Test drive Ford KA 1997 - 2008 hatchback

God's "ka"-"Ford"

Ford Ford KA
Ford KA has been produced since January 1997 in Valencia by the European branch of Ford. A four -seater car is produced only with a three -door hatchback body and is equipped with two options for a 1.3 -liter gasoline engine - 50 and 60 liters. With.

For a long time, a fashion for angular-sore bodies passed. The era of washing bio -design ends. What will be worn by cars of the twenty -first century? Ford designers believe that the New Age style is the most relevant - a new line. Its characteristic feature is rounded surfaces, hailled by sharp lines. It is such that the first -style first -style has visited our test - Ford Ka worth $ 13,700.
The appearance of a small car clearly causes some associations. The shape of the body, he resembles a ladybug, and spread out the rear wheels - crouching with fear of a puppy. However, one thing is undoubted - increased attention and interested (sometimes surprised) views of those around him, and therefore, are provided to the driver. Checked. And since Ka is intended primarily for women, here, as they say, a hundred percent hit is evident. Well, now about more serious.
For Russia, in addition to the 16 mm road clearance and reinforced suspension, a power steering of a variable productivity has appeared in the list of standard equipment, even for the most modest configuration of K-1 ($ 11,500). The ladies will appreciate this. By the way, our car (in the K-2 configuration) boasts electric windows, radio, central lock and some other excesses. To avoid accusations of excessive feminism, we note that the components of the three parts of the bumper will help out not only women - beginner drivers are enough among the strong half of humanity. So, many will appreciate the ability to get off with replacing only a third of the bumper after sloppy parking. But located outside, under the floor of the trunk, the spare wheel, with our cleanliness of the streets, is unlikely to delight someone, not to mention lovely ladies. Imagine a picture: a dank elegant lady, who, to put it mildly, in an unelebrated pose, picks out a spare tire from somewhere under the car ... However, you can ask for help from some roadway gentleman.
Due to natural curiosity, the hostess will not pretend to look under the hood. And it will be pleasantly surprised - all probes, traffic jams, levers for which you can and should be taken with hands are marked with yellow. Great! However, do not rush to rejoice: the lack of protection of the motor compartment and large windows in the spray-cutting of the front wheels give reason to assume that after a thousand or two kilometers under the hood, everything will be of the same color-dirty gray.
In European, along the lower edge of the front spoiler, the rudder of the steering hydraulic power steering is also laid. Well, the overseas designers do not want to understand the features of Russian national roads - there is a thoroughly dirt, and single defects of the coating are not so lonely and, as a rule, very deep, and even the borders grow like weeds grow, where it fell to unthinkable sizes. However, we will not be distracted. We slap the hood and look into the four -seater, according to the instructions, the salon.
The height of the doorway and ceiling in the front was clearly selected in the calculation of the unpredictability of fashion for hairstyles and hats. Here you can easily sit with a haystack on the head and in a hat. There is also no reason to fear for cleanliness of stockings or trousers - the threshold protrudes a little further than the lower edge of the door and cuts off the dirt flying from the bottom.
The interior of the salon is unusual, and the front panel is generally a continuous avant -garde. The radio can be recognized only upon closer examination - it looks so unusual. And the cracker is unlikely to be liked by a non -standard unit. Original and very convenient are cosmic deflectors of the ventilation system. On the right side of the panel - a regiment -deepening with a small niche under a removable bottom - such a two -story glove compartment. In addition, all over the salon - many diverse pockets and pockets for all sorts of things. The front seats are quite convenient, but the upper part of the wide male back, alas, remains without support. But a miniature woman will come right.
In the back seat, frankly closely - with a height of 180 cm, you will have to sit literally twisting. If you have the first or second growth, enjoy comfort. Open the rear windows, put something in voluminous glove compartment on the sides, lift or lower the back (yes, such adjustment is not only ahead), finally, throw it up a half forward and check the contents of the trunk. In short, feel like an adult. Have not grown yet. Because, to be honest, the passenger capacity of the KA should be assessed more like 2+2 than 4. And then everything becomes (more precisely, everyone sits down) in its place: a concentrated mother - at the wheel, condescending after her Mercedes dad - on the right, a pair of restless solders - behind.
Turning a little with an invisible ignition lock, mom revives a small Ford, and the family touches the road. At low speeds, the little car reacts sensitively to each steering wheel movement, gaining solidity as it accelerates. True, at maximum rotation angles, the steering elements are excessively strictly hit on stops. No, it is better to regret the baby and henceforth twist the steering wheel more accurately. Widely arranged at the corners of the wheel and a hard short -flowing suspension provide minimum rolls in corners and protect against swing. However, on irregularities you have to reduce speed - the car is clearly designed for the best roads. Soft and effective brakes are very good, although the absence of ABS in a female car is a clear miscalculation. It is not good that allows you to not contact the gearbox once again. The controls are convenient, only the impossibility of one movement, as on the Lada, turn on both the front wiper and the washer.
Eyeles. Turn on the headlights. Luminous badges appear on the front panel and doors - not only devices are highlighted, but all the switches, including electric windows. The backlight looks a little rustic - greenish light, like on an escort, flooded and a black field between the instruments. Because of this, the panel is slightly similar to the night window. However, perhaps there is some meaning in this. After all, behind the wheel is a woman. Maybe this will distract her a little from the windows of the stores floating past!

