Two beefs: the optional 21in Continental tyres (unusually, a shade wider at the rear than the front) are quite noisy on the UK’s frequently coarse road surfaces – although I’ll bet this comment would never arise in France or Germany, where they know more about surfacing modern roads.
More serious is the feel of the brake pedal, which delivers good retardation when you begin to stop but feels oddly less responsive in the meat of a brisk application. Push harder and the car stops effectively but the pleasure of linear, easily modulated braking definitely isn’t present.
That hasn’t spoiled the Capri for me, though. I like it.
VW base and name are forgiven – but the price?
After 12,000 miles of driving a new-era Ford Capri, all of my doubts except one faded away. At the outset there were several: the size, the price, the fact that this Ford was actually a Volkswagen underneath and the use of the hallowed Capri name, which bothered so many people.
My bottom line, delivered here rather than later, is that even though the car departed a month ago and has been replaced by an interesting parade of rivals, I still think about it quite a lot and wish it were still around. It was a good car, but not the price.
When the Capri first hit the UK market 18 months ago, four or five months after its Explorer sibling, Ford was taking bucketloads of criticism for its distinctly ropey grip on the affordable car market that it had previously commanded. It had scuppered the Fiesta and Focus (by announcing their demise) as part of an apparent frenzy to close European factories; and while rivals launched well-planned EV model ranges, its only electric offering was the American Mustang Mach-E, a decent car whose face has never quite fitted here.
The Explorer and Capri were rushed into service during 2024 using underbits from VW’s decent ID 4 and ID 5 to save time and cost, but that move meant the new Fords would have to abide by VW’s prior conclusions about size, weight, cost and mechanical make-up, whereas we Ford watchers had become used to the Blue Oval making its own, usually wise, decisions about such vital stuff for its everyman buyers.
