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By Jonathan Crouch

Ford's new-era Capri EV offers futuristic nostalgia. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 60

This modern-era Ford Capri has virtually nothing other than its name in common with the brand's iconic last century combustion coupe. It's a mid-sized EV with Volkswagen underpinnings - essentially a sportier Ford Explorer. But it adds a bit of youthful spice to its segment. And has been usefully improved as part of the mid-term update we look at here.

Backgroundword count: 239

We're now pretty used to car brands dusting off classic nameplates and re-inventing them as something else - but Ford does it more than most. Having redefined the Puma, the Mustang and the Explorer, in late 2024 the Blue Oval revived arguably its most iconic model name of all, Capri, a car not seen since 1986. In its old form, as your dad will tell you, the Capri was a blue-collar sports coupe, a genre now long-abandoned but popular when this Ford was first launched in 1969, with subsequent second and third generation versions in 1974 and 1978. In the years after, Ford often dabbled with the idea of bringing this nameplate back (with the Visos Frankfurt Motor Show concept of 2003 and a Focus-based hatchback design prototype in 2009); but it took the EV revolution to push the company into actually doing it. Modern electric Fords are redesigned Volkswagens and, like its showroom stablemate the Explorer, the Capri is a five-door crossover based on underpinnings borrowed from Wolfsburg's ID.4. But clothes them in a sporty silhouette replicating the approach of the Volkswagen ID.5. With the Capri though, there's a touch of nostalgia to go with Teutonic engineering that'll only ever be electric. Ford says this car 'continues the story of an iconic cult classic'. But how? Let's take a closer look - in this case at the version of this model that was usefully updated in Spring 2026.

Driving Experienceword count: 348

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.

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