Ford Ka
In the last few weeks we've featured quite a few big domestic cars; so what better subject than a featherweight European hatchback with a domestic nameplate? I've always found European Fords somewhat jarring; it's this incredibly familiar nameplate on generally unfamiliar cars. GM at least differentiates their unique European-market offering with Opel and Vauxhall nameplates, and Chrysler tends to just import the same cars it sells in America. Meanwhile, European Fords, with their air of Continental sophistication and mystery, seem like the intoxicating and sultry cousins of the girl next door.
Anyway, modern, mass-produced cars don't get much more featherweight than the Ford Ka--either in terms of mass or its name. Its minimalist, two-letter, one-syllable name actually sounds a bit like an Australian pronunciation of "car" (Nicole Kidman to Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder: Let me out of the Ka, Cole, let me out of the Ka!").
The Ka debuted in 1996 and occupies the entry-level slot in the Ford of Europe lineup. Its humble status is the source of its genius; in its simplicity lies its rare combination of agility, quick reflexes, and sweet mechanical harmony captured both by the original Volkswagen GTI and its spiritual forebear, the first-generation Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta is often overlooked as a performance car, but unlike the blander Festiva that followed, the Fiesta was an eager little car--light, honest, and direct. As we've discussed, driving a slow car fast can be a great deal of fun, and the Fiesta turned out pure pint-sized driving magic.
The Ka, like the Fiesta, isn't a fire-breather; it is a lightweight by today's standards at only 2,000 pounds, but with less than 100 horsepower on tap from even the most powerful engine it won't win many drag races. Handling is a different question; both the Ka and its dressier siblings, the Sportka and convertible Streetka, change direction in a blink of an eye. Who wouldn't want an economy car that can double as a go-kart?
The Mini is considered one of the best-handling modern cars, and the Ka, even now more than a decade into its run, is very nearly its equal. What's more, I think I prefer the Ka's application of Ford's New Edge design philosophy to the Mini's slavish retroism. Okay, well maybe not. I want to like the Ka's Peugeot-ish rear hatch line, but it might be a little too quirky even for me.
The original Ka is slated to be replaced in the very near future. With the temptation to make the new model softer and more opulent, I doubt it will be as tiny, stylish, and direct as the current model. Here's hoping Ford bucks those expectations.
I included the commercial below because I have absolutely no idea what's going on--and I love the driver's expression after he drives into the guy's house. Random and bizarre. And speaking of random and bizarre, the Sportka is perhaps best known in the U.S. for these two commercials, which have been circulating virally for years now (1, 2). Great stuff for the demented among us.
The photos are all from Flickr; the top is from CARLOS62, the second is from photossvl, the third from KameraAssault.
--Chris H.
Steaming Pile on September 15, 2008 at 12:02 PM
It begs the question, if Toyota can bring cars like the Scion xA and the Yaris to America, why can't Ford or GM? It's not like they're waiting for government loans so they can reinvent the wheel over here...uh...wait a minute.
Mochi Mochi on September 15, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Speaking of begged questions... what about:
1) Do Ford Europe Execs question whether their American Ford Exec "cousins" are actually the result of some Hill Billy inbreeding "situation"?
2) Do EU Ford owners wonder what's wrong with American Ford owners... if they even think about them and their "cars"?
3) Ford is a fracking American Car manufacturer, why the frack can't they do as well as their EU cousins?
Ford US could be such a great car company. AHHHHH!!! Fracking Ford knucklehead exec retards. Fire the lot of them, and rebuild Ford as an EU and Assie company.
I loved the Fiesta - it was a nice, light, quick, good handling, simple, and CHEAP car that got great gas milage. I know about 1000 people who would buy a Ka right now.
I'm calling out the ad spots you linked to Chris, because everyone with a sense of humor needs to see these - they are amazing - cant think of the last time I laughed so hard at the office.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLdcGSRHaaY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Guufs3mdgg
Steaming Pile on September 15, 2008 at 01:11 PM
@Mochi - American Ford doesn't even want to deal with small cars. At all. So they grudgingly put one out there that was supposedly designed by Euro Ford with Mazda drivetrain components (how can you go wrong?), but it's made in Mexico from substandard materials, so it falls apart just like you'd expect a Ford product from the 70s. Compare user comments about the Focus (for example) on both sides of the Atlantic. Here, it's a crappy little shitbox in which you have to say a Hail Mary when you turn the key or it won't start. There, it's a decent reliable car.
