Cupra Tavascan vs Ford Capri

These electric SUVs are similar under the skin, but where do the differences lie? The keepers of our Tavascan and Capri swap cars to see which one they prefer

- ALLAN MUIR [e-mail]

THE FORD CAPRI was on my shortlist when I last chose a company car. However, in the end I went for a Cupra Tavascan, which uses the same underpinnings but, I think, looks rather more striking. Did I make the right decision, though? Well, to find out, I arranged to do a swap for a few days with used cars editor Mark Peason, who did opt for a Capri.

The first thing to note is that the Capri’s interior is more functional and less glitzy than my Tavascan’s. However, I didn't find it objectionable in any way, and actually preferred the Capri’s portrait-orientated infotainment touchscreen to my car's high-set landscape one. Most things just seemed to fall more readily to hand, although some of the icons could have done with being larger to make them easier to hit accurately while driving.

The Capri’s steering is lighter than the Tavascan’s, resulting in slightly less driver confidence through corners, but the difference wasn't great enough to sway me away from it. Besides, it’s not as though the Tavascan handles brilliantly. And the Capri seemed to have a tighter turning circle, making it easier to manoeuvre in car parks.