Origin of the species

The Volkswagen ID 4 laid the foundations for the Ford Capri. But how does it compare against Ford's other emotively named EV - the Mustang Mach-E- as a used buy? 3892 7148

- GEORGE HILL

BY NOW, YOU'LL have read all about how the reimagined Ford Capri fares against its electric SUV rivals (see p56). Don't forget, though, that a similar story was unfolding five years ago.

In 2020, when electric vehicles (EVs) were far from as popular as they are now, Ford turned to the long-running Mustang nameplate to give its electric SUV an identity. It even went as far as to adapt certain styling elements from the then-current Mustang coupé to fit, and the Mach-E was born as Ford's first production EV for the UK.

Ford must have been roundly patting itself on the back for getting its electric SUV on sale before Volkswagen, but that brand wasn't far behind, with the ID 4 arriving in early 2021 as the second model in its ID line-up, which is still growing rapidly today. The ID 4 is also notable for being closely related to the new Capri under the surface. Isn't it funny how things turn out?

When new, the ID 4 and Mustang overlapped each other on price, with high-spec versions of the former vying with entrylevel versions of the latter. We've rekindled this rivalry four years later, because both cars are now half-price used bargains. But which is the better buy?

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

The Mach-E is a very different animal to its muscle car namesake, but it still knows how to get a move on. It can hit 60mph from rest in 6.6sec - 1.5sec quicker than the ID 4. Mind you, both cars have the instantaneous electric zing that makes them feel much faster than they actually are.

The ID 4, though, has the advantage when it comes to battery size, with a usable capacity of 77kWh to the Mach-E's 68kWh.