Guarantees, service
General guarantee - 1 year without limiting mileage; The warranty for the body is 6 years; The cost of a norm-hour on the service is $ 30-35; The frequency of service is 1 year or 15 thousand km.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
General data: number of places - 4; Equipped mass - 890 kg; Full mass - 1265 kg; maximum speed - 155 km/h; acceleration time from a place to 100 km/h - 15.4 s; fuel consumption in conditional suburban and city cycles - 5.2; 8.3 l/100 km; fuel supply - 42 l; Fuel is unhealthy gasoline AI -95. Dimensions, mm: length - 3620; width - 1639; height - 1413; base - 2448; The track in front/back - 1392/1408; Road clearance - 156; trunk volume - 186/724 l; The radius of rotation is 4.5 m. The engine: with distributed injection, four -cylinder in a row, located in front transversely; working volume - 1299 cm; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 74.0x75.5 mm; compression degree - 9.5; Power - 44 kW/60 liters. With. at 5000 rpm; The maximum torque is 103 N.M at 2500 rpm. Transmission: front wheel drive; gearbox - mechanical five -speed; Transporting numbers: I - 3.15; II - 1.93; III - 1.28; IV - 0.95;
V - 0.76; h. X. - 3.62; The main program is 4.06. Suspension: in front - independent, such as McEferson with a reptile stability stabilizer, behind - semi -dependent with an elastic transverse beam. Brakes: hydraulic with a vacuum amplifier, front - disk, rear - drum. Steering: rheck with a hydraulic wrap. Tire size: 165/65R13.

K-2 equipment
Roll hydraulic wire, reinforced suspension, central lock, immobilizer, radio, electric windows, driver safety pillow, anti -jacket bars in the doors, drivers adjustable in height, cut (1: 1) back of the rear seat with adjustable tilt angles, rear headwovers, opening windows, opening windows, opening windows, opening windows, opening windows The cleaner and heating (with a timer) of the rear window, the gas tank lock, the headlights electric corrector, the sound alarm on the light of the light, the clock, the emergency fuel cutout, the decorative caps of the wheels.

+ Excellent steering, lack of swing on irregularities, minimum rolls in corners, high maneuverability, economy, good brakes, a good motor, non -standard radio, comfortable deflectors, high -in -front salon, original appearance and interior, hidden rear head restraints, abundance of niches and pockets in Salone, a high doorway with non -triumphant thresholds.
- lack of ABS, hard suspension, only four places, a tight and low interior on the back, uncomfortable fitting, not very comfortable front seats, small external mirrors, ignition lock in an invisible zone, illogical control of the wipers, the absence of door lock buttons located outside, located outside The reserve, a miniature glove compartment, a small trunk.

SUMMARY
The advertising motto with which Ka came to Russia - your stylish girlfriend is absolutely fair. It should only be clarified that yours are not strong, as it seems at first glance, but to a weak (and of course, beautiful) half of humanity. Ford Ka is the car, nevertheless, mainly for a young woman who has children or not, or they have not yet grown. The husband is an optional condition, but if he is, then with his large car.
 
Yuri Nechetov.
Photo by Sergey Ivanov

Source: The magazine "Driving"