Living with the all-electric Ford Capri: controversy in the countryside

The reimaged Ford Capri is a world away from its namesake from the 1970s and 80s. It’s out with the common man’s Mustang with its low ride and long bonnet and in with an all-electric SUV with five seats and a massive boot.

Much has been said about the supposed “controversy” surrounding Ford’s decision to re-release the Capri with such a complete and radical overhaul in design, personality and identity.

An objective test, then, requires an environment that won’t be saddled with the expectations of the past. A surrounding that is naturally progressive. A place brimming with new and exciting ideas. Hackney, London. Neukölln, Berlin. Williamsburg, New York City.

Unfortunately, none of those places were very convenient for me. So I took 2024’s “most controversial car” to the Cotswolds instead.

Countryside living

Let’s start with the elephant on the drive: charging.

For this test I did not have access to at-home charging, I was solely relying on public chargers.

Realistically, if you live in a rural area and are considering an EV, at-home charging capability is an absolute must; the public charging infrastructure isn’t even close to having enough coverage of non-urban areas to be convenient. And if you want a clue on whether that’s likely to be actioned quickly, ask anyone who lives in the countryside what speed their home wifi is.

So, we’re parking that issue for now because the solution is clear: you need at-home charging.

Pulled up on the roadside in the Cotswolds, the Capri looked and felt at home alongside Range Rovers Evoques and other midsize SUVs. I particularly enjoyed the ability to silently waft through small, serene towns and villages and not disturb any curtain-peeping residents.

Country driving in the Capri is really enjoyable, for the most part. With its EV-ability to out-accelerate just about anyone, you feel very comfortable nipping round a trundling tractor on even a short straight, and sitting silently at 60mph with a backdrop of rolling hills and fields is relaxing, and even a bit addictive.

The car handles well enough. I’d be lying if I said it was particularly exciting through corners, but it’s totally capable for the vast majority of people. There’s a sporty feel to the ride; it’s quite firm and you definitely feel the road. But I didn’t find it too hard, and actually appreciated that feedback from the car in the absence of sensory inputs such as engine noise.

The Capri has both common forward drive modes: a standard “D”, plus “B” for added regenerative braking. Having experimented with both, I settled on D for a vast majority of the time. I found the regenerative braking a bit too harsh, often slowing me down too aggressively to be useful. I would have appreciated the ability to phase it in the settings, perhaps with soft, medium and maximum modes, as some rivals do.

Ford Capri technical features

As with most new, modern cars, the Capri is packed full of driver assistance features. Generally, these are at their best on major roads. The lane centering feature struggled in some instances, especially in environments like long, sweeping corners where it’s quite safe to maintain some speed. I experienced lots of good-intentioned correction from the system but ultimately would find myself turning it off in the settings pretty frequently.

And yes, it does reset every time you start the car…

Likewise, the Capri will slow you down automatically as you move from, for example, national speed limit into 30mph. Now, it’s tricky to complain too much about features that are just designed to keep you, and others, safe, but I did find this would occasionally awaken my inner-Libertarian desire to just be allowed to drive the car.

This came to a bit of a head while driving back into London on the M4, on a section that, until recently, was a 50mph average speed check. The Capri’s system has, I assume, outdated mapping of that section and, on three occasions, tried to suddenly slow me down from 70mph to 50mph while using cruise control. That’s maybe not as safe as it’s intended to be…

Another classic modern-day feature of the Capri is the touchscreen/touch buttons obsession.

As a young millennial, I enjoy a good touchscreen. The display in the Capri is lovely and has a fantastic Apple CarPlay integration, but there’s no escaping that having such emphasis on touch-tech is a downgrade from having at least some physical buttons for the driver.

To a certain extent I can understand the in-car monitor being all-touch. The aesthetic is great and looks very sleek, and it’s cheaper and easier to do all the work in software rather than physical buttons and dials.

But touch buttons on the steering wheel are a bit over-engineered for me. Now, I’ll admit, the stakes are pretty low; I’d find myself accidentally turning on my heated steering wheel while doing a 3 point turn, or skipping forward within a song rather than skipping to the next song; but I’m not sure what benefit these actually bring vs a physical button. It felt quite features-for-features-sake.

