The Ford car brand has been part of Irish history since Henry Ford turned the Cork sod on the brand’s first car manufacturing factory in Europe back in 1917.
Up until recently, Ford was one of the top five car brands and remains the number one van brand in Ireland.
Now changes in Ford’s focus away from petrol and diesel engines in their car range, with only limited hybrid options, has impacted on the Ford car choices.
The end result is that the Ford brand has slipped to ninth place on the market by the end of this year, probably its lowest ranking ever in new car sales.
Ford internationally has invested heavily in the electric market and opted out of the diesel car market with a significant reduction in its petrol or hybrid offerings, to just the Focus and Kuga, at a time when the market was not quite ready for the move.
And that appears to be a move that has cost Ford in terms of sales in the Irish market, at least.
Ford is now a significant electric car manufacturer and supplier with no diesel cars available on the Irish market anymore. The Ford electric or battery electric vehicle (BEV) options are widening just now the EU is scaling back on its electric car ambitions. So, has Ford moved too fast?
Over the past year I have driven all three full electric cars from the Ford stable.
They cover different sectors of the market from the small Puma SUV to the larger Explorer and the iconic Capri model, re-introduced in BEV format.
Respective classes
All three are solid cars in their respective classes. They are soon to be joined by a Fiesta replacement based on a manufacturing deal with Renault that will share some of the Renault 5 technology.
But we have yet to see a Focus replacement in the sector, for a model that for so long was Ford’s best seller in Ireland.
The Ford Puma e-Gen is a neat small SUV that’s Ford’s entry electric car model in the market.
The new Ford Puma e-Gen is a compact SUV that’s fun to drive if only the range was a little longer.
This is a solid and lively car that is modest in terms of battery power consumption and modest also in range from a fully charged battery.
I didn’t achieve the Ford range rating during my test runs, while I was impressed with the car’s handling ability and overall driving feel.
The car has a Ford feel to it, solid door closing and practical but not luxury seating. Entry prices starting at over €32,000 after the SEAI grant or £29,995 in N. Ireland, are still too high for what is a relatively small car.
Ford has revived the Capri name in a new 2025 car that bears some, however slight resemblance to the older model of the 1970’s.
The new Ford Capri’s large hatchback boot, not much else are featured to remind me of the first Capri that I drove in the early 1970s.
So what’s changed?
The new Capri is now all electric with impressive battery options that can give up to 540km range on a full charge. And it is a five-door hatchback rather than a three-door in the past.
I sat on a fast charger for 30 minutes and it brought the battery from just over 50% charge to 100% to give me peace of mind for almost a full week’s driving.
The dash on the Capri is dominated by the large central screen and smaller display behind the steering wheel with VW like controls for the transmission.
Out on the road the new Capri can deliver fast acceleration and solid roadholding due partly to the platform design that’s shared with Volkswagen, and the over 2 tonne weight provided by the battery.
Luxury feel
The old Capri of the 1970s had way less safety features and sometimes thirsty 1.6 litre petrol engine that gave some thrills. The weight difference between then and now is almost an extra tonne (1010kg v 2114kg) today, most of which is due to the large battery weight.
There was also a luxury feel to the original Capri in terms of interior finish that’s lacking in the 2025 generation Capri.
Ford is using more grey plastic materials around the doors and dash that feels more like industrial grade plastic than the more modern soft touch leather like plastic used in most other modern cars.
It feels as though you take a power washer to the dash, not that I would recommend that.
Ford’s Explorer shares a lot of platform, battery and electric motor technology with the Volkswagen ID models, so it drives in a similar way. Again, there is a solid practical and tank-like feel to the car, but little hints of luxury.
Ford’s Explorer is modest in size but lighter than the Capri helping it to achieve better range performance.
Of the three, the Capri is the best performer, from my experience.
Just forget that it has connections with the Capri of the past, if you are in that age bracket, and if not just enjoy the lively drive while not exactly the best range of all three.
