Of Course the New Ford Capri is an Electric SUV…

Well, they’ve finally done it. Ford have revived the Capri name and slapped it on a new car. Fans of the original Capri (of which there are many, ourselves included) have often waxed lyrical about what a new Capri could look like should it ever break cover, envisaging similar coupé lines to those working class heroes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and possibly featuring a high performing V8 engine. Expectations have always been sky high but sadly the reality of the situation has dashed those hopes on the rocks of inevitability because the new Capri, unveiled today, has none of those things. Far, far from it.

Ford even has the gall to say: “the new all-electric Capri is the car the iconic sports coupé was destined to become”. Which is Baloney. What it is, is a bloated, heavy, Ford Explorer-cum-VW ID5. This, dear readers, is the very definition of the word ‘sacrilegious’ and the more you read Ford’s marketing blurb the more offensive it becomes with the company claiming that: “the legend is back”. It’s not though, is it.

How Ford Blue Manager Jon Williams kept a straight face whilst exclaiming: “we’re excited that the new all-electric Capri is ready to bring some swagger to the world of EVs and introduce a whole new generation of drivers to the spirit of a cult classic” is anyone’s guess. In reality, what we actually get is a generic, fully electric SUV/Crossover available in two trim levels: the standard Capri and the Capri Premium and we’re honestly too disinterested to list the now commonplace modern car options that each includes alongside the usual list of driver assistance features. Yawn. You can read all about it here should you wish.

It’s official then, Ford has finally lost the plot. What we don’t understand is why the company has decided to stick the Capri name on its new creation. We’re sure it’s not a bad car in the grand scheme of electric SUVs and will sit nicely alongside its modern rivals but why not call it something else? Why sully the good name of the Capri? That’s what we, and many of you it would seem, take umbrage at.

We’re sure it was cheaper to just dig up the old nameplate rather than spend millions on establishing a new model entirely but there’s a lot to be said for nostalgia and not pissing off millions of fans of the iconic original – the car you always promised yourself. It was a game changer and introduced good looking, affordable performance to a lot of people. It’s fondly remembered and revered for a reason. This new ‘Capri’ will not be, we guarantee it.

The only similarity to the original we can see is that it’s rear-wheel drive. But that’s about it. It’s not even particularly fast as far as EVs go. The base model produces 284bhp with around a 390 mile range while the Premium version is good for 336bhp but with a slightly shorter range of around 360 miles. Weighing in at over two tons though it’s a heavy old boat and at the best part of fifty grand for the base model it ain’t cheap either.

We know which one we prefer…

This is the automotive equivalent of retconning Emperor Palpatine back into the Star Wars universe after his death in Return of the Jedi and it will upset fans of the original Capri in much the same way it did with all those die hard sci-fi lovers. All you have to do is read the comments on Ford’s official video for the new model and you’ll see exactly what we mean.

Do yourself a favour, ignore this abomination and buy a classic Capri instead. At the time of writing there are just shy of 90 examples available right here on Car & Classic so there’s plenty to choose from, and if you need any more convincing then just have a watch of our video. We’re off to scream into a pillow.