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KA-TORIAL ELEGANCE

Models Covered: (3dr hatch 1.3, 1.6 [Ka, Ka2, Collection, Ka3, Streetka, Sportka, Style, Collection, Streetka])

BY JONATHAN CROUCH

If you've a problem with those who fold their pyjamas or iron creases in their jeans, the choice of affordable used cars designed to suit your lifestyle is widening. At long last, the car makers have woken up to the fact that for a huge number of us, a car is as much a life statement as a means of transport. And if that sounds obvious, then take a drive around the nearest multi-storey and check out just how much automotive styling has changed over the last 20 years. You're right. It hasn't. Or more accurately, it hadn't. You may want to argue, but it seems clear that Ford's smallest supermini, the cheekily named Ka, is probably the most innovative thing the industry has produced since the Mini. And not only because its chiselled 'new-edge design', daring and innovative inside and out, looks like nothing else on the road. Introduced in the autumn of 1996, it's now available on the used market but takes some searching out – examples are far harder to find than Ford’s mainstream Fiesta.

When the Ka was launched in October 1996, it was to a collective gasp of surprise from the industry. Few had expected anything quite so radical from normally conservative Ford. The company's new citycar would slot in below the Fiesta and become a fashion statement. It was offered only with the company's faithful Endura-E 1.3-litre engine - straight from the Fiesta. In fact, this was the only thing about the car that wasn't futuristic. Basic Ka and plusher Ka2 models were offered at launch. The Ka2 includes a height-adjustable driver's seat, rear seat head restraint and, most importantly power steering (the latter feature standardised across the range in 1997 though it can be deleted to order). All versions came with a driver's airbag, a stereo and tinted glass. An even plusher Ka3 version was announced in June 1997, with alloy wheels, metallic paint, a CD player and air conditioning. You may also come across special editions such as the Ka2-based Green and Copper and the Ka3-based Black introduced in 1999. There was also a garish yellow Millennium version and an upmarket Luxury version. For 2000, the Ka2 was replaced by the Collection available in bright colours with painted bumpers and in 2001 the Ka Now supplanted the Ka1. By late 2001 the trim levels had been revised still further by the addition of the Ka Style and the deletion of the Ka Now. Confused? Well, you could always opt for the basic Ka which had £500 lopped off its price. Bargain. The range was added to in 2002 with the introduction of the 1.6-litre Sportka and the droptop Streetka.

A car only slightly smaller than an ordinary supermini but a lot more fashionable - and much better to drive. The Ka has taken small cars into a new era - pure and simple. Even those who don't agree that Ka is individual, simple and elegant (and they seem to be in the minority) have to admit that it has a charisma all of its own.

Prices for 97P-reg to 00W-reg variants range between £1,195 and £1,675 - or £1,300-£2,200 for the popular Ka2. The Ka3 is rarer on the used scene but prices start from about £1,600 for the first 1997 ‘R’-reg examples and go up to £2,500 for a 01X. Newer models are called Collection, Style and Luxury with an 05-plate Luxury model commanding £4,850 of its £10,132 new price.

Mainly cosmetic damage (the headlamps in particular aren't cheap). Watch for tappet noise in the engine and look for patchy paint, poorly fitted doors and rusting spot welds in the door shuts.

(approx) A clutch assembly is around £75. Front brakepads are around £45, a full exhaust about £90, a catalyst about £200 and an alternator (exchange) around £115. A headlamp is about £70.

The 1.3-litre powerplant, though freshened up for this application, is hardly the last word in engine design and runs out of puff very soon after you begin to rev it. Still, it is torquey, at its best pulling from low speeds around town. It's also frugal (you can average up to 48mpg). Further compensation comes in the form of superbly controlled ride and handling, reminding you of a much larger car. Packaging is another Ka strongpoint. You wouldn't believe the amount of oddment space and front legroom that the designers have crammed into the tiny cabin. The sheer size restrictions of a car 210mm shorter than the already compact Fiesta had to catch up with them somewhere however, and as you might imagine, the sacrifices have mainly been made around the two sculpted seats in the rear.

A landmark small car. If you like the looks, you'll love it.

SELF-STYLED SOPHISTICATE
Ford’s Ka Style Is An Affordable Way To Buy Into The Car That’s Still One Of The Most Chic Urban Scoots. Andy Enright Reports

If a car manufacturer described their product as being as popular as the Conservative Party, you may well think it’s somewhat less than sought after. Indeed, cornering 32% of the vote is something the Tories and the Ford Ka have in common. Where the citycar and political arenas diverge is that this sort of market share represents something of a landslide for Ford’s baby, the swingometer sending it rocketing not into Number 10 but the Number 1 spot. With variants like the Ka Style model, it looks set to continue its success for a while yet.

If history has taught us anything about modern Fords, it is that we take a while to be fully convinced of their merits. Some models, like the Cougar and the Scorpio never get past the initial stage of customer scepticism whilst others like the Puma and Focus we warmed to reasonably quickly, if only because there was either no predecessor or the forerunner had long since seen its best days. Remember how slow we were to adopt the Sierra? The Ka was the same, the ‘New Edge’ styling coming as something of a shock to the system back in 1996. Indeed, Ford have been clever with the Ka’s product development. Just as the Sierra’s styling was made less extreme to meet more tolerant public perceptions halfway, the Ka has had some of its more exuberant styling touches throttled back a little. The Ka Style, which retails at £7,395, is prima facie evidence of this mellowing with age. One of the first things you notice about Ford’s first Ka models, apart from that inflated origami shape, were the hugely emphasised grey body mouldings above the wheels. Great expanses of rhino-toned tupperware may have appealed to those with a yen for smart industrial design, but the majority of citycar buyers yearned for something a little more, well, conservative.

"It’s only been since the introduction of the Toyota Yaris into the citycar sector that the Ka has had any meaningful rivalry in terms of sheer fun."

So it was that Ford introduced the Collection model with its body coloured mouldings. The Ka Style follows this theme, and matures the Ka’s styling significantly. The lines have worn well and this has resulted in an impressively durable A-list shelf life for the Blue Oval’s baby. Can you think of any other new car that retails for around £7,000 that can cut the mustard in the urban style stakes? Bringing that level of sophistication to such a small car has been Ford’s greatest achievement with the Ka, and the Style moniker is therefore no empty boast. Would we accept a Hyundai Amica Style? Case dismissed. With the Ka Range now starting at just £7,095, the Ka Style’s £300 premium buys exactly what? Well, apart from those body coloured bumpers and a CD player, you also get electric windows, central locking and a remote tailgate release. Plus the option (in the ‘Climate’ version) of air conditioning. That will be enough for many, although there are some subtle differences in upholstery choices. In truth, air conditioning is nigh on compulsory for civilised progress in the urban hurly-burly, especially when the humidity level creeps upwards. Sweat-stained shirts aren’t anybody’s idea of this year’s look and you’ll need to delve into the options list for this. This is all on top of the standard Ka specification which runs to power steering, ABS, a driver’s airbag, rear wash/wipe, tinted glass and a height adjustable driver’s seat. Meanwhile, to ensure nobody makes off with your pride and joy, there are high security door locks and a Safeguard immobiliser. If all this kit isn’t enough, you can also specify any of a selection of extras at an additional cost. These include alloy wheels, an electric sunroof and a passenger airbag. Under the bonnet, the Endura-E 1.3-litre engine is the same as that you'd find in an entry-level Fiesta. Even though it was freshened up for use in the Ka, this old-fashioned 1.3-litre powerplant is hardly the last word in engine design. It runs out of puff very soon after you begin to rev it and takes 13.8 seconds to reach 60mph on the way to 96mph. One consolation is that you’d need to find a decent hill and a fair tailwind to rack up enough motorway velocity to lose your licence! Although this engine performs its job adequately, it is a far cry from Ford's potent and sweet-sounding little 1.25-litre Zetec powertrain. The only point in its favour is economy – this frugal unit can average up to 48mpg. Despite its somewhat outmoded engine, the Ka Style redeems itself in terms of its driving characteristics. You’ll forgive its lack of outright go when you can corner the car with such relish, the compromise between ride and handling being spot on. One can only sigh and wonder what a 150bhp RS Ka would have been like, especially when the 95bhp 1.6-litre SportKa hints at the possibilities. Packaging is another Ka Style strongpoint. You wouldn't believe the amount of oddment space and front legroom that the designers have crammed into the tiny cabin. The sheer size restrictions of a car 210mm shorter than the already compact Fiesta had to catch up with them somewhere however, and as you might imagine, the sacrifices have mainly been made around the two sculpted seats in the rear. All in, the Style probably represents the pick of the Ka Range. Inexpensive enough to appeal to a broad swathe of the populace yet sufficiently sophisticated to attract the sort of person who used to be called ‘Mondeo Man’. The Ka Style makes downsizing seem a logical option and doesn’t need to kiss any babies in doing so. Can it count on your vote?

