IN MOTORING terms it’s Nicky Hilton to Paris. It’s Daniel Baldwin to Alec. It’s Fredo to Michael Corleone. Despite the debates over the influence of nature versus nurture in family lineage, clearly there’s no guarantee that every offspring is destined for greatness.
Yes, we’re anthropomorphising cars once more, attributing human traits to them. Then again, that’s clearly what makers of small cars want the public to do: build some sort of emotional attachment to their four-wheeled transport. Without it, a city car is about as much fun as a washing machine with wheels.
So to continue our foray into the surreal world of motoring pedigree, we welcome the latest Ford Ka. Although it bears the blue oval, it would seem an Italian lothario has slipped beneath the sheets at Detroit. This car springs from the motoring loins of Fiat.
A strange combination you may think, particularly given the focus on small cars in our collective quest to save the planet. Surely a company of the stature of Ford would need to hone its expertise in this area and prepare for the day when we all travel around in electric pods?
That may be the future, but for now a city car offers a similar profit margin to a packet of crisps – so car firms are eager to achieve as many synergies and cost savings as possible. Their dilemma is that buyers demand small-car prices but big-car features.
No one accepts that, just because it’s small and relatively cheap, it shouldn’t have airbags, air-conditioning, a decent music system, electric windows and perhaps even Bluetooth. The idea of offering wind-down windows and an FM radio or no power steering is treated as arcane.
As for skimping on safety features, forget it. People want a tank, only one that’s one-third the size of a regular car, runs on air, and can turn on a two cent coin.
The answer: get into bed with your rivals. It has already forced many motoring marriages of convenience and what we have here is the latest progeny of such a union. While “misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows”, you would have to say that Ford did pretty well in attracting Fiat. After all, the Italian is something of a small car expert.
Both the Panda and the 500 have won the prestigious European Car of the Year award on their respective introductions to the market. The 500 has enormous appeal as a fashion accessory while the Panda has done remarkably well across Europe and certainly proven its worth both in terms of reliability and resilience.
The Ka, meanwhile, was in desperate need of a refresh, being on the market now for 12 years. So is this a Fiord or a Foriat? Well, there are definite Ford parts, but the underpinnings, the engines and most of the switchgear is straight from the Fiat parts warehouse.
That’s probably why it works so well: the Polish plant where all three cars are built has become an exemplar of production. If Fiat could replicate the Polish endeavour back in its home plants, all those snide remarks about build quality at both Alfa and Fiat might be a thing of the past. Poland may well be the saviour of the Italian car industry.
Technically, it’s hard to fault the Ka. The build quality seems solid – a significant step up from its predecessor. In terms of practicality, it’s one of the widest cars in this class and as a result it feels a little more spacious inside than most of its rivals. The layout and design is nearly as funky as the 500, so no complaints there and, while it doesn’t have the headroom of the likes of the Hyundai i10 or VW Fox, it can be driven by someone over six feet tall.
The back seats are not as roomy as the Fox and legroom would be a problem on a long journey. Nor is visibility conducive to a long drive; yet again design seems to have won out over practicality and the sharply tapered rear windows offers a letterbox view for rear-seat passengers. Unlike the five-seater Hyundai i10 or even the Panda, this is a four-seater, thereby limiting its market.
On a more positive note, the bootspace is pretty impressive for a city car and, though it’s not long, there’s a good, deep well that swallowed our weekly shopping with ease. It’s never going to suit a golfer unless they drop down the rear seats, but for a town runaround it offers ample practicality.
The 1.2-litre 67bhp petrol engine is sprightly. It has the beating of its unrelated rivals in terms of performance and nips around town eagerly. It’s only on open motorway runs that you realise its limitations. Sitting at about 3,500rpm in fifth gear when touching 120km/h, engine noise becomes a feature in the cabin.
However, the same can be said of virtually every rival and it’s remarkably stable in corners and when combating cross winds. It feels safe and secure.
In terms of fuel economy and performance it has the beating of both the Hyundai and the Fox. With CO2 emissions of 119g/km, it falls into the lowest tax bracket as well.
Sadly, stability control hasn’t yet made it into city cars as standard equipment. That’s not just Ford’s doing; some of its rivals don’t even offer it as an option. For the Ka, it’s a rather expensive fit at €605.
The only other option that comes close to it on price is park assist at €505, but if you need such sensors on a small car like this, perhaps you need to question your driving ability and should definitely be opting for stability control (and probably more driving lessons). There are also just two airbags fitted as standard on the Ka, with side airbags only available as rather expensive options (€455 for side airbags and a massive €705 for curtain ones).
The Titanium model adds some styling touches, but at €1,790 it’s a big increase that could be bettered by some smart options shopping.
The Ka lacks the design charisma of the 500, and its heritage will never reach the heady heights of the Fiat. It would take a lonely soul to join a Ka owners’ club for example.
Externally, Ford has retained much of the pod shape of the original, for good or ill. Someone at Ford must think it’s funky, but we have yet to meet anyone who agrees.
While the 500 sometimes seems like a cynical marketing exercise designed to pull at the heartstrings, the Ka offers little in the way of cheeky charm and therefore doesn’t conjure up the same emotional attachment as the Italian. That means you tend to cast a more critical eye over its offering than would be the case with the Fiat.
You are therefore less forgiving of its foibles. That’s good because it puts you in the right frame of mind to do some cold number-crunching and more closely inspect the specification sheets. Here the Ka starts to return to favour. At €13,325 for the Titanium model, it’s not cheap. Yet for a similar specification on the 500 you pay over €2,600 more. The 500 is relatively cool now, but forecourts are littered with victims of the fickle world of fashion.
That doesn’t mean the Ford wins out, however. It slips down in the rankings when you consider more practical rivals, most notably the Hyundai i10 or, best of all, its other Italian sibling, the Panda.
That is a car with a proven track record, similar low emissions and fuel consumption, seating for five passengers, more space in the back and with similar equipment list to the Titanium version of the Ka; it can be parked in your driveway for €12,000.
The Ka is an eager little entrant and is as capable in terms of driving dynamics as any of its closest rivals. It has the back-up of a small car expert, if not the styling or the street cred of its siblings. Of more concern in this market, however, will be practicality and price. In both of these fronts, it faces an uphill challenge.
Ford Ka 1.2 Titanium CC: 1242 0-100km/h: 13.1 secs BHP: 67 Consumption: 5.1 L/100km (55.4mpg) CO2: 119g/km Motor tax: €104 Price: €13,325
Engine: 1242cc, four-cylinder petrol engine putting out 67bhp @ 5,500rpm and 102Nm of torque @ 3,000rpm with five-speed manual transmission
Specification: Standard features include radio/CD player with MP3; power-assisted steering; driver and front passenger airbags; ABS with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD); tyre mobility kit; front fog lights. Titanium version adds 15" alloys; air conditioning; pearl white inserts on steering wheel spokes; silver insert on gear knob. Options include: ESP for €605; Bluetooth for either €305 or €485 depending on spec; metallic paint for €380
L/100km (mpg): urban – 6.3 (44.8); extra-urban – 4.4 (64.2); combined – 5.1 (55.4)
CO2 emissions: 119 g/km
Tax: Band A, 14 per cent VRT and €104 annual motor tax
Price: €13,325 (€11,535-€15,125)