Ford Ka
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Ford Ka (pronounced "Ka", "car", or "K.A.") is a city car from the Ford Motor Company marketed in Europe and elsewhere. The European version is produced at Ford's Valencia plant in Southern Spain.
History
The car was introduced in September 11, 1996 as a small and low-cost addition to the Ford range, following the enlargement of the Fiesta. The Ka is based on the same platform as the MK4 Fiesta, but with a radically different external design. When the Ka was first introduced to the public it provoked mixed reactions due to its original and striking "New Edge" design, created by Jack Telnack.
The UK model range consisted of the standard version, the Ka, and the higher specification Ka2. The Ka3 was introduced later. Initially, all Kas were delivered as the standard model and upgraded to the higher variants at Ford dealerships, saving on production costs. However, this practice was dropped following the renaming of the Ka2 and Ka3 as the Ka Collection and the Ka Luxury (later LuxuryKa).
These offered colour-coded bumpers for the first time, although this lost the designer's original itention of the black plastic bumpers avoiding parking damage to paintwork in city conditions. The Luxury version came with a Quickclear heated windscreen, leather seats and standard air conditioning and Ka Sun Collection with a full-length fabric folding roof was also added to the range during the summer months.
Besides the styling, the Ka, like its sister cars Fiesta and Puma, was lauded in the motoring press for its nimble handling. Under Richard Parry-Jones' supervision, the suspension and steering settings allowed for spirited cornering and high levels of grip making it one of the best handling cars of the current generation superminis, not unlike the original Mini. Like Renault's Twingo, the main drawback was the Ka's 1300 cc OHV 4-cylinder Endura-E engine, a design dating back to the 1960s Kent engine used in the Ford Anglia. Although not very modern, it provided enough torque to allow relaxed if not spirited driving. In 2002 the Endura-E was replaced by the overhead cam Duratec engine, with claimed improved fuel efficiency and increased refinement, mostly caused by taller gearing on the non-air conditioned models.
The Ka has proved highly profitable for Ford despite its low selling price, largely due to the lack of spending required in its development. It was the best selling car in its class in the United Kingdom for a number of years.
StreetKa, SportKa and facelifts
In 2003 the Ka brand was diversified, with the addition of a new SportKa featuring a sporty body kit and a convertible called StreetKa, launched with the help of pop singer Kylie Minogue. Both of these came with a new 1.6 L 8-valve Duratec engine producing 95 hp.
The StreetKa is sometimes dubbed as "the poor man's Audi TT" due to its resemblance to that car. However, a 2005 survey by the UK women's insurance company "Diamond" found that the StreetKa was three times more likely to be driven by hairdressers than by workers in any other occupation. It will be phased out in 2006.
Meanwhile, the SportKa was noted for its surprisingly violent online advertising campaign, "The Ka's Evil Twin", where the car is seen to kill a pigeon and behead a cat. The Ford Motor Company denied official involvement, but the two adverts created significant media attention. [link]
In Latin America, the Ka received a facelift in 2003 and is now slightly different externally and more aggressive than the European model; the main noticeable difference is on the rear, with taller lights. The other difference from the European model is the lack of soundproofing, gradually removed each year since 2000 as a way to cut down costs, following what other Brazilian car makers previously did. The engine is a Zetec Rocam 1.6 L with 95 hp.
Problems
The Ka generally has a good reliability record, although taper-fit sparkplugs are notorious for rusting into the cylinder head. Frequently the head has to be removed and sent to a machine shop when the time comes to change the plugs. The simple solution to this problem is to remove and inspect the plugs at every service interval.
Many Endura-E owners complain of a chattering, rattling or tapping noise from the engine. This is often the tappets. With the tappets set to Ford's specification gap you can expect some noise but it should not be excessive. If the tappets require almost continuous adjustment or you're using Ford specifications and the engine is still excessively noisy (and often starts ticking) the most common problem is the camshaft. Early Endura-E engines are especially prone to this problem.
The plastic bumpers were clearly in part intended to prevent wheelarch rust, but instead the Ka is known to rust in the welds under the bonnet and tailgate and where the outer sills are shaped around the doors.
The black painted metal supports for the rear windows shed their paint and develop surface rust almost from new.
The idle control valve can become blocked, causing an instable idle and driving difficulties. The part may be replaced or carefully cleaned, ensuring the seal is kept.
Those models with solid front discs can suffer from overheating brakes in hilly terrain or given the car's agile handling, with spirted driving.
External links
| Ford car timeline, European market, 1980s-present - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| City car | Ka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supermini | / Fusion | Fiesta VI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Small family car | Escort III | Escort IV | Escort V | Escort Vb | Escort VI | Focus MKI | Focus MKII
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| Large family car | Sierra | Mondeo I | Mondeo II | Mondeo III | Mondeo IV | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Executive car | Granada II | Scorpio I / Granada III | Scorpio II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coupé | Puma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Probe | Cougar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact MPV | Focus C-MAX | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Large MPV | S-MAX | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Galaxy I | Galaxy II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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