Ka

jim1606 · 29-06-2006, 06:42 AM

Do you have the Ka in Oz?

kiwijohn42 · 29-06-2006, 07:37 AM

We did. Not bringing it in anymore. No owners appear to use this forum either.

robjh80 · 29-06-2006, 08:30 AM

Not too many around, was a complete disaster for Ford in regard to sales here in Oz, didn't last too long before it disappeared, almost "here today, gone tomorrow" scenario.

SP Ken · 29-06-2006, 08:56 AM

G'day Jim,

My wife has one and loves it to death. I got a set of alloy wheels and a Cat back sports exhaust put on it for her birthday last year and she thinks it's the ducks guts. I must admit it is a little odd looking in our garage, the Ka on one side and the Typhoon on the other.

Ken

jim1606 · 29-06-2006, 09:12 AM

A DISASTER? i really cannot beleive that! here it is always in the top 10 charts!!!!! i am shocked, it is hailed as the modern mini over here and as a classic :o, i thought it wouldve been huge.

Danny · 29-06-2006, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robjh80

Not too many around, was a complete disaster for Ford in regard to sales here in Oz, didn't last too long before it disappeared, almost "here today, gone tomorrow" scenario.

True that. Although it was out for a couple of years, Australians didnt warm to the radical "Squashed AU-esqe" Styling, the single cam Endura 4 cylinder engine, and the fact that it came solely in manual. So Ka was axed from the line up.

I must admit, I'd even never ever considered a small ford until focus and Fiesta were shipped here from the fatherland hahaha.

jim1606 · 29-06-2006, 09:22 AM

Are most cars sold in automatic in Oz then?

29-06-2006, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim1606

Are most cars sold in automatic in Oz then?

A majority of them are. perhaps a 30/70 split?

In Australia we were very much like Americans in that we loved big cars. Up until sometime last year, before petrol prices boomed, 4WDs and SUV were a top growing market. This year Focus and Fiestas, and others in the same size market (Astra and Corolla) are selling more (I think the Corolla outsold the top selling family cars(Falcon and Commodore) for a month in Feb, not too sure though).

Having said that the only Focus sold here are the 5 door, or 4 door sedan, and many Fiestas that are sold are the 5 door.

Not too many people would settle for a micro car here.

LethalLeigh · 29-06-2006, 09:49 AM

Auto is a popular option on small cars, particularly with first car buyers here. We also tend to have 1.3Ls as the smallest engine available on most light cars, so when the Ka was released it was already on the back foot.

murcod · 29-06-2006, 11:22 AM

We also didn't get any of the nicer versions of the Ka over here eg. Street Ka or whatever it was/is called?

Got good writeups for handling, but the engine and pricing against other peer vehicles sealed it's fate.

jim1606 · 29-06-2006, 06:19 PM

yeah the street ka and sport ka were great and well needed additions, but i suppose that is the difference in markets cause we love small cars the fiesta and ka, but the focus is deemed quite large here, it is seen as the family car, i wouldnt want to drive one because i think they are too big.

robjh80 · 29-06-2006, 08:32 PM

Apparantly the Ford Ka was sold in Australia from 1999 till 2003, a bit more than I first thought, it was dropped from the Ford lineup in 2003 due mainly to low sales and was replaced in the range by the WP Fiesta, so the Ka actually lasted for around 4 years in Oz......"wow, they must have sold a fair few of em in that time"................."well, half a dozen anyway"

:

jim1606 · 29-06-2006, 09:22 PM

Lol 4 yers is nothing compared to the 10 years it has been on sale here for

Teki04 · 29-06-2006, 09:41 PM

WOW - has it been on sale in UK for 10 years with no major revisions? IMPRESSIVE!

I'm taking a guess - but I think the Fiesta outsold the Ka within it's first year on sale here. Judging by how many I see on the road!

jim1606 · 30-06-2006, 02:48 AM

Well i know the fiesta outsells the ