The new Capri epitomises the crisis facing Ford. A car brand that delivered aspirational yet accessible motoring greats has now descended into delivering an innocuous coupe-shaped pastiche.
This is a car created not from engineers’ dreams of affordable sports cars, but rather accountants’ spreadsheets.
Dragging the Capri moniker from the grave to revive the company’s fortunes in Europe was always going to irk loyalists. To do so, and then fail to encapsulate any of the original’s essence – aside from a smattering of faux nostalgic styling touches – defies logic.
Of course, Ford needed to deliver any modern take of the Capri in a guise that suited current trends. But the end result is not a modern take on the original coupe, but rather a clumsy retro-clad rehash of the mediocre crossovers that already clog up our streets.
Maybe I’m carrying some prejudice. My early childhood was spent in Capris. My first memories of washing cars is of trying to reach even halfway up the sweeping bonnet. It was meant to be the working man’s answer to the Jaguar E-Type. It harboured dreams of driving down the Amalfi coast.
The new Capri doesn’t dream, it merely navigates between car parks. But the biggest issue with this car is its lack of identity, not just in styling but in driving style. What defines it as a Ford?
I’m stumped. This car giant used to deliver engineering magic. The Ford Focus – and before it the Ford Escort – were magnificent cars to drive. Even the most affordable versions delivered handling prowess that impressed engineers from prestige sports car brands. The Fiesta was sprightly and nimble, the Mondeo a smart family car. All were generally fun to drive. And all are gone or going, discontinued by Ford.
Instead, here we have a car whose underpinnings come from supposed arch-rival Volkswagen. Co-operation between competitive car brands is nothing new, but it’s usually reserved for less critical market segments. Right now, Ford’s larger EV passenger car fleet in Europe is reliant on VW.
The dependence on the VW parts bin doesn’t stop at the battery and electric motor tech. There are several interior trim elements that are straight from VW’s ID range. When the biggest talking point of the interior is a sliding touchscreen and a stowage box behind it, you know there’s been an imagination vacuum.
True, it all functions competently, but there is little new or cutting edge.
On the road, the new Capri is comfortable, pleasant and, if needed, a bit pacy. It can hit 100km/h from a standing start in 5.3 seconds, which in the age of EVs is relatively fast.
Perhaps the best feature of this car is its steering, which is quick and responsive, even if the stability control could be a little more active given the sheer bulk of metal that’s moving about on the road.
Our test car was the 79kW extended battery pack version with all-wheel drive, so the grip was never in question.
Ford claims a very impressive combined range of 627km for the regular rear-wheel drive with the 77kW extended range battery pack, while our all-wheel-drive version delivers closer to 580km.
And this Capri crossover SUV boasts a big 572-litre boot. But is the talking point from Capri fans going to be about boot space?
You can live without the rattle and hums of a combustion engine. You can accept that in some cases practicality trumps sportier styling. But, like a ghost of its former self, this car lacks soul.
To justify the Capri moniker, Ford could have created an affordable rival to the BMW i4 or Audi e-tron, sleek electric coupes that many blue oval buyers admire but can’t afford.
It could have tapped into its excellent steering and handling heritage and delivered an EV that drove like an old-fashioned Ford, full of flavour and flair.
It could have done so much but didn’t – and that’s what is really annoying. This car is not simply a swing-and-miss; it seems like the bosses at Dearborn didn’t really wave the bat. This is no homage to past glory. It’s the result of an accountant’s Powerpoint presentation on cost control and consumer trends.
