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Please Sir, Ka-n I have some more? Image by James Jenkins.

Please Sir, Ka-n I have some more?
Ford has expanded the range to include the StreetKa and SportKa derivatives. The Ford SportKa has been reworked in all areas to build upon the capabilities of the Ka and offers a more spirited and focused driver's car.

   



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Ford's Ka is a familiar sight on our roads now. Launched as an affordable entry model to the Ford range, the Ka's concept car looks made it a real standout and it has sold consistently over the years. One of the Ka's greatest attributes has always been the driving experience, offering fun as well as cheeky looks making it a favourite for young people, and old, looking for a car that's fun to drive and cheap to buy and run.

It's always been fairly obvious that the base chassis could handle significantly more power and as time has gone on Ford has expanded the range to include the StreetKa and SportKa derivatives. The Ford SportKa has been reworked in all areas to build upon the capabilities of the Ka and offers a more spirited and focused driver's car.

The cutesy city car looks lend themselves surprisingly well to some beefing up with the sculpted body-coloured bumpers front and rear and flared wheelarches giving the SportKa a very different look to the lesser variants with their cheaper black fittings. Our test car came with "GT" stripes that will be a matter of personal taste (my 20-something friends derided me for their presence so I'm guessing they're meant to appeal to the younger buyer), something you could probably say about the SportKa in general.

The Ford SportKa maximises the benefits of its small size with a wider track that pushes the wheels even further out to the corners than in the standard car. The 16-inch alloys are shod with 195/45 Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres that mean the lightweight SportKa generates lots of lateral grip. The retuned suspension is lower and stiffer and the handling is an improvement over the already highly capable Ka. Turn-in is very sharp; one forgets the positive effect a relatively short wheelbase brings in terms of ultimate agility, and the cornering attitude is very neutral eventually giving way to understeer but clinging on gamely, and communicating the level of grip well, up to the limit.

The 95bhp 1.6-litre 8-valve four-cylinder engine matches the chassis very well. Outright pace isn't remarkable with 0-60mph taking around ten seconds, but the torquey nature of this unit, in tandem with the low weight, makes the Ford SportKa deceptively quick. The nature of the delivery isn't great either with the engine not really enjoying being revved hard. On the upside, it is fairly economical, managing 35mpg in our hands. The gearchange is precise and positive and is a joy to use with well spaced ratios meaning that the SportKa is as happy on the motorway as it is on its preferred stretches of twisty back roads.

Ford's SportKa retains the positive steering feel found in other Kas although I'd prefer a nicer steering wheel over the thick spoked one fitted. The wheel out of the Fiesta ST would have been a sensible addition to the spec sheet. No complaints with the rest of the interior though. The multilayered swooping dash looks good and works well with well laid out and clear switchgear and easy to read dials and gauges. Interior space is good too with a usable boot and decent rear seat space; the bubble shape pays dividends with good headroom as well.

We tested the SportKa SE, which features full leather seats (trimmed to match the body panel colour), which are supportive and comfortable. There is also leather trim on the door inlays that looks and feels good quality and is well finished and fitted. Our test car came with an upgraded stereo with a six CD-changer in the dash, a 'Quickclear' windscreen (which proved its worth several times during hard overnight frosts), metallic paint and the Reflex Pack that includes additional airbags and as such is something of an essential. With all these options this SE-spec SportKa comes in at £12,400, a fairly heavy price to pay for a car that was originally designed to be affordable. The interior is at least a match for cars such as the new MINI and Mitsubishi Colt although I'd save the premium needed to buy the SE spec and settle for cloth seats in the SportKa.

The Ford SportKa reminds me very much of the original Mini Cooper, offering lots of fun in a pint-sized package, but at a price. For those in the target demographic it has many of the essential desirables: it looks good and drives even better and has something of a fun factor not found in many of its rivals.
Ford SportKa UK range overview

- Ford SportKa: £10,300
- Ford SportKa SE: £11,300

Dave Jenkins - 21 Feb 2006



  www.ford.co.uk    - Ford road tests
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2005 Ford SportKa specifications: (SE)
Price: £11,300 on-the-road (test car had options amounting to a total price of £12,400).
0-62mph: 9.7 seconds
Top speed: 108mph
Combined economy: 37.2mpg
Emissions: 182g/km
Kerb weight: 944kg

2005 Ford SportKa. Image by Ford.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.

2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.



2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.
 

2005 Ford SportKa. Image by James Jenkins.
 






 

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