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By Jonathan Crouch

Ford's new-era Capri EV offers futuristic nostalgia. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 45

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.

Backgroundword count: 221

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, the Blue Oval has now 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.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 318

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 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. It's notable that Wolfsburg hasn't allowed Ford to use its most recent EV engineering here. Most customers are expected to choose the 'Extended Range' rear-driven version, which mates a 286PS motor on the back axle with a 77kWh battery which is supposed to offer a 390 mile range. A fractionally larger 79kWh version of that 'Extended Range' battery is used in the top twin motor performance flagship AWD variant, which puts out 340PS, though that only trims the 0-62mph sprint time by 0.9s to 5.4s. Range is 348 miles. You can also ask your dealer about an entry-level rear-driven 'Standard Range' model which uses a smaller 52kWh battery paired with a feebler 170PS electric motor and offering a range of around 250 miles. As for drive dynamics, well preface your nostalgia here at the outset with a bit of a reality check; the old Capri was a model produced in the era just before Fords became good to drive. You might be tempted to think that this area 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 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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