Current:Home > StocksThe Ford Capri revives another iconic nameplate as a Volkswagen-based EV in Europe -Visionary Wealth Guides
The Ford Capri revives another iconic nameplate as a Volkswagen-based EV in Europe
View
Date:2025-04-18 23:18:12
Ford has revealed its new Capri electric crossover SUV in (and for) Europe. As you might have gathered from the lead graphic, Volkswagen is involved… just like with the earlier Ford Explorer EV that isn't sold here, either. That vehicle definitely has strong VW ID4 aesthetic vibes, because that’s essentially what it is. (And it’s arguably more handsome than its VW fraternal twin). Lots of great reasons to do this, like economy of scale, localized production, et cetera. So it’s no surprise that the platform-sharing deal encompasses multiple vehicles, and the next one in the series is the Ford Capri you’re seeing here.
Like the Explorer, it’s a rebadged Volkswagen. And there’s an attempt — an attempt was made, you might say — to link the new Capri to its important namesake. The original Ford Capri (sold here to indifferent Americans by indifferent and befuddled Lincoln-Mercury dealers for a period of time) was basically Europe’s Mustang, an affordable, fun, stylish pony car that had a long run of updates and performance enhancements. The later Mercury Capri, based on the Fox-body Mustang, was an entirely different vehicle, sharing essentially just the name with the first-generation Capri; there also was weird front-drive Miata competitor named Capri, again badged as a Mercury, sold in America in the early 1990s.
Eco-friendly RWD vehicles:EVs are ushering in the return of rear-wheel drive. Here's why.
The (original, Ford) Capri’s signature styling element was a swoopy rear quarter window and similarly arcing C-pillar. The new Capri EV attempts to emulate this characteristic, tracing it loosely over the Volkswagen MEB platform’s hard points and extra set of doors, hewing closer to the profile of the VW ID4's more coupe-like ID5 sibling. With its bluff hindquarters and substantial freeboard, the new Capri looks quite tall, and everyone who’s writing about the new design is making Polestar 2 comparisons — with very good reason. There’s a lot of loose similarity there, from the kicked up rear quarter window lower edge to the similar tail profile. Even the blacked-out A-pillars and dark lower trim (an attempt, on both, to visually reduce the substantial height of the two) are similar.
Speaking of similar, the powertrains are going to be familiar to anyone with a VW ID4 (or ID5, if you're overseas). For one, the rear-drive model utilizes a single 282-hp e-motor drawing juice from a 77-kWh (usable capacity) battery, almost certainly the 82-kWh pack we get. The dual-motor makes 335 hp and gets a slightly larger 79-kWh (usable) battery pack. It doesn’t appear that the 62-kWh pack we get on our lowest-priced ID4 is available in the Capri.
The future of EVs:An electric car-centric world ponders the gas station
The interior is perhaps the greatest point of differentiation from the VW, but not really from the Explorer EV. Like its same-brand compatriot, the coupe-ish Capri uses a portrait-oriented, tablet-like infotainment screen. It’s slickly integrated and provides a bold contrast to the ID4’s unit, which stands VERY proud of the central dash. The sleek horizontal elements on the dashboard are classy. Point, Capri.
Given the prestige that the original Capri has in Europe, the entire formula here — a four-door EV crossover that is largely a Volkswagen — is likely to be controversial among those who care. For those that don’t, the visual similarity to its Polestar rival is likely to be a bigger issue. For us, it’s a non-issue: the Capri nameplate carries little recognition here after three separate and largely unsuccessful attempts with three different vehicles, and this fourth one is designed and intended solely for Europe, like the Euro Ford Explorer EV.
Photos by Manufacturer
veryGood! (4172)
Related
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Ex-celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi found competent to stand trial for alleged $15 million client thefts
- These 15 Top-Rated Lip Oils Will Keep Your Lips Hydrated Through Winter
- Cause still undetermined for house fire that left 5 children dead in Arizona, authorities say
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Souvenir sellers have flooded the Brooklyn Bridge. Now the city is banning them
- This Bachelor Nation Star Is Officiating Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist's Wedding
- Netflix, not football, is on menu for Alabama coach Nick Saban after Rose Bowl loss to Michigan
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Fiery Rochester crash appears intentional, but no evidence of terrorism, officials say
Ranking
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Mountain Dew Baja Blast available in stores nationwide for all of 2024, not just Taco Bell
- Voter challenges in Georgia before 2021 runoff didn’t violate Voting Rights Act, judge says
- Horoscopes Today, January 2, 2024
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Who won Powerball? See winning numbers after Michigan player snags $842 million jackpot
- Trump appeals Maine ruling barring him from ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause
- Suburbs put the brakes on migrant bus arrivals after crackdowns in Chicago and New York
Recommendation
Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
Influencer Cara Hodgson Lucky to Be Here After Being Electrocuted in Freak Accident
23-year-old woman killed after deer smashes through car windshield in Mississippi
Live updates | Fighting rages in southern Gaza and fears grow the war may spread in the region
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Remains of mother who vanished in 2012 found in pond near Disney World, family says
Rams' Kyren Williams heads list of 2023's biggest fantasy football risers
Pretty Little Liars’ Lucy Hale Marks Two Years of Sobriety