Review
/5
- Pros:
- Spacious inside
- Excellent around town
- Comfortable ride
- Cons:
- Struggles on motorway
- Poorly equipped compared to rivals
- Not as desirable as a Fiat 500
reviewed by Carbuyer
"It looks cute, and it's reasonable to drive, but the new Ka isn’t quite as impressive as its predecessor."
At a glance
- The greenest
- Metal 1.3TDCi 75PS 3dr
£12,225 - The cheapest
- Studio 1.2 69PS 3dr
£8,725 - The fastest
- Metal 1.3TDCi 75PS 3dr
£12,225 - Top of the range
- Metal 1.3TDCi 75PS 3dr
£12,225
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The original Ford Ka was much loved for its cute looks, funky interior and entertaining handling, yet this second-generation model feels more straight-laced and less fun. It shares many of its mechanical parts with the Fiat 500: in fact, they’re built in the same factory. There are two engines, one petrol and one diesel, while a wide range of trim levels offers plenty of scope for personalisation – including some crazy looking stickers. Entry models aren’t very well equipped as standard, but flagship versions are luxurious.
Drive
Engines are responsive
Ford says differences in the suspension settings and steering of the Ka compared to the Fiat 500 mean it's a completely different car to drive. We say you’ll be hard pushed to notice. The steering isn’t terribly accurate, while the chassis isn’t capable of serving up the secure, reassuring handling and agility of the original Ka. Both engines are responsive and offer similar performance, while the gearshift is slick and the quick and light steering means parking is easy.
Comfort
The high driving position provides a good view of the road ahead
The Ford Ka's smooth ride helps make light work of rough city streets, and the high driving position provides a good view of the road ahead. The front seats are comfortable, although finding a perfect driving position isn’t easy, as the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach. Around town, the engines perform well, but both are noisy on the motorway. Wind noise is also apparent at higher cruising speeds.
Reliability
There’s no reason to think that it shouldn’t impress
The new Ford Ka hasn’t been around long enough for it to feature in the Driver Power survey. However, Ford's quality has been rising in recent years, and the Polish plant in which the Ka is built has a capable, dedicated workforce – which also makes the very reliable Fiat 500. So there's no reason to think that it shouldn’t impress.
Practicality
Getting to the three-door model’s rear seats is a challenge
The Ford Ka is spacious and practicality is impressive for such a small car, but the biggest problem is access. Reaching the three-door model's rear seats is a challenge best left to flexible children. The boot is decently sized, but the hatch opening is narrow and the boot lip is high. The rear seats fold, but don’t split 60/40 on entry-level Studio models.
Value for money
Entry-level Ka Studio comes without basics like remote central locking
Five-door rivals like the Citroen C1 and Hyundai i10 are more practical, and the latter's standard kit list makes the Ka's spec levels look positively stingy - the entry-level Ka Studio comes without basics like remote central locking and electric windows. You need to pay for side airbags, too. The platform-sharing Fiat 500 costs more, but is arguably more appealing, thanks to its retro-inspired looks.
Running costs
The diesel's price offsets savings over its petrol alternative
The temptation may be to choose the 1.3 TDCi diesel for its excellent 69mpg economy, but the 1.2-litre petrol engine will prove economical enough in day-to-day driving and it's considerbaly cheaper. The diesel model's purchase price can easily offset any potential fuel savings over its petrol alternative. Overall, the Ka is rather painless to own as it's inexpensive to insure and cheap to service.
*Our monthly finance prices are updated on a regular basis, but due to the dynamic nature of the market are not guaranteed accurate. You can always confirm the monthly finance price with FinanceAcar.