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Ka Style PRICES: £7,395 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 2 PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 96mph/ 0-60mph 13.8s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 35.8mpg / (extra urban) 58.8mpg /(combined) 47.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's Airbag/ seatbelt 'grabbers' WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3620/1631/1368mm

A LITTLE LUXURY GOES A LONG WAY
The luxuryKa Puts A Somewhat Sumptuous Spin On Ford’s Feisty Citycar. Andy Enright Checks It Out…

The idea of a Citycar with all the luxury of something much larger isn’t new but it isn’t that common either. Ford have executed the concept best, in the form of the refettled LuxuryKa featured here.

One of the first things you notice about the LuxuryKa, apart from that unique shape, is the slick, one-colour body. The Tupperware-effect body mouldings above the wheels that were the hallmark of the first Ka derivatives to hit these shores have been blended away under body coloured paint. Priced at £9,195, the LuxuryKa costs around £2,000 more than the entry-level Ka variant on which it is based. In return, you get those body-coloured bumpers, 14-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, the handy ‘Quickclear’ heated front windscreen and body coloured electric door mirrors. Remote central locking, a CD player and full ‘Light Cyprus’ coloured leather seats and trim are also part of the deal, giving a genuinely, well, luxury feel to the flagship Ka. The interior ambience is completed by pale steel dashboard trim that complements the light colours used about the cabin pretty effectively. The latest cars come with variable intermittent front windscreen wipe, a delayed final action wipe (which clears the screen of any drips once the front wipers have been used and switched off) and a reverse-gear rear wipe (which activates automatically if reverse gear is selected when the front wipers are in use). That’s on top of the standard Ka specification which runs to power steering, electric front windows, rear wash/wipe, tinted glass and a height adjustable driver’s seat. Meanwhile, to ensure nobody makes off with your pride and joy, there are high security door locks and a Safeguard immobiliser. If all this kit isn’t enough, you can also specify any of a selection of extras at an additional cost. These include a sliding sunroof, a CD autochanger and an incredibly useful satellite navigation system which allows you to bin that dog-eared A to Z for good. Recent changes include the addition of an automatic wash-wipe for the windscreen wipers and a wider Range of optional extras, such as the dealer-fit passenger airbag deactivation and parking distance sensors. There are also fresh colours and a smarter alloy wheel design.

"Small doesn’t have to mean basic and cheerful needn’t always equate to cheap…"

