Want outrage? Well, here it is. The reborn Ford Capri is the latest product of Ford and Volkswagen’s partnership for the European market, and it’s a controversial one. However, once we take a step back and clear our eyes of nostalgia’s mist, things are still a little bit odd. See, the new Capri is perfectly cromulent in a vacuum, but it has the potential to cannibalize another model in Ford’s range. Let me explain.
First, let’s take care of the elephant in the room — Ford is using an iconic coupe nameplate on a fastback crossover. Well, if we zoom out, what’s wrong with that? The original Capri was a rebodied Cortina family car with swoopier styling, and since the family car of 2024 is a crossover utility vehicle instead of a sedan, a fastback crossover bodystyle fits the original mission of giving everyday people a more rakish roofline. If the original Capri was the European equivalent to the Mustang, the new Capri is sort-of like the European equivalent to the Mustang Mach-E.
Unfortunately, that’s where it starts to fall down, because not only is the Mustang Mach-E on-sale in Europe, it also starts at a lower price than the Volkswagen ID.5-based Capri. Granted, the Capri has substantially more range than the standard-range Mustang Mach-E, but in the UK, the price gap between the Capri Premium with its panoramic roof and 20-inch wheels and the long-range Mustang Mach-E Premium is £295 in the Mach-E’s favor, so how does the Capri distinguish itself?
Well, let’s start with the styling. The reborn Ford Capri cuts a more fastbacked figure than the Mustang Mach-E, although from the rear three-quarters, doesn’t it remind you of the Polestar 2? Well, Ford had to work around the hard points of Volkswagen’s MEB platform, so that imbues the Capri with a short dash-to-axle ratio, a fixed cowl height, and immovable suspension hard points, so Ford did what it had to do. Compared to the ID.5 the Capri shares an architecture with, Ford’s stylists pulled the beltline up, added chamfered surfaces above the wheel arch trims to grow the arches and visually shrink the amount of sheetmetal on the side of the vehicle, added some thick black cladding to detract from visual bulk, and went with a defined, filled-in step on the hatch to emulate a deck lid. The result is definitely more svelte than the ID.5, but it also makes you wonder how Polestar is feeling right now.
Moving to the interior of the new Capri, you’ll likely be displeased to know that many of the ergonomic SNAFUs of the Volkswagen ID.5 haven’t been removed by Ford. There are still two window switches on the driver’s door panel to control four power windows, still capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel, and still touch-sensitive sliders on the center stack. It’s all well-disguised thanks to a vertical touchscreen, a new steering wheel, and rich interior panel surfacing that eschews Volkswagen’s somewhat uninspired brand of minimalism, but if the tech annoyed you on models like the ID.4 and ID.5, it’ll annoy you on the Capri as well.
Right, let’s talk high-voltage. The Capri comes standard with a 77 kWh NMC battery pack, a single electric motor in the rear, peak output of 282 horsepower, and a peak DC fast charging speed of 135 kW. Ford claims zero-to-62 mph in 6.4 seconds and a range of 389 miles on the optimistic WLTP cycle. Step up to the dual-motor extended range AWD model, and battery pack capacity jumps to 79 kWh, peak DC fast charging speed gets a significant boost to 185 kW, output jumps to 335 horsepower thanks to a second motor on the front axle, and the claimed zero-to-62 mph time falls to 5.3 seconds. Opting for all-wheel-drive also tips the scale on pricing back in the Capri’s favor, as a dual-motor Capri Premium retails for £730 less than a dual-motor Mustang Mach-E Premium. However, the Mach-E is still quicker, and £730 for a Mustang badge isn’t a bad price at all.
With the introduction of the newborn Capri, Ford now has two products fighting for essentially the same segment in Europe. It’s an odd choice, and it makes you wonder what sorts of deals were made to put this thing into production. Either way, one thing’s for certain — the crossover age is here to stay, and we likely won’t be seeing a rebirth of mass-market coupes anytime soon. That’s the way the world goes sometimes, right?
(Photo credits: Ford)
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I don’t even get mad with this trend anymore, I just find it completely hilarious that these nameplate revamps-by-committee keep on happening despite being universally despised by the people who have any sort of emotional connection with the nameplate. Well done, Ford suits!
I agree. I find it somewhat sad that pretty much every nameplate with some sort of heritage gets turned into a crossover thingy,but then again I don’t really care anymore..
It looks a lot like a Polestar butt.
Now I’m waiting for a 1,200-word takedown from Adrian calling me florid names I didn’t know existed forcmy lack of design expertise.
Looks like a 4 door Scion TC from the side☹️
I know this is getting a thumbs-down from most of you, but IMHO if the Mach-E had looked more like this than the result of a Mustang having its way with an Edge, it would’ve been a better design. It at least would’ve stood out among all of the other 1 5/8-box CUV designs infesting the US automotive market.