Rob the SVX guy on September 15, 2008 at 01:14 PM
FYI: The first generation neon had a higher skidpad rating and higher slalom speed than the new Mini. I used to be a neon enthusiast, and it really pissed me off when people praised how nice it was to have a small car handle great, but completely ignored the fact that the neon not only outperformed it, but costs less than 1/4 of the price. Yeah, the interior sucks, but in terms of pure performance specs, the neon got about the same mpg, handled better, and went faster.
On subject: I lust the Ka. It's hot. I wish they sold it here, along with the new Focus RS, and the Euro Mondeo. Such great cars... good news is european cars are headed our direction. :)
Cookie the Dog's Owner on September 15, 2008 at 02:49 PM
IIUC, the exchange rates right now are such that Ford can't import cars from Europe, sell them at a competitive price point, and make money on them.
I think there's a solution, though. If the second-gen Ka is about to go into production, Ford should take the design and tooling for the first-gen Ka and ship them to the US. The engineering and dies and all are already paid for; the only development costs would be whatever modifications are necessary to make it NHTSA-compliant. (That and the cost of a new namebadge. Don't call it "Ka." Call it "Finch" or "Firefly" or something else "cute" that starts with an F.) Since the design and the tooling are already paid for, Ford doesn't need to factor that into the pricing. You can set the MSRP well under the Aveo and Echo. If it catches on, Ford sells bunches of them and it's a license to print money; if it doesn't catch on, the downside isn't all that much.
Mochi Mochi on September 15, 2008 at 03:22 PM
I agree with Cookie. While it relegates the US to a 2nd or 3rd world status relative to the EU, it's not entirely inappropriate. My guess is they might have tried something like this, but the drooling Neanderthals at Ford US could not get the bananas out of their "ears" long enough to realize the wisdom of picking up some new (old) designs from EU Ford.
Rob the SVX guy on September 15, 2008 at 03:38 PM
Cookie: One problem. Tools and dies don't last forever. They're probably close to done, and you'd need to remake the whole thing. But hey, maybe not. >shrug<
David Colborne on September 15, 2008 at 05:10 PM
It might not be a matter of tooling - keep in mind that the US has safety standards that simply don't exist in the EU. Emissions aren't as big of a deal as they used to be - my understanding is that EU's emissions standards are nearly identical to the US ones these days, though I could be hideously misinformed about that.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on September 15, 2008 at 05:31 PM
Points taken. I figure there would need to be some re-engineering, but it would still have to be cheaper and faster than designing a completely new car.
Mochi Mochi on September 15, 2008 at 07:19 PM
The weight thing is not about safety - that hurdle can be overcome. Lotus clearly knows how - there's no big secret - cut out the bulk - most anyone can do it. The real killer is the buying public's obsessive love for options and extras. People don't want to buy a bare-bones car. Dealers know they don't sell. All this options creep makes for bigger fatter heavier cars. Which again is something that Detroit knows it can charge a premium for. The profit margin on a big car is much higher than on a small car - yet the costs of production are only marginally different. There are alternative approaches to wrenching more dollars out of the hands of buyers - exhibit A : the Toyota Prius. So you see in the end a Prius and an Escalade have more in common than might at first be expected.
Rob the SVX guy on September 15, 2008 at 07:56 PM
Yeah, the safety thing would be a hurdle, for sure. Weight can be a safety issue though, or lack of it, because if say.. an escalade rams you, you're going to change direction extremely quickly. That is inherently more unsafe. That said, we don't need an arms race to make the biggest, heaviest vehicles either. I think part of the problem is that most car companies offer a base model, and a heavy optioned out model. It sucks. My sister bought a new Honda Fit a month or two ago, and since it was the base model, it didn't have cruise control, nor did it have an iPod input. Now... these are not crazy luxurious options...but in order to get cruise control and an ipod input, she would have had to have purchased the sport model, which comes with bigger heavier wheels, a sunroof, foglights, bigger heavier wheels, stiffer suspension, a front lip, sideskirts, a rear valence, a rear spoiler, and a bunch of other crap. She wanted cruise control, and an aux input for her ipod, but didn't want the sport model, so she wound up purchasing a car that wasn't really perfect for her. I miss the days (not that I was around) when you could truly spec out your car, exactly how you wanted it.