Four out of every ten sub-Supermini citycars sold at present are Ford Ka’s, a trend likely to continue since all the latest 1.3-litre Ka models swop the ancient Endura-E engine used since the 1996 launch for a far more modern 70bhp 1.3-litre 8-valve unit borrowed from the latest Fiesta. The performance figures for this unit aren’t much different but, given that most of the engine’s pulling power is available from just 1,900rpm, the driving experience certainly is. You’ll notice that around town – this car’s natural habitat of course – the need for constant gearchanging is much reduced. Usefully, fuel consumption is improved too. Expect to achieve 43.5mpg on the combined cycle. Outside, the Ka looks much the same as ever, but Ford couldn’t resist the temptation to tinker around with the interior. The redesigned instrument panel now houses an electric odometer and a low fuel warning light, while there’s a rev counter included on LuxuryKa models. As before, Luxury spec sits above Ka, Ka Style and Ka Collection status but now just below newer 1.6-litre SportKa and StreetKa models. Otherwise, the recipe is pure Ka, the car which bestowed some much needed credibility on the Citycar sector. Customers come from so many walks of life – and so many other types of car: 4x4s, coupes, roadsters – you name it. The Ka has taken small citycars into a new era – pure and simple. Before it arrived, models of this kind were boring to drive, terrifyingly unsafe and certainly not suitable for venturing outside the city limits. This model has changed all of that and blazed a path that others have subsequently had to follow. Take safety: in spite of its size, the Ka is as safe as any family car on the road today, meeting all current and future safety legislation for front and side impacts. It comes with a driver's airbag, seatbelt 'grabbers' and optional passenger airbags. Though the excitement value of the 1.3-litre engine still isn’t anything to write home about, a redeeming virtue is the Ka’s superbly controlled ride and handling, which are strongly reminiscent of a much larger car. You’ll forgive any shortcomings in the engine the first time you pitch the luxuryKa into a corner. Taking care not to slide off the leather seats, you’ll be impressed with the sheer stickability of the little Ford. Many of the car’s handling attributes are only found in sports models costing a great deal more, and the LuxuryKa is something you’ll find yourself making excuses to drive. As with all modern Fords, the credit for this handling prowess can be attributed to one man, ex-rally driver Richard Parry-Jones, for he was responsible for engineering the driving fun back into class-leading cars like the Ka, Puma, Focus and Mondeo. Packaging is another Ka strongpoint. You wouldn't believe the amount of oddment space and front legroom that the designers have crammed into the tiny cabin. The sheer size restrictions of a car 210mm shorter than the already compact Fiesta had to catch up with them somewhere however, and as you might imagine, the sacrifices have mainly been made around the two sculpted seats in the rear. Still, you can't have everything. LuxuryKa buyers will, in any case, almost certainly have another, larger car in the family. Buyers who are prepared to fork out for the additional features that this particular variant possesses appreciate that small doesn’t have to mean basic and cheerful needn’t always equate to cheap. Ford’s best-dressed baby certainly won’t disappoint in that department. One word of warning, though. Get accustomed to this level of luxury and it might make shopping for your next big car an expensive experience!

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford LuxuryKa PRICE: £9,195 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 3 CO2 EMISSIONS: 154g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 104mph/ 0-60mph 13.7s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 35.8mpg / (extra urban) 58.8mpg /(combined) 47.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front Airbags / seatbelt 'grabbers' WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3620/1631/1368mm

KA-TORIAL ELEGANCE
Ford’s little Ka line-up boasts a fresh feel. Jonathan Crouch explains why...

Not many cars have an ageless look and feel but Ford’s Ka is one of them. Time moves on however, and a series of useful tweaks have freshened up the appeal of a range recently enhanced with more up to date mechanicals and sportier models. All this should keep the little Ford’s appeal fresh at the forefront of the Citycar sector.

So let’s start with those tweaks. The latest cars come with variable intermittent front windscreen wipe (for different intensities of rainfall), a delayed final action wipe (which clears the screen of any drips once the front wipers have been used and switched off) and a reverse-gear rear wipe (which activates automatically if reverse gear is selected when the front wipers are in use). On to lights and locks. There’s a ‘theatre-style’ dimming interior courtesy light (the light gradually dims rather than switches off once the door is closed). And there are (at last) flashing lock indicators (the indicator lights on the car flash when remote locking is engaged). As for locks, the ‘Auto-relock’ system is a useful touch: the locks re-engage if the vehicle has been unlocked but not opened for a period of time. Inside, there are slight changes to the dashboard, the most significant of which is the addition of a new three-litre glovebox on the passenger side. This is a direct response to feedback from Ka drivers who wanted a traditional glovebox instead of the cylindrical box that came with the original styling. On to cosmetics. The potent Sportka has tinted rear side windows. The familiar moulded bumpers are available in a choice of new colours, Torque Grey or Steel.

