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Ford Explorer and Capri Gain More Power, More Range, and a Better Battery

Ford’s European EV lineup just received the kind of mid-cycle glow-up enthusiasts usually have to beg for—and it happened at the bottom of the price ladder. The rear-wheel-drive, Standard Range versions of the electric Explorer and Capri have quietly become much more compelling, thanks to a new battery chemistry, a stronger motor, and a big leap in real-world usability.

The headline change is under the floor. Out goes the 52-kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) pack, replaced by a 58-kWh (net) lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery. LFP chemistry is cheaper, more thermally stable, and—crucially for everyday drivers—far happier being charged to 100 percent on a regular basis. That means owners can actually use the whole battery without guilt, a big deal in the real world.

Ford didn’t just bolt in a bigger battery and call it a day. The rear electric motor has also been upgraded, jumping from 125 kW (168 hp) to 140 kW (190 hp), while torque climbs from 310 to 350 Nm. The result is a modest but welcome performance bump: 0–100 km/h now takes 8.0 seconds instead of 8.7. No, it won’t pin you to the seat like a Mustang Mach-E GT, but in the compact-SUV EV class, every tenth of a second counts.

Where this update really pays off is in range. The Explorer Standard Range now stretches to a WLTP-rated 444 km on a charge, up from as little as 352 km before. The sleeker Capri does even better, topping out at 464 km versus its previous 370–393 km rating. That’s not a tweak—that’s a fundamental upgrade in how far these cars can go between plugs.

Ford also claims energy consumption has dropped by about 1 kWh per 100 km, a small number that adds up over thousands of kilometers. Combined with the LFP pack’s ability to live comfortably at full charge, these EVs suddenly look far more road-trip-friendly than their spec sheets used to suggest.

There is one trade-off. Maximum DC fast-charging power falls from 145 kW to 110 kW. On paper, that looks like a step backward, but in practice it barely matters. Ford says a 10-to-80 percent charge still takes about 28 minutes, and the Explorer can now add roughly 11 km of range per minute at peak charging speed. In other words, you’ll still have time for a coffee and a bathroom break—just not two.

The best part? In Austria, at least, prices stay exactly where they were. Orders are already open, and first deliveries start in April.

For buyers eyeing Ford’s most affordable electric SUVs, this update changes the math in a big way. More power, dramatically more range, better everyday charging behavior, and no price hike? That’s the kind of upgrade cycle the rest of the EV industry should be paying attention to. And for a brand that’s still figuring out how to win over mainstream electric buyers, Ford just made its entry-level offerings a whole lot harder to ignore.

Source: Ford

News

Ram’s Maverick-Sized Daydream Is Real—But Not (Yet) for America

By now you’ve probably seen it: Ram’s Rampage, a tidy little pickup from Latin America that looks like someone shrunk a 1500 in the dryer and forgot to pull it out. It’s rugged, modern, and exactly the kind of compact truck that makes U.S. Maverick buyers wonder why their choices still start and end with Ford. Turns out, Ram’s top brass is wondering the same thing.

Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis recently admitted what a lot of us have been thinking: the Rampage would make a terrific addition to the American market. Built in Brazil and riding on the same unibody architecture as the Jeep Compass, the Rampage is a city-friendly, lifestyle-focused pickup with just enough toughness to pass the Home Depot test. In other words, it’s precisely the recipe that’s made the Ford Maverick such a runaway hit.

Kuniskis didn’t exactly play hard to get about it. He said he loves the Rampage, he thinks it’s awesome, and yes—he would absolutely love to sell it in the United States. But that enthusiasm came with a corporate-sized asterisk. Liking a truck and launching a truck are two very different things, and Ram has bigger fish to fry first.

Those fish are wearing a familiar name: Dakota. Ram’s long-awaited midsize pickup, now officially confirmed to revive the Dakota badge, is slated to arrive in 2027 as a 2028 model. That truck, importantly, has nothing to do with the current Latin American Ram Dakota, which is based on a Chinese platform and lives in a completely different automotive family tree. This new Dakota will be Ram’s first serious crack at the midsize segment in North America in years—and it’s taking priority over everything else.

