating the rest of the dash is a portrait-orientated 14.6-inch touchscreen. Like in the Explorer, this can be tilted to various angles to make it easier to see for drivers of different heights but also to prevent sunlight glare on the display. It also has the ‘My Private Locker’ feature hidden behind it where driver and passengers can keep valuables out of sight.
The Capri too shares the 17-litre ‘MegaConsole’ beneath the front armrest, which is deep enough to hide away a laptop.
As standard, all Capris have heated front seats and steering wheel. The driver also gets a choice of massage settings and the ability to pre-set their ideal seat position that electronically adjusts when you get in.
All versions also get smartphone integration for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a wireless smartphone charger.