The Ford car brand has been part of Irish history since Henry Ford turned the Cork sod on the brand’s first car manufacturing factory in Europe back in 1917.
Up until recently, Ford was one of the top five car brands and remains the number one van brand in Ireland.
Now changes in Ford’s focus away from petrol and diesel engines in their car range, with only limited hybrid options, has impacted on the Ford car choices.
The end result is that the Ford brand has slipped to ninth place on the market by the end of this year, probably its lowest ranking ever in new car sales.
Ford internationally has invested heavily in the electric market and opted out of the diesel car market with a significant reduction in its petrol or hybrid offerings, to just the Focus and Kuga, at a time when the market was not quite ready for the move.
And that appears to be a move that has cost Ford in terms of sales in the Irish market, at least.
Ford is now a significant electric car manufacturer and supplier with no diesel cars available on the Irish market anymore. The Ford electric or battery electric vehicle (BEV) options are widening just now the EU is scaling back on its electric car ambitions. So, has Ford moved too fast?
Over the past year I have driven all three full electric cars from the Ford stable.
They cover different sectors of the market from the small Puma SUV to the larger Explorer and the iconic Capri model, re-introduced in BEV format.
Respective classes
All three are solid cars in their respective classes. They are soon to be joined by a Fiesta replacement based on a manufacturing deal with Renault that will share some of the Renault 5 technology.
But we have yet to see a Focus replacement in the sector, for a model that for so long was Ford’s best seller in Ireland.
The Ford Puma e-Gen is a neat small SUV that’s Ford’s entry electric car model in the market.
The new Ford Puma e-Gen is a compact SUV that’s fun to drive if only the range was a little longer.
This is a solid and lively car that is modest in terms of battery power consumption and modest also in range from a fully charged battery.
I didn’t achieve the Ford range rating during my test runs, while I was impressed with the car’s handling ability and overall driving feel.
The car has a Ford feel to it, solid door closing and practical but not luxury seating. Entry prices starting at over €32,000 after the SEAI grant or £29,995 in N. Ireland, are still too high for what is a relatively small car.
Ford has revived the Capri name in a new 2025 car that bears some, however slight resemblance to the older model of the 1970’s.
The new Ford Capri’s large hatchback boot, not much else are featured to remind me of the first Capri that I drove in the early 1970s.
So what’s changed?
The new Capri is now all electric with impressive battery options that can give up to 540km range on a full charge. And it is a five-door hatchback rather than a three-door in the past.
I sat on a fast charger for 30 minutes and it brought the battery from just over 50% charge to 100% to give me peace of mind for almost a full week’s driving.
The dash on the Capri is dominated by the large central screen and smaller display behind the steering wheel with VW like controls for the transmission.
Out on the road the new Capri can deliver fast acceleration and solid roadholding due partly to the platform design that’s shared with Volkswagen, and the over 2 tonne weight provided by the battery.
Luxury feel
The old Capri of the 1970s had way less safety features and sometimes thirsty 1.6 litre petrol engine that gave some thrills. The weight difference between then and now is almost an extra tonne (1010kg v 2114kg) today, most of which is due to the large battery weight.
There was also a luxury feel to the original Capri in terms of interior finish that’s lacking in the 2025 generation Capri.
Ford is using more grey plastic materials around the doors and dash that feels more like industrial grade plastic than the more modern soft touch leather like plastic used in most other modern cars.
It feels as though you take a power washer to the dash, not that I would recommend that.
Ford’s Explorer shares a lot of platform, battery and electric motor technology with the Volkswagen ID models, so it drives in a similar way. Again, there is a solid practical and tank-like feel to the car, but little hints of luxury.
Ford’s Explorer is modest in size but lighter than the Capri helping it to achieve better range performance.
Of the three, the Capri is the best performer, from my experience.
Just forget that it has connections with the Capri of the past, if you are in that age bracket, and if not just enjoy the lively drive while not exactly the best range of all three.
SHARING OPTIONS