There’s also a classic internal-competition problem at play. Compact and midsize trucks tend to blur together once pricing, options, and real-world capability start to overlap. Ram doesn’t want to launch a Rampage only to have it siphon buyers away from its all-important Dakota before that truck even gets a chance to establish itself. As Kuniskis put it, the brand needs to see exactly where the Dakota lands before deciding whether there’s room for something smaller to coexist alongside it.

Even if the business case lined up tomorrow, there’s still the matter of reality—specifically, federal reality. The Brazilian-built Rampage would need to be reengineered to meet U.S. safety, lighting, and crash-test standards, which it doesn’t necessarily do in its current form. That means real money, real development time, and no guarantee that Americans will buy it in numbers big enough to justify the investment.

So while the idea of a Ram-badged Maverick fighter is tantalizingly close to being real, it’s also frustratingly far away. Yes, Ram wants it. Yes, enthusiasts want it. But until the Dakota is firmly in place and the spreadsheets make sense, the Rampage will remain what it is today: a very cool truck you can’t buy here.

In the meantime, if Ford’s Maverick already fits your life and your budget, don’t put that order on hold waiting for Ram to make up its mind. In the auto industry, dreams are easy. Timing is everything.

Source: Ram

News

Northern Ireland Tightens the Rules for New Drivers Starting This Fall

Learning to drive has always been a rite of passage. Keys in hand, freedom unlocked, playlist queued. But in Northern Ireland, that moment is about to come with a few more asterisks—and starting this October, a whole lot more structure.

The region is becoming the first part of the UK to roll out a graduated driver licensing system, a method already used in places like Australia, Canada, and much of the United States. The idea is simple: instead of going from learner to full-fledged motorist overnight, new drivers ease into independence in stages, with guardrails designed to keep them—and everyone else—out of trouble.

And if the crash statistics are anything to go by, those guardrails are overdue.

Slower to Start, Smarter in the Long Run

The first change hits before anyone even takes a driving test. New drivers will now have to hold their provisional license for at least six months before they’re allowed to book a practical exam. During that time, they won’t just be racking up aimless miles—they’ll be required to complete a structured training program, signed off by either a professional instructor or a supervising adult.

That’s a big shift from the old system, where learners could rush to the test as soon as they felt ready (or bored). The new approach treats driving less like a box to tick and more like a skill to actually develop—which, considering the speed and mass involved, makes perfect sense.

The Test Isn’t the Finish Line Anymore

Passing your driving test used to mean you were cut loose. Under Northern Ireland’s new rules, it just means you’ve entered the next phase.

For two years after qualifying, drivers will remain on updated R-plates, marking them as newly licensed. More importantly, those under 24 will face restrictions aimed squarely at the riskiest scenarios—namely, late nights and full cars.

For the first six months, young drivers will only be allowed one passenger aged 14 to 20 during nighttime hours, with exemptions for family members and adult supervisors. Translation: no more piling three friends into the back seat for a midnight burger run.

Is it socially inconvenient? Absolutely. Is it backed by data? Also yes. Studies consistently show that young drivers are far more likely to crash when driving late at night and with multiple peers in the car. The combination of fatigue, distraction, and showing off is about as dangerous as it gets.

At Least You Can Finally Keep Up with Traffic

Not all the news is restrictive. In a welcome move, Northern Ireland is scrapping the infamous 45-mph speed limit that used to apply to restricted drivers. That means newly licensed motorists won’t have to crawl along highways like rolling roadblocks, nervously watching mirrors fill up with frustrated traffic.

It’s a smart tradeoff: tighten the rules where the risk is highest (passengers and nighttime driving) and relax them where safety and flow matter more.

The UK Is Watching

Driving instructors have largely welcomed the changes, even if they’re still waiting on some fine print. And it’s hard to imagine this experiment staying contained. With young drivers involved in a disproportionate number of serious and fatal crashes, lawmakers in England, Scotland, and Wales are almost certainly paying attention.

Would these rules have driven your 17-year-old self crazy? Probably. Would they have made you safer? Almost certainly.

Northern Ireland is betting that a slower path to driving freedom leads to fewer wrecks, fewer funerals, and a generation of better drivers. If the results mirror what’s been seen overseas, the rest of the UK may not be far behind.

Source: BBC News