At sixty or seventy miles an hour in the old Ford Ka, you felt like a hero. Bravely heading for the car’s performance limit, acutely aware that a surprise hair pin could activate your life insurance policy.
In the new Ka, you hardly know you are moving. There is a large chunk of dash and bonnet in front of you too, so even if you charge into a corner, you are pretty confident that the man from the Pru is going to be taking his direct debit at the end of the month.
Yet despite all the safety equipment and proper trim that weights it down compared to its predecessor it doesn’t feel slow off the line.
It is also beautifully well made, with big comfy seats for fully-grown adults. True, like the Vauxhall Corsa, there are a couple of vents and switches that seem to have been a bit rushed through the quality control process. But it won’t put you off.
This is the car that Olga Kurylenko, one of the female temptresses, picked James Bond up with, in the film Quantum of Solace. So it’s good looking and has celeb-cred. Which will make it popular with lucky students and first time drivers who can afford the prices.
What’s the market like?
There are less than 500 Kas on the market. Their depreciation is well balanced. Ford have not been giving them away new (either through discounting them for supermarkets and brokers, or pre-registering them) like some Citroens. So they have entered the market steadily and are proving popular. Compared to Fiestas there are hardly any in the market. So great news for owners as they will lose a lot less. For buyers, there are no snips, but it’s a reasonably priced car at 1 to 3 years old, especially considering its quality and the slightly toppy new list prices.
What else does this budget buy?
Curiously, unlike the old Ka, which was cheap, the new Ka is a quality motor with a price tag to match. The price point, even on the used market puts the Ka right up against the bottom-spec 3 door Fiestas. So, while you can pick up a nearly new Ka with low mileage for £7,600, there are also plenty out there at nearly £9,000.
But, the market research shows that different people buy the Ka compared to the Fiesta (presumably the older audience buys the 3 door Fiesta and students nipping into Kas). So you have to think about who will have driven the car more carefully when weighing up what you are prepared to pay for a Ka compared to its very slightly big brother.
Summary
An effective & compact city car that is cool without being quirky.
By: Matthew Tumbridge