Cult Ka reborn

Jul 9 2009 Alistair Coull & Val Jessop

THE Ka has the greatest customer loyalty of any Ford car ... so said John Fleming, president and chief executive, Ford of Europe.

It's 1996 launch saw the emergence of an iconic city car which had more mechanical guts than its chic persona intimated.

Within a short time, the new arrival into the small car market became a cult car and its cute and cheeky style won it a huge and sustained following.

Twelve years after its debut at the Paris Motor Show, with many major accolades to its credit and with 1.4m sold worldwide, Ford believe the new Ka will be every bit as successful as its predecessor.

It embodies many of the styling cues of the previous models, but it's not quite as distinct or dramatic looking as earlier versions..

It is still chic, bold and cute but its new shape isn't quite as daringly different as the original.

It's been rounded-off so you'd have to look twice to pick it out of a line of rival cars, whereas recognition of the old 'limpet' model would never be a problem.

It's as though the edginess has been ironed out of the acclaimed 'New Edge' styling of the mid-Nineties model.

However, it is taller and wider and boasts one of the best interior spaces for four adults a city car could hope to provide - and it is still as good looking and has stacks of personality.

The Ka's diminutive dimensions belie its grown-up driving dynamics, which are more akin to those found in cars with much more metal and muscle.

The Ka has been developed in conjunction with Fiat, sharing chassis and engines with the Fiat Panda and Fiat 500. But Ford was adamant the Ka had to drive and look like a Ford, and it does.

The Ford Ka Zetec I've just tried was powered by a 1.3 TDCi diesel unit which could muster decent energy once you stirred up the revs.

Its 0 to 62mph takes 13.1 seconds and it has a top speed of 100mph, so the sprint isn't earth-shattering - but remember this is a city car.

However, the diesel unit and the car in general feel robust and well put-together. The engine performs noisily but the car handles sharply and the power-assisted rack and pinion steering is precise and provides good feedback. Travel through the five-speed transmission is smooth.

The ride is firm, but comfortable, one of the best in its class.

The three-door hatch is well designed and packaged, so that three passengers are able to get quite comfortable with the front seats pushed forward a little, and rear occupants were able to enter and exit the car without any problem.

The top-trim Zetec Ka looks the business. It is modern, dashing and there's an upmarket feel to the cabin, where attention to detail is impressive.

The diesel boasts a combined fuel return of 67.3mpg. Disappointingly, there are only two airbags.

- Val Jessop

THE original cute little Ford Ka was a motoring icon. It defined the city car segment and even after 12 successful years it manages to look as funky and contemporary as the day it first hit the streets.

Trying to replace it was no easy task especially in these hard-pressed times so the new Ka has been produced in conjunction with Fiat.

One of the advantages of building the Ka on the same platform as the Fiat 500 is that a common rail diesel unit is available to the tiny Ford for the first time.

In turn diesel power provides the extra punch to make higher speed journeys easier .

Not that the diesel gives you any cash advantage. The petrol Ka emits 119g/km of CO2, the diesel manages with 112g/km, so both coast £35 a year in road tax. If you add in the 12mpg difference (the 1.3-litre 74bhp TDCi has an average fuel figure of 67.3), you've got to be doing nearly 20,000 miles a year to make a running cost saving with the diesel.

It's no wonder, then, that Ford reckon the TDCi will account for under five per cent of sales - particularly when the diesel costs £700 more than the petrol - plus the fact the diesel is only available in top-spec Zetec trim.

But from a driving point of view, I think the extra cost is worth it. Somehow, in the TDCi, you're not as aware of how fantastically good the original model was to drive. With this engine, the Ka is more something that gets you from A to B in. It's not exciting, nor is it supposed to be.

Not everybody will appreciate the Ka. The headline acceleration figure isn't impressive at 13.1 seconds from 0-62mph, but around town and out on the motorway it feels peppier.

The extra torque over the petrol helps (107lb/ft as opposed to 74lb/ft), but so does the low turbo entry point and the fact it's only got five gears. It means the engine rarely drops below that turbo entry figure of 1,800rpm.

The lack of a sixth gear means there's a little bit more diesel rattle than would be ideal, which never disappears even on the motorway. However, there's surprisingly little road and wind noise at high speeds. It is just as comfortable to be in at 70mph as it is tootling around town.

The rear of the car is now 70 per cent stiffer thanks to a new anti-roll bar and new dampers and revised, softer springs make for responsive turn-in, a comfy ride and better steering feel.

Inside the cabin, virtually everything is laid out in the same way as its Italian cousin. That's OK because it's all within reach and easy to use. Interior plastics aren't up to the standards of the rest of the Ford range, but this is a budget car. For its price, the Ka isn't bad at all.

- Alistair Coull

FAST FACTS

Ford Ka Zetec 1.3 TDCi 3dr

Price: £11,195

Mechanical: 74bhp, 1,248cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 100mph

0-62mph: 13.1 seconds

Combined mpg: 67.3

Insurance group: 2

CO2 emissions: 112g/km

BIK rating: 15%

Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles