Ford Capri

Since the original Capri was cobbled together from bits borrowed from other less sporty cars (mainly the MK2 Cortina), it's appropriate that this modern electric Capri borrows most of its engineering bits from elsewhere.

Pretty much everything is shared with its similarly-sized Explorer showroom stablemate, including the primarily rear-driven Volkswagen group MEB chassis.

The battery and motor options are also VW-sourced, so much the same as you'd find in competing Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and CUPRA mid-sized electric models.

The main updates made as part of this mid-term Capri enhancement relate to the smaller-battery Standard Range variants.

These now use a new 58kWh LFP battery pack offering up to 286 miles (a big improvement on the original 52kWh version of this model which could only go up to 250 miles).

Standard Range models also get an enhanced electric motor with power increased from 170 to 190PS.

The Extended Range powertrain continues with a 286PS motor but it's now energised by a fractionally larger 79kWh battery pack and offers up to 389 miles of range (15 miles more than the older 77kWh version).

The old 77kWh battery pack continues to feature in the flagship twin motor AWD variant, which offers up to 340PS and has up to 338 miles of range. As for drive dynamics, well preface any nostalgia here at the outset with a bit of a reality check; the old Capri was a model produced in the end of last century era just before Fords became good to drive.

In the last five decades, things have been much more driver-focused with Ford models but you might be tempted to think that this era has now passed, given that like most EVs, this modern Capri is weighed down like a proverbial brick, the vast battery contributing to a kerb weight of up to 2,115kg.

Which might make you still think twice about the lower-powered motor in the 'Standard Range' model.

Ford says the 10mm reduction in suspension height should at least make all versions of this car feel a little sportier through the turns than its Explorer showroom stablemate.

There are no visual changes as part of this update.

Ford says that this new generation Capri brings 'a sense of swagger' to the world of EVs and will 'introduce a whole new generation of drivers to the spirit of a cult classic'.

That might be your perspective.

Or, conversely, you might just be disappointed that Ford has reinvented its seminal sports coupe as something that looks a bit like a Polestar 2.

To us, the only thing that really harks back to the original Capri is the rear quarter window, which shares the same curved profile that on the MK1 model.

Ford has also tried to reference that original car with the 'dog bone'-style front and rear lights.

At least it doesn't look much like the Explorer EV it's based on, though the two cars do share the same doors, front fenders and bonnet.

But the sloping roof and lower suspension aim to set the Capri apart. It shares plenty with the Explorer inside too - notably the one-piece seats and the 14.6-inch central touchscreen.

You can slide this forwards or backwards to adjust your viewing angle (and doing so reveals an extra storage cubby with a built-in wireless 'phone charger).

The squared-off steering wheel takes a bit of getting used to, but you like the 17-litre 'MegaConsole' storage area between the front seats and the soundbar-like speaker mounted on the top of the dashboard. Rear seat space is better than the streamlined silhouette might lead you to expect; there's headroom for a couple of six-footers and, thanks to the wheelbase length advantages of the MEB platform, more space to stretch out than a combustion model of this size would previously have offered.

Surprisingly, there's a little more boot space than you get in more practical-looking Explorer (about 30-litres more at 572-litres).

Plus there's space beneath the cargo floor for the charging leads: the VW platform doesn't allow for under-bonnet 'frunk' space.

As part of this update, there's been quite a drop in Capri pricing, the idea being to bring more variants below the £50,000 luxury car tax threshold for EVs.

Further helping this has been the added eligibility of lower-end variants for the government's £1,500 Electric Car Grant. As a result of all this, the grant-deducted asking figures now start from around £35,500 (just under £2,000 more than an equivalent Explorer), which gets you an entry-level 'Style'-spec variant with the base 58kWh battery.

The same car with plusher 'Premium' trim costs from just under £40,000 with the grant deducted. Prices take quite a jump if you want the larger 79kWh Extended Range battery, offered with either 'Select' or 'Collection'-spec.

The top 'Premium' trim level is the only one that gives you a choice of both mainstream batteries (58kWh and 79kWh) - and it's the only one that also allows you to order the dual motor drivetrain, which uses its own 77kWh Extended Range battery pack - though that top AWD version costs over £52,000. Ford's added some extra tech across the Capri line-up.

So now the Adaptive Cruise Control system can automatically slow the vehicle for traffic lights.

Parking's easier too; 'Trained Park Assist' can memorise previously-performed parking actions to take over manoevring in tight spaces; and 'Reversing Assist' can record the vehicle's path into a space, then automatically reploicate it when you're reversing out again.

'Driver State Assist' system is also now offered, which uses the car's driver-facing camera and Lane Keep Assist systems to monitor the driver's attention and driving inputs.

If no steering input is detected it can tap the brakes to alert the driver.

If the system continues to detect no driver input, it can switch on the hazard warning lights, bring the vehicle to a controlled stop, unlock the doors, and call the emergency services, which could be vital in the event that the driver has suffered a medical emergency. Vehicle-to-Load charging has also now made it to the Capri courtesy of an added 'Pro Power Onboard' package which turns the car into a mobile power source that can power up to 2.3kW of combined accessories like lights or lap tops.

As part of Driver Assistance Pack, there is the option to have a Pro Power Onboard outlet located in the boot space so precious electricals can be charged out of sight.

In addition, an optional adapter can be plugged into the vehicle's charge port to charge electric bikes or other outdoor accessories.

Customers can also choose an optional Travel Pack, which includes provision for a dog guard, an insert into the frunk to keep emergency items tidy and a boot load net to support larger items. As before, all models feature standard niceties like heated massaging seats, a heated steering wheel, keyless entry and dual zone climate control, plus Ford will also throw in its dash-mounted soundbar and a 5-inch digital instrument cluster showing speed, range and navigational instructions.

Media tech is taken care of across the line-up by a 15-inch central infotainment screen with 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring.

It would have been helpful if Ford could have improved DC charging speed as part of this update.

For the Standard Range battery though, this has actually got slower, falling from 145kW with the original version to just 105kWh for the updated 58kWh model.

Otherwise, things are much as before, the 79kWh Extended Range battery DC-charging at up to 183kW and the 77kWh Extended Range AWD model DC-charging at up to 185kW. Whatever Capri you choose, AC charging from home using a 7.4kW wallbox requires around 12 hours for a full charge - or 7 hours 45 minutes for a more common 10-80% top-up charge.

If you've a three-phase supply and an 11kW wallbox, a full charge on all Capris will need 8 hours 15 minutes. Whatever your choice of variant, the car's connected navigation system will identify up-to-date public charging locations during trips and particularly recommend chargers in the Blue Oval Charge Network - which had over 500,000 chargers at the time of this test.

An Capri owner will be able to access any of these and pay for their power from a single account. What else? Well you probably know that you've now to pay road tax and the London Congestion charge with an EV.

And that Benefit-in-Kind taxation is now rated (now being the time of this review in Spring 2026) at 4%.

You might worry about depreciation, particularly as this car's showroom stablemate the Mustang Mach-E loses value so fast - in the 40% range after three years / 36,000 miles.

This Capri does much better than that, rated in the 50-54% bracket over the same period, a percentage point ahead of the Explorer.

There are two year / unlimited mileage service intervals.

And the mediocre three year / 60,000 mile warranty is built upon by the usual EV eight year / 100,000 mile battery warranty.

With this car, Ford talks about 'revelling in the tension between something that got the equity of an older name and the new interpretation'.

But tension there is, primarily because a modern family five-door EV based on a VW and looking like a Polestar could hardly be any further from this model line's low-slung two-door 1970s namesake.

But of course we'll all get used to it, as we did with the Mustang Mach-E.

And those who won't aren't target market for this car anyway. If there's a problem here, it's not that Ford has bought back and re-invented a familiar name; that's now an established Blue Oval policy.

It's more that, unlike with the Mustang Mach-E, the company has marketed the re-birth of the Capri as 'the return of an icon'.

But this isn't that; it's something quite different.

Perhaps that's good.

Ultimately, there's only one perspective that matters; yours.