And of course we won’t get this here, just like we probably won’t get the ID.7 because some exec at VW decides an ID.8 3-row crossover would sell better to all the ‘Muricans who have to drag a bunch of crap with them everywhere they go and look rugged doing it. And of course Ford won’t bring the Evos to the US because reasons, so our choices are limited pretty much to what size blobby hatchback on slits you want. We’ve come full circle to Henry Ford’s idea of choice.
I don’t have the sort of highly-qualified reaction to it that I did to the design of the Mach-E. In fact the really long rear window of the MkII ‘Minder’-era Capri makes turning it into a 4 door almost a very sensible evolution. Little to no chance they’d call it an Escort instead – I imagine that nameplate is less fondly remembered in the US than it is in Europe and Australia.
I see what they were trying to do, but … no. Young marrieds in the EU will probably love it, though.
Gonna guess nobody is promising themselves this Capri.
And here comes Adrian up to the plate. He takes a couple of practice swings, gets in the box. Ford winds up, and here’s the pitch. OH, it’s a fat one, right across the middle!…..
I clicked on this specifically to see Adrian knock the cover off the ball. Has he been benched?
I figure (hope) he’s preparing his response.
70K price tag is going to be a tough pill to swallow
70k for a car that looks like a 35k VW/polestar is a tough proposition.
A Volkswagen-designed interior with Ford build quality. What is “purchases you will regret almost immediately”, Alex?
I’m not emotionally attached to the Capri name so I don’t particularly care about that (although not calling it the Capr-E is inexcusable 😛 ). There’s no way I would touch this with someone else’s ten foot pole though.
My thoughts exactly. This seems like a future disaster.
Six months or 60 meters, whichever comes first.
So is an American company copying a Chinese company? How the tables have tur…but… uhh…is it the European division of an American company copying a Swedish designed, Chinese-owned company…which is based on another Swedish-Chinese company’s car? But the European-American car is based on a German company’s car? And it’s not being sold in America? Is this the automotive equivalent of a Three’s Company episode?
I have owned 8 Mustangs and 2 Capris (actual European Capris, not re-badged fox-body Mustangs). I don’t currently have a Mustang (sold my Mustang II drag car last year), but I DO have a 5.0/5spd-swapped 1977 Capri Mk II.
I’ve bought two brand-new cars in my life, BOTH were Fords (2010 Mustang GT and 2014 F150 STX Sport). This slapping iconic names on boring-looking SUVs? Yeah, no. If Ford EVER wants me to buy another new car from them ever again, this shit has to stop.
I don’t mind EVs, the F150 Lightning was something I was really looking forward to and considering until the Mocky showed up.
I don’t even mind the idea of an EV Mustang or Capri, in fact, if it was done like the BMW i4? I’d PROBABLY BUY ONE!
I’ve bought two brand-new cars in my life, BOTH were Fords (2010 Mustang GT and 2014 F150 STX Sport). This slapping iconic names on boring-looking SUVs? Yeah, no.
Second the call for a real Mustang EV! Like you, the only two cars I’ve bought (for myself) new were Fords, a 1990 Mustang GT convertible and a 1997 Expedition. I’ve only owned 3 Mustangs total, but would have been 4 if I could have found a 2015 or newer ecoboost with an actual manual transmission (non-sequitor, I hate-Hate-HATE when floppy-paddled autos are listed as manuals in ads!!!).
So, to any Ford product development folks reading, please give us a real Mustang EV, or at least a PHEV.
Why?
Good god. The whole world has gone mad.
I wish there was a true rwd sub-Mustang coupe called the Capri. Something around GR86 sized with the 1.5T standard and the 2.3T as the GT.
I’m surprised to see Ford bring back the name Capri. Maybe there aren’t many of us who remember calling the previous gen the Ford Crapi?
“Capri” as a model name has a certain amount of pull in Western Europe. I think they were still digging out from the war.
Ah, you’re right – I was thinking of the Mercury Crapi sold in the US.
I’m waiting for the optional roof mounted solar cells packaged called the Capri Sun for charging in those warmer/sunnier climates. 😉
I would get one of those along with a light brown Mustang Mach-E.
I’d have a Capri-Sun and a Caramel Mach-E Auto!
“Pacific Cooler”
Just like many Americans (myself certainly included) this car would look a lot better with a few inches less waistline.
It’s like a Polestar if Polestar made ugly cars.
Exactly. The yet-another-anonymous-crossover should never have been named “Mustang” nor should the God-please-no-YET-another-anonymous-crossover be named “Capri”.
Just wait for the new GT40, where GT refers to Gross Tonnage.
The truth is that the name should really only be used for those long shorts or short longs that come down past your knees partway down your shin. Shorter than culottes but longer than shorts.
I will also accept sugary beverages in foil pouches with radical art in front and straws stuck to the back.
What about Tyrrhenian islands?