"The Ka has taken small citycars into a new era – pure and simple…"

Despite all these improvements, prices stay pretty much the same as they were, which means a starting point of £7,095. The standard models have in recent times received a significant refettling under the bonnet. The old Endura-E 1.3-litre engine that was used from the car’s launch in 1996 was really beginning to show its age, so in 2004, the far more modern 70bhp 1.3-litre 8-valve unit borrowed from the latest Fiesta was a welcome addition to mainstream models in the line-up. The performance figures for this unit aren’t much different from what went before but, given that most of the engine’s pulling power is available from just 1,900rpm, the driving experience certainly is. You’ll notice that around town – this car’s natural habitat of course – the need for constant gearchanging is much reduced. Usefully, fuel consumption is improved too. Expect to achieve 43.5mpg on the combined cycle. These days, mainstream models go Ka Studio, then there’s the Ka Style, and Ka Zetec models (both with ‘Climate’ air conditioned options) before you get to the LuxuryKa. On top of these, there’s the potent SportKa. The SportKa uses a 95bhp 1.6-litre engine and aims to take buyers who would otherwise opt for a more conventional ‘warm hatch’ sporty supermini. Otherwise the recipe is much the same. The Ka has taken small citycars into a new era – pure and simple. Before it arrived, models of this kind were boring to drive, terrifyingly unsafe and certainly not suitable for venturing outside the city limits. This model has changed all of that and blazed a path that others have subsequently had to follow. Equipment levels are reasonable, with even the entry-level version including power steering, high security door locks, a Safeguard immobiliser, a large format stereo, a rear wash/wipe and tinted glass, while the Style adds a CD player, central locking and electric windows. The LuxuryKa is distinguished by alloy wheels, a leather-covered steering wheel and gear-knob, air conditioning, and a CD sound system. If you haven’t driven a Ka for a few years, you might notice relatively recent changes like the addition of an automatic wash-wipe for the windscreen wipers and a wider range of optional extras, such as the dealer-fit passenger airbag deactivation and parking distance sensors. There are also fresh colours and smarter alloy wheel and wheel trim designs. Whichever Ka you choose, you’ll be buying into one of the safest small cars on the road today, meeting all current and future safety legislation for front and side impacts. Packaging is another Ka strongpoint. You wouldn't believe the amount of oddment space and front legroom that the designers have crammed into the tiny cabin. The sheer size restrictions of a car 210mm shorter than the already compact Fiesta had to catch up with them somewhere however, and as you might imagine, the sacrifices have mainly been made around the two sculpted seats in the rear. Still, you can't have everything. Ka buyers will almost certainly have another, larger car anyway. What matters is that the finished product bears the signature of its creators. Just as, come to think of it, arriving in one will leave your unmistakable signature wherever you go.

FACTS AS A GLANCE CAR: Ford Ka range PRICES: £7,095-£9,995 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 2-6 CO2 EMISSIONS: 147-189g/km PERFORMANCE: [1.3] Max Speed 104mph/ 0-60mph 13.7s FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.3] (urban) 35.8mpg / (extra urban) 58.8mpg /(combined) 47.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's Airbag/ seatbelt 'grabbers' WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3620/1631/1368mm WHO TO SEE:

MANIC STREET SCREECHER
Jonathan Crouch Gets To Grips With Ford’s Sportka

Why it took Ford so long to make a sporty Ka is anyone’s guess. Fitting this city runabout with a more powerful motor was such an obvious step that for seven years, it passed the Blue Oval’s product planners by.

That we have the Sportka at all is down to the success of the convertible Streetka, a little roadster so heavy that a new 95bhp 1.6-litre was needed to power it. At the same time, Ford marketers were becoming increasingly concerned that 80% of conventional Ka sales were to women. Taking the more powerful engine and installing it in a Ka with more macho appeal was at last an opportunity too blatant to ignore. The £9,995 Sportka sits on a modified Ka chassis that has been tuned for sharper steering and handling dynamics. The suspension has been lowered and stiffened with improved toe and camber control, backed up by more powerful brakes and revised steering for ‘pin-sharp’ response. Power comes from a relatively low-tech eight-valve 1.6-litre engine which makes up for a slight deficit in outright power with a healthy 135 Nm slug of torque for strong pulling power through the gears.

