The All-New Ford KA: Love or Hate?
Somethings can catch you by surprise. Take, for instance, the age of the Ford KA. I remember when this funky little super-mini came out, it was divisive when it came out but its funky little super-mini has shifted a ridiculous amount of cars.
They’re everywhere, and with due cause. They’re cheap, nippy enough little motors that are ideal for inner city driving, have no real problems on the motorway and you can wring every last drop of economy out of your petrol tank from them because they’re so small and light they could probably get by on just petrol vapour. Not that I’d advise it.
Now, the shocking thing about them - as if there could be anything truly shocking about the KA unless it was coated in seal’s blood - is that this little car is now 12 years old. That’s right: 12. It came out in 1996, that means it’s been around longer than the Labour party have been in charge! Now that’s a surprise mainly because, in the time since it came out looking like nothing else, it still looks like nothing else.
Now that it’s 12 it’s also time to say goodbye as Ford are retiring the funky little nipper and introducing its replacement (if Labour can do it why not Ford?) - the all-new Ford Ka. No need to think of a new name after all and this one’s a far better looking replacement than the Labour leader.
To me, this car does look like something else. I’m sure there’ a lot of unique features in there and, yes, it does have a fair resemblance to the original, but I also get a strange sensation that I’m looking at a squashed Aygo.
However, similarities to other cars aside, Ford have done a nice job with this one. They say that the redesign brings it in line with the new Ford Kinetic design. Tangible energy. I say it looks pretty and Ford are promising an “expressive” range of colours for the interior. I get the feeling that this car is going to be as divisive as the original: a love or hate deal for its looks.
While in the past, new models and development of cars has usually led to packing more weight in with extra features or sneaking a further inch or two onto the proportions, this isn’t the case this time. In fact, the new Ford KA shares the same proportions as the old one which means it’s more of a face-lift than drastic reconstructive surgery. Except that there’s also been some work under the skin too, in the engine department.
Engine wise these cars are never going to packing a V8 but, for the first time, you’ll be able to make even less trips to petrol pumps as the all-new Ford KA is available with a diesel. A 1.3-litre 75 PS Duratorq TDCi to be precise, delivering an alleged 67.2 mpg. There’s also a 1.2 petrol option available.
Is this an improvement though, or have Ford simply messed with a classic? Will this odd-looking car in a market of odd-looking cars be as popular as the original or will this be the end of the KA success? It’s almost classic coke vs new coke: would you rather the original?
Tony is an online marketer, researcher and article writer. He is currently researching the all-new Ford KA and New Fords