The 2009 Ford Ka: US Bound? Depends on How Much Cash Ford Wants to Make

[YSSMAN]

The first official image of the already-leaked 2009 Ford Ka has hit the web courtesy of the folks at CarTribe. Though we've seen shots of the car before, this is the first one we've seen given the photo studio treatment. As we reported, a Ford and Fiat agreement has led to a new Ka that shares many of its mechanicals with the cute and lovable Fiat 500. The car is supposed to be officially unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, so we're assuming we'll see more forthwith.

The little Ford will be made in Poland and will come with either the 63 HP 1.2-liter, 100 HP 1.4-liter gas and 75 HP 1.3-liter Multijet diesel engine. The hope is that a Ford Ka ST will be introduced at some point with a significant power increase and an improved chassis.

We're getting Fiesta love soon, but I want this too. Really bad. I love the design, the performance sounds easily acceptable, and I imagine that it is a very pleasant place to be inside. Plus, you can't fault the FIAT base...

EDIT:

Two new photos arise:

 

[superberkut]

Sharp-looking small car, and better-executed than the original Ka, in my opinion. A good car.

 

[TopHat]

That thing would be pretty quick with the 100hp motor.

 

[homeforsummer]

It's okay, but it's not as pretty as the Fiat 500 and not a patch on the original Ka in terms of concept. Despite BMW's best efforts the real "new" Mini was the original Ka. And the SportKa looked brilliant:

The design of the new one isn't as coherent (surprise surprise, just like I compared the new Mondeo to the much sharper previous Mondeo in another thread). I'm sure it'll be a great car to drive (though again whether it's better than the first Ka is a different matter) but overall I'm sure it'll be more interesting to the American users of this forum than it is to European users who have a much better choice of small cars.

 

[Joey D]

Wow that car is awesome, I love it. It's probably the best looking small car I've seen. I really hope we do get it state side.

 

[ExigeEvan]

It doesn't look bad...I'll hang back till there's a few more angles.


But, it's got the vauxhall hip!! arghhhh.

 

[F1GTR]

It's okay, but it's not as pretty as the Fiat 500 and not a patch on the original Ka in terms of concept. Despite BMW's best efforts the real "new" Mini was the original Ka. And the SportKa looked brilliant:

The design of the new one isn't as coherent (surprise surprise, just like I compared the new Mondeo to the much sharper previous Mondeo in another thread). I'm sure it'll be a great car to drive (though again whether it's better than the first Ka is a different matter) but overall I'm sure it'll be more interesting to the American users of this forum than it is to European users who have a much better choice of small cars.

The original Ka looked like it was wearing a nappy. It had dumpy proportions and a horrible interior - the only thing coherent about the old Ka was its ugliness. This new one looks as if a Mondeo got rear-ended by a Corsa - it looks better, but it just doesn't stand out.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

The first Ka was something completely different. This just looks like a supermini with Ford's new family face.

I am sure it'll drive great (500 base, plus Fords in Europe always have a good chassis tune), but it doesn't have the same impact as the MKI. Just like the Focus, really.

 

[ExigeEvan]

The original Ka looked like it was wearing a nappy. It had dumpy proportions and a horrible interior - the only thing coherent about the old Ka was its ugliness. This new one looks as if a Mondeo got rear-ended by a Corsa - it looks better, but it just doesn't stand out.

The original Ka was the first modern "cute" car, IMO, though I don't go back far. Before the new VW Beetle and the bubbly Micra. Girls love it.

And for such a small car to be fitted with something like a 1.3 gave it a little more poke than other small cars.

 

[killer450235]

Icanhazfordcarz/?
(Ford seems to love small cars now....)

 

[Robin]

Im not a fan of the new one... I prefer Ford's old edge styling.

This was when the Ka looked at its best.... the Street Ka.... a lot of styling cues derived from the Ford GT90 concept car! (but in miniture)

Robin.

 

[forza2.0]

It will sell. A young female favourite.

I once had a argument with a guy who had a KA on his forecourt how they managed to sell second hand KA's for nearly as much as a brand new ibiza. His answer was that even though the KA wouldnt be a patch on the ibiza, because it was such a popular car among women they got away with charging such high prices.

 

[Dave A]

That new Ka just looks like the new Fiesta has been put through a dehyation machine.

 

[Venari]

Proportion, proportion, proportion.

New Ka = Meh. Old Ka = WIN. Even (and most especially) in it's cheapest form, the old Ka was a masterpiece of both design and design engineering. If it would have had state of the art engines, it would have been fabulous. But, it would have been more costly, which went against the ethos of the car.

Expensive repair costs? Non-painted bumpers. Difficult to form creases in wheel arches? Nah, stick em on the bumpers.

Simple lines, cleanly executed.

And the Fiat 500 is pretty clean too. Not perfect, but enough. This Ka, hjowevr, is as already stated, a deflated Fiesta. And now out of proportion. Sorry, but it's not the same as the original Ka - no way. Better inside, maybe. Better chassi, maybe, but no way will it make the same impact. Not a chance.

 

[YSSMAN]

I love how Europe scoffs at it and Americans scream "can we have it!?" I think that's called irony?

 

[Tornado]

That's called ignorance. Its similar to everyones reaction every time GM announces we might get some rebadge of a Opel. We assume that because it is European it is better than anything we have by default. We get two of the best superminis on the European market, a couple of crappy ones and one terrible one. Throw in the Fiesta and 500 that we are getting sooner or later and all we are really missing is the Polo and Swift.
We don't need the new Ka (and we wouldn't even if Ford had room for it), and Ford certianly can't afford to move everything around for both the Fiesta and the Ka when they will probably have the hardest time just getting the Fiesta to fit in the North American lineup. And with the dollar currently weak, Ford most likely literally cannot afford to bring it here for a price anywhere near what people would pay for it.

