2026 Ford Capri review: Flying the flag for the Blue Oval

Ford is planning a new European EV assault, but can the Capri hold the fort until reinforcements arrive?

A couple of months ago, Ford announced it was cutting prices across its Capri and Explorer models.

The shift knocked up to £5,000 of its electric SUV twins as the Blue Oval tries to fight back against a tide of cut-price Chinese rivals.

It’s a tough place for Ford to be. Once the bastion of accessible mainstream motoring, it’s found itself being edged out first by the likes of Korea’s Kia and Hyundai and now by Jaecoo, Leapmotor and Geely, especially in the EV space.

It’s planning to fight back with a new Fiesta, Focus and a replacement for the current Puma Gen-E – all based on Renault hardware. Until they arrive, however, its EV efforts are largely represented by large cars such as the Capri, Explorer and Mustang Mach-E (remember that?).

So can they keep Ford relevant until that second wave of affordable new cars arrives?

Design, interior and technology

I’ve driven the Capri a few times now and, unfortunately, the more time I spend with it, the less I like its design.

From virtually every angle it looks overweight and bloated. Yes, there are nods to the original car in the segmented headlights, the flat bonnet and the kinked line on the C-pillar. But, especially in dull colours, it’s a lumpen big thing and there’s no pretending it’s anything other than a large SUV/crossover.

Perhaps unusually, the regular boxy Explorer – with which the Capri shares almost everything – is the better looking of the pair.

While externally the Capri and Explorer are clearly different, inside there’s almost no telling the two apart.

The Capri gets a fancy third spoke on the steering wheel, inspired by the OG Capri. And there are some sportier seats with awkward fixed headrests, but apart from that the two cars are identical, which is no bad thing.

Despite being based on a VW Group platform and running its software under the surface, the Capri has a distinctly Ford look and feel. There’s a pleasing chunkiness to cabin design, generally solid and tactile materials all round and a pleasing mix of dark and light finishes. There’s also a relatively simple layout that still avoids the barebones feel of some Chinese alternatives.

That said, there’s still a lot of reliance on the 14.6-inch portrait screen and the notoriously fickle haptic controls on the steering wheel. Ford has, at least, compensated for this with a clear user interface with big, simple icons and sensible shortcuts.

That screen slides up and down for drivers to find a position that suits them. It’s a bit of an unnecessary gimmicky, but does allow Ford to hide a lockable storage area behind the screen. That’s one of a number of practical storage spaces dotted around the car to enhance its family friendliness. Interestingly, the longer body of the Capri means it offers more luggage space than the Explorer – 572 litres versus 470 litres.

There’s also plenty of space for the family on board. Four adults will fit easily thanks to decent rear legroom, although three across the rear bench will be a bit of a squeeze.

Battery, motor and driving

The Ford Capri comes with a variety of powertrain options. These range from a 187bhp motor and 52kWh battery version badged simply “RWD” up to our test car’s AWD Extended Range package.

This uses two motors to deliver 335bhp and all-wheel-drive, and gets a 77kWh battery.

Quite frankly, the sweet spot of the Capri range probably lies somewhere between those two extremes.

As entertaining as the 5.3-second 0-62mph time is, it’s debatable whether it’s worth the sacrifice in range and efficiency or the extra cost. The 77kWh battery will officially return 338 miles on a charge – compared with 369 for the 282bhp single motor version – and costs an extra £4,000.

That said, the instant grunt from the two-motor arrangement is effective and gives plenty of flexibility, delivered through a well-balanced pedal setup.

The Capri’s chassis is similarly well balanced. Despite Ford’s “soul of a sports car” marketing nonsense, this is not a sporty car. But it is composed and controlled and offers more involvement than something like an Xpeng G6. It can’t entirely mask its height and weight, and there is some body roll, but the Capri is a decent all-rounder, bolstered by impressive sound insulation and a generally smooth ride that make long distance driving easy.

Price

As I mentioned earlier, Ford dropped the Capri’s price by thousands in April.

That cut the entry price to £36,985 and dropped between £4,000 and £5,000 from models across the line-up, helping make it a more competitive proposition.

At the top of the range, that brings my Premium AWD Extended Range test car down to £51,555, before £3,000 of options. That allows the Capri to slightly undercut cars like the Skoda Enyaq vRS and Cupra Tavascan VZ, both of which use the same platform and powertrain as the Capri.

For your near £55k, the top-spec Capri does get plenty of kit, including 21-inch alloys, adaptive LED headlights, tinted rear glass and a powered tailgate. There’s also a panoramic roof, heated seats/steering wheel and adaptive cruise control. All nice to have but also all to be expected at this price point.

Verdict

In many ways, the Capri is a likeable car that delivers on many of Ford’s traditional values.

It’s spacious, comfortable and pleasant to drive. It’s also practical and easy to use.

As long as you can get over the looks, there’s a case for considering low and mid-spec variants.

However, even taking into account the recent price drop, at £55,000, it’s a harder sell and misses that mainstream appeal that used to be Ford’s bread and butter.

Ford Capri Premium AWD

• Price: £51,555 (£54,555 as tested)
• Powertrain: two-motor, all-wheel-drive
• Battery: 77kWh 
• Power: 335bhp
• Torque: 501lb ft
• Top speed: 112mph
• 0-62mph: 5.3seconds  
• Range: 338miles
• Consumption: 4.26m/kWh
• Charging: up to 135kW

Rivals

• Skoda Enyaq Coupe vRS – the sportiest of Skodas offers the same performance as the Capri but with a healthy helping of Czech smarts and dynamic design
• Cupra Tavascan – All the same technical gubbins in a far more attractive and exclusive package
• Kia EV6 – A brilliant all-rounder that can match the Capri for space, performance and range