Ford Capri battery and range

Battery life and range are rarely a concern with at-home charging. With a claimed maximum mileage of 346 miles, I found it to be more like 280 miles of real-world range from the 77kWh battery. However, the Capri comfortably handles day-to-day journeys and medium-length trips without issue.

During my test, I drove all over Gloucestershire, down to Bristol and the south coast, and back into London. With home charging, I wouldn’t have needed public chargers at all - a testament to how far EVs have come in addressing “range anxiety.”

Public charging, however, is less seamless. Ford claims a 10-80% charge in 26 minutes on a 150kW charger, but I never saw such speeds as I couldn’t find a convenient 150kW charger. However, charging from 55% to 99% on a 50kW unit took 90 minutes, although it did deliver the promised 50kWh of power.

Relying solely on expensive public chargers diminishes EV cost benefits. On this occasion, I charged beyond the recommended 80% (to help maintain battery health) only due to a tight travel schedule the following day.

The badge factor

One major talking point since the Capri was announced in 2024 has been the cost and where it sits in Ford’s new line-up. A particular point is that people won’t pay the £50,000 starting price “for a Ford”.

This car is expensive, starting at £7,000 more than the VW ID.5 and a couple of grand more than the Tesla Model Y base model.

Yet, after living with it and ferrying family and friends, I found the feedback overwhelmingly positive. Highlights included comments like “that screen is like an iPad” and “that felt like a rollercoaster.” Not once was the badge or its “cool factor” questioned.

In today’s market, badge prestige seems less critical. If you’re letting a badge prevent you from buying a good car, or worse, justify buying a bad one, you’re missing the point.

If there is a criticism of the price it’s that there are question marks over whether this car is worth the money, not whether a Ford could ever cost this much.

Now excuse me while I delete all my social media and go dark for the next six months.

Ford Capri heritage

The Capri re-model has been the subject of mass hysteria and hyperbole online, with reviewers claiming this to be this year’s “most controversial car”.

Sure…

In two weeks, I received one comment about the old Capri, from an elderly woman in a Morrisons car park: ‘I preferred the old one.’ ‘This one’s electric now,’ I replied. ‘Oh,’ she said.

Everyone else who saw it or was told that it was the “new Capri” a) had a positive reaction, b) had no reaction at all or c) didn’t even know what the old Capri was.

I even took out a member of my family who used to race Capris in the 80s. While she noted the fact it was very different, she also liked the new model and only had positive things to say about it over a tea once we got home.

The outrage directed at Ford for such an egregious re-release of a former classic is from a vocal minority.

Ford Capri verdict

Like my colleague Steve Fowler, I enjoyed this car. It’s incredibly easy to drive and pretty enjoyable once you set it up in the way that works best for you.

The range isn’t bad, and is plenty to cover off any requirements for a vast majority of people.

Yes, there are parts I didn’t like. The touchscreen buttons. The fact it doesn’t have a rear windscreen wiper. The legroom in the back isn’t great if your driver is tall, like me.

But, as someone who last drove an EV in 2018, when I took an e-Golf on a disastrous trip from London to Penzance, I’m delighted to see how much farther the technology, infrastructure and general uptake has come.

I found I was one of many EV drivers on the roads of Gloucestershire, and it feels like a lot of drivers have already come to the same conclusion I have.

With at-home charging, low-cost electricity rates and daily requirements of 200 miles or less, an EV in the countryside is not only a genuine option, but the better option for many people.

How does the Capri fit into that?

Well, while the outrage on the relaunch is farcical, there is some validity in the criticism of the price. The model I tested was top-spec, at around £60,000 with a few options. I’m not overly fussed whether that’s expensive “for a Ford”, more whether the car itself is worth it.

You’ll find used VW ID.5s, the car that this Capri is more or less a clone of, online for half that. As someone who likes a bargain, that’s a deal I’d find compelling.

If you can afford the premium price tag and value its blend of style, performance, and practicality, the Capri is a solid choice.