 

[Robin]

I love how Europe scoffs at it and Americans scream "can we have it!?" I think that's called irony?

Its because the new one goes totally against the idea of the original.... plus it bares no family resemblance to its predecessor at all and is just a new Fiesta put in the microwave like the new Corsa.

The old Ka was like the modern original Mini...... it was cheap, very realible, resistant to damage, well built and it kinda looked good, the interior is like a shrine to 90's euro design... remember that clock!

The new one is like the new mini.. lost the point! Its bloated, more expensive, probably heavier, the panels look expensive to fix, looks really ulgy in my opinion (the Ka) (I hate curvy stuff). It just becomes another hatchback (well the mini has that huge following so its kinda different).

Ford made so much effort into getting the new Fiesta and Mondeo right and even the new Kuga but this seems to be something they just slapped together. I wish they would bring back edge styling so that everything looks like a geometry set that has been dropped on the floor!

Robin

 

[Joey D]

Cars have to get bigger and heavier due to increased safety standards, the original Mini would never fly today.

 

[Tornado]

The Fiat Seicento disagrees (okay, it is really old, but still). Besides, that was only a minor part of his point.

 

[YSSMAN]

Meh, oh well. Like Toronado said, we'll eventually get the 500. Somehow...

BTW: We've already got the Swift. We just don't have the Swift. The Suzuki SX4 Sport is about as close as we're going to get.

 

[Omnis]

Is it just me or does it look like the designer of that new Ka has a thing for the Ferrari California?

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Cars have to get bigger and heavier due to increased safety standards, the original Mini would never fly today.

The Mazda 2 would like to have a word with you.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Cars have to get bigger and heavier due to increased safety standards, the original Mini would never fly today.

You say that but there's alot of really flimsy electric cars knocking around London nowadays. Sure, they won't reach more than 30-40mph but the cars that run alongside them can still do 80-90mph+

 

[Robin]

Cars have to get bigger and heavier due to increased safety standards, the original Mini would never fly today.

The 107 / Aygo / C1 would also disagree with you.... actually loads of super small cars in europe are easy to lift with like 2 people.

Robin

 

[Scaff]

New Ka = Meh. Old Ka = WIN. Even (and most especially) in it's cheapest form, the old Ka was a masterpiece of both design and design engineering. If it would have had state of the art engines, it would have been fabulous. But, it would have been more costly, which went against the ethos of the car.

Expensive repair costs? Non-painted bumpers. Difficult to form creases in wheel arches? Nah, stick em on the bumpers.

Simple lines, cleanly executed.

100% agree with you, while I am biased, the current Ka is a simply great car.

The 1.3 (which is what my wife has) is a great engine, derived from the Ford Kent engine block it both sounds great and goes well. The interior of the car is excellently packaged (keep in mind that this is a decade old design now) and well thought out. The shape manages to avoid the problem most small cars have, and that is of rear head room, it also allows you to carry quick a surprising amount with the rear seats folded down.

As an example of that we bought a new cage for our rats this weekend (one of ours dies so we ended up adopting three new ones), my 320 was a total fail to get the new (very large) cage in it. Being a saloon the boot opening was too small and the M-sports seats stopped it getting loaded in that way. The Ka however was a different story, fold the back seats down and it went straight in through the boot no problem at all.

All of which is aside from just how well they drive, sorry Forza 2.0 but you can keep your Ibiza. It may have a better quality interior, but having driven many examples of both, I would rather have a basic Ka to drive over a basic Ibiza. Grippy front end + light rear + a short wheelbase = lift off oversteer and FUN.

The new one just looks a bit boring, shame really.

Oh and despite Forza 2.0's claim they are not expensive second hand at all, hell you can buy a Ka Sport 1.6 with 3k on the clock for less than a basic 1.2 entry level Ibiza (£8,995 for a 1.2 Ecomotive Freerider).


Regards

Scaff

 

[TheCracker]

Congrats to Ford for making what was once a very distinctive little car into a Vauxhall Corsa clone

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Am I hearing comments for the original Ka? Americans think it's cool, Europeans think it's crap, Aussies don't care, Asians have never heard of it. It's much more attractive than the Fiesta, but 100hp would struggle to cart around my body weight lest the whole car + me. But it would feel fast, because of how small the car is, and how much closer to the road it is. Like a go-kart or something.

It wouldn't handle the hill climbs I have on the way to work, and it does look like a Corsa from the back. (Not that I mind that, I think it looks a little sexy, like a woman with hips that draw your eye's attention whether you want to or not.)

Edit: Actually, seeing TheCracker's post, the Corsa looks way better, more low slung, why don't people like the Corsa? It's quite attractive.

 

[TheCracker]

Edit: Actually, seeing TheCracker's post, the Corsa looks way better, more low slung, why don't people like the Corsa? It's quite attractive.

Actually, the Corsa picture i've posted is the concept version. The real version sits higher and is also narrower too.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Actually, the Corsa picture i've posted is the concept version. The real version sits higher and is also narrower too.

It's only slightly noticeably narrower, and the ride height wasn't what I was commenting, just the styling, probably especially the headlight design, makes the Opel/Vauxhall look more low slung than the Ka. Both good looking cars though, just don't get involved in a crash with an SUV.

Edit: The belt line does it as well, it doesn't slop upwards like the Ka does.

 

[Sniffs]

no-fly zone in the US.

that's the current Corsa? looks better in Vaux form. must be the V grille.