"A fun addition to Ford’s motoring family…"

This is a welcome feature in a segment where many of the cars have to be revved off the clock every time you want to extract some decent performance. A close-ratio five-speed gearbox enables you to get the best from it. Sixty from rest occupies 9.7s on the way to a maximum of 107mph. Yet at the same time, you should be able to achieve close to 40mpg in normal use. Visually, it’s a Ka and Streetka mix. Sportka shares the roadster’s bespoke headlamp units and body-coloured front bumpers with integrated headlamps. At the rear, it’s much the same story, the spoiler on the tailgate blending in to a wrap-around rear bumper with a centrally positioned rear reversing light and two rear reflectors. There are flared wheelarches, lowered ride height and six-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres. Inside, there are sports seats trimmed in a ‘keyed’ fabric with leather as an option. Doors and dashboard are finished in ‘ebony black’, while the instrument cluster features black dials with white, backlit numerals. ‘Jewel-like’ touches of aluminium are dotted around the cabin. The gear lever is topped with the aluminium ball that Puma owners will remember (great in summer but freezing to the touch in winter). The oval centre dash clock is framed with aluminium and the arms of the leather-bound steering wheel are braceletted with aluminium bands. The SE trim package includes leather seats, air conditioning and powered heated mirrors. Enough of this: what’s it like to drive? Well, if you’re familiar with the basic Ka, you won’t be surprised to learn that Sportka is very enjoyable through the twisty stuff. Perhaps more of a shock is just how much more feisty this car feels than a Streetka equipped with exactly the same engine. Better aerodynamics and a 120kg weight advantage clearly make all the difference, a fact reflected in a rest to sixty time that’s 1.5s better. Compared with similarly priced hot-hatch offerings, the Sportka might struggle initially to impress the hotshoe merchants: it doesn’t instantly feel so impressively fast as some and there isn’t the temptation to be constantly hurling it at the scenery. For this reason, you won’t see many Sportka enthusiasts at Max Power-style tuning shows up and down the land. Quite simply, it’s a more mature kind of car. Don’t mistake ‘more mature’ as being another way of saying ‘slow’ however. The Sportka’s ride is supple, mid-Range power is impressive, it’s well built and very refined. Against that, larger supermini-based cars are more spacious: if you intend to travel more than two-up very often and need more than a very basic level of luggage space, this could be a key consideration. Despite the lack of overall space, packaging remains a Ka strongpoint. You wouldn't believe the amount of oddment space and front legroom that the designers have crammed into the tiny cabin. The sheer size restrictions of a car 267mm shorter than the already compact Fiesta had to catch up with them somewhere however, and we’ve just suggested, the sacrifices have mainly been made around the two sculpted seats in the rear. Still, you can't have everything. Ka buyers will almost certainly have another, larger car anyway. If that’s the case, then a Sportka could well be a fun addition to your motoring family. As fun for the fashion-conscious, there’s a long overdue place for it in Ford’s product line-up.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Sportka PRICE: £9,995 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 6 CO2 EMISSIONS: 182g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 108mph / 0-60mph 9.7s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 27.2mpg / (extra urban) 47.1mpg / (combined) 37.2mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver’s airbag WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3650/1640/1436mm

SETTING THE TONE
Ford’s Ka Two-Tone offers an exuberant swansong for the Blue oval’s little citycar. Jonathan Crouch reports

How fashion trends come and go. When Ford first launched their little Ka citycar, it wasn’t many years before customers asked them to tone down the ‘two-tone’ look brought about by the grey plastic applied to those bulbous wheelarches. Single colour Ka models became all the rage. Now however, it seems that in the Ka’s twilight months of production, the two-tone look is back.