Solon on September 16, 2008 at 09:15 AM
Here in Brazil, Ford has already launched a new version of the Ka. It ain't much larger (15 cm longer), but it sure looks a lot BLAHnder. You can see it from every imaginable angle in this link:
http://www.webmotors.com.br/wmpublicador/Testes_Conteudo.vxlpub?hnid=38700
In Europe, though, it seems Ford's going to launch a different version, based on the Fiat 500 (while the Brazilian version is based on the Fiesta). It sure looks prettier than ours:
http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=17896
regards,
duane on September 16, 2008 at 09:58 AM
The Ford Ka is also sold in Brazil. As well as something called the ford courier which is a small flex fuel pickup. Here is the link for those of you fluent in portugese https://www.ford.com.br/sr_courier.asp
Europe isn't the only place with little cars produced by american companies. Brazil has a GM outlet that builds vehicles not available here as well.
mmhurst on September 16, 2008 at 11:26 AM
The convertible is fun looking. Looks like a Audi TT convertible by way of Mini. As for the whole argument that safety and emissions keep these cars are the border - I have a hard time believing that the Nanny State and the EU as a whole has safety standards below the US these days. If I had to guess I would say that safety & emission standards are higher in the EU, but I wonder if anyone here really knows the low down on that? They sell the farking Smart car in North America so the safety argument for keeping these cars out of North America sounds a little hollow to me. And what, the emission standards on a Buick are better than a Ka. Hmmm.....
DensityDuck on September 16, 2008 at 04:40 PM
The Ka is also awesome because the SportKa kills birds and bites the heads off cats.
Ed Adams on September 16, 2008 at 04:58 PM
Well, it's clear that this crowd has not kept up with Ford news. Ford will bring the next generation Fiesta into the U.S. next year, followed by the next generation Focus the following year. Under COO Alan Mulally's guidance, there will be no more differentiation between Europe and U.S. versions.
Rob Crawford on September 16, 2008 at 05:28 PM
I believe "Ka" is ancient Egyptian for "spirit" or "soul".
Jim Nutt on September 16, 2008 at 05:34 PM
I rented a 1st gen Ka several years ago when I was spending time in Germany. It was a great car to drive, even in poor conditions and despite the fact that I'm a big guy, it wasn't particularly cramped. It was pretty funny driving in the Czech Republic during the first snow storm of the season passing all the BMWs and Mercedes that were just spinning their wheels on the slick roads.
Baba Ganoush on September 16, 2008 at 06:52 PM
The back end of the Ka reminds me a little bit of the AMC Gremlin
James on September 16, 2008 at 07:14 PM
"Compare user comments about the Focus (for example) on both sides of the Atlantic. Here, it's a crappy little shitbox in which you have to say a Hail Mary when you turn the key or it won't start. There, it's a decent reliable car."
I bought a 2000 Focus after test-driving a Jetta and a Civic. Liked the Focus best. Still have it, still love it, still totally reliable. Everyone should buy one, if they could get over their Ford-phobia.
Zhid on September 16, 2008 at 07:17 PM
Like Jim Nutt, above, I rented a Ka when I was on vacation in Greece in 1999. It was a bare bones car but it was a total blast to drive. We drove that little car hard on the winding, narrow roads of Greece and found it to be a tenacious little bulldog. Comfortable, nimble and it felt quick. I would have bought one had they been available in the US. Instead, I now drive a VW Rabbit.
André Kenji on September 16, 2008 at 08:52 PM
Yes. I think that the Ecosport SUV, sold in Brazil, is better than any gas guzzler sold in the US.
Chip on September 19, 2008 at 04:41 PM
Just got back from the Netherlands and Germany and I have to say that the Kas stick out like sore thumbs there. Seen by themselves they're somewhat cute, but parked next to GTIs, Golfs, and even the Festivas over there they look downright goofy. The hatchback line seems a bit forced to me... as if the designers we told they needed to shave off 50 lbs and so they chopped and smoothed. (We had a Nissan Note for that trip, btw...)
Auto Buying Help on October 02, 2008 at 10:56 AM
yes,this ford car will always rocking well in the market.This is very comfortable car.
Jason Carpp on December 02, 2008 at 10:37 AM
I have one word to describe the Ka: UGLY! Even the YouTube video dowsn't change my impression of the car. It's worse than the Scion in terms of styling and looks. I'd hate to see it here in Seattle. Ugh!