In the late 1960s, the Ford Capri served as the British market equivalent of the American Mustang. The bold design made the Cortina-based sports car one of the most distinct cars on the road — a lasting icon of a generation. Now, here in the 2020s, the Capri is once again sharing some traits with the Mustang… but this new honor is somewhat less exciting.
The Capri badge is back, but only for an electric five-door crossover. Like the Mustang Mach-E before it, this is a hallowed badge plastered on the front of a car meant to compete against the Tesla Model Ys and Polestar 4s of the world. As with the electric Ford Explorer, this is a car designed for the European market and it may not reach the U.S. any time soon.
American buyers will find the underpinnings of the Capri familiar as the Volkswagen ID.4, although Europeans may recognize that the “coupe” shape puts the new crossover more in line with the Euro-market VW ID.5. In either case, that means performance is in line with VW’s ID crossovers. A single-motor variant produces 282 hp and 402 lb-ft of torque, good for a 389-mile range on the WLTP cycle if optioned with an extended-range battery. The two-motor model gets a jump up to 335 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque, bringing claimed range down to 368 miles. That mode reaches 60 from a standstill in 5.3 seconds.
The Capri is the fourth historic Ford coupe badge to find its way onto a crossover or truck, joining the Mustang, the Puma, and the Maverick. Of the four, only the Mustang also remains in production as a two-door car. And if your favorite Ford coupe hasn’t had its name used on another type of vehicle yet, just wait; Ford still has the Probe, Thunderbird, and Cortina badges available, among others, for future crossovers, trucks, and SUVs.
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Source Agencies