Ford have made 1,000 Ka Two-Tone special edition models in a choice of four body colours including the new blazer blue. Fortunately, this time round, the wheelarches have been painted in ‘moondust silver’ rather than grey plastic with the door mirrors colour-coded too. It remains a colour combination that’s difficult to miss. There’s a choice of Style Climate (£7,995) or Zetec Climate (£8,595) trim levels, the ‘Climate’ part of the moniker denoting that both come complete with air conditioning. The Two-Tone models are priced exactly equally to their standard range counterparts. And equipment? Well, the ‘Style’ version comes with a CD player, plus electric windows, central locking and a remote tailgate release. Go for the Zetec version and you also get 14" alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, power/heated mirrors and a Quickclear heated windscreen. In both variants, this is all on top of the standard Ka specification which runs to power steering, ABS, a driver’s airbag, rear wash/wipe, tinted glass and a height adjustable driver’s seat. Meanwhile, to ensure nobody makes off with your pride and joy, there are high security door locks and a Safeguard immobiliser. Under the bonnet, the Endura-E 1.3-litre engine is the same as ever. Even though it was freshened up for use in the Ka, this old-fashioned 1.3-litre powerplant is hardly the last word in engine design. It runs out of puff very soon after you begin to rev it and takes 13.8 seconds to reach 60mph on the way to 96mph. One consolation is that you’d need to find a decent hill and a fair tailwind to rack up enough motorway velocity to lose your licence! Although this engine performs its job adequately, it is a far cry from Ford's potent and sweet-sounding little 1.25-litre Zetec powertrain. The only point in its favour is economy – this frugal unit can average up to 48mpg. Despite its somewhat outmoded engine, the Ka Style redeems itself in terms of its driving characteristics. You’ll forgive its lack of outright go when you can corner the car with such relish, the compromise between ride and handling being spot on. One can only sigh and wonder what a 150bhp RS Ka would have been like, especially when the 95bhp 1.6-litre SportKa hints at the possibilities.

"Bringing this level of sophistication to such a small car has been Ford’s greatest achievement with the Ka…."

Packaging is another Ka Style strongpoint. You wouldn't believe the amount of oddment space and front legroom that the designers have crammed into the tiny cabin. The sheer size restrictions of a car 210mm shorter than the already compact Fiesta had to catch up with them somewhere however, and as you might imagine, the sacrifices have mainly been made around the two sculpted seats in the rear. Ford have made some recent tweaks to keep the range current. The latest cars come with variable intermittent front windscreen wipe (for different intensities of rainfall), a delayed final action wipe (which clears the screen of any drips once the front wipers have been used and switched off) and a reverse-gear rear wipe (which activates automatically if reverse gear is selected when the front wipers are in use). On to lights and locks. There’s a ‘theatre-style’ dimming interior courtesy light (the light gradually dims rather than switches off once the door is closed). And there are (at last) flashing lock indicators (the indicator lights on the car flash when remote locking is engaged). As for locks, the ‘Auto-relock’ system is a useful touch: the locks re-engage if the vehicle has been unlocked but not opened for a period of time. Inside, there are slight changes to the dashboard, the most significant of which is the addition of a new three-litre glovebox on the passenger side. This is a direct response to feedback from Ka drivers who wanted a traditional glovebox instead of the cylindrical box that came with the original styling. If history has taught us anything about modern Fords, it is that we take a while to be fully convinced of their merits. Some models, like the Cougar and the Scorpio never get past the initial stage of customer scepticism whilst others like the Puma and Focus we warmed to reasonably quickly, if only because there was either no predecessor or the forerunner had long since seen its best days. Remember how slow we were to adopt the Sierra? The Ka was the same, the ‘New Edge’ styling coming as something of a shock to the system back in 1996. Today, it hardly raises an eyebrow but that doesn’t stop it remaining a brilliant piece of design. The lines have worn well and this has resulted in an impressively durable A-list shelf life for the Blue Oval’s baby. Can you think of any other new car that retails for around £7,000 that can cut the mustard in the urban style stakes? Bringing that level of sophistication to such a small car has been Ford’s greatest achievement with the Ka, and the Style moniker is therefore no empty boast. Would we accept a Hyundai Amica Style? Would we, in fact, accept a Hyundai Amica Two-Tone? You get my point. Case dismissed.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Ka Two-Tone range PRICES: £7,995-£8,595 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 2 PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 96mph/ 0-60mph 13.8s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 35.8mpg / (extra urban) 58.8mpg /(combined) 47.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's Airbag/ seatbelt 'grabbers' WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3620/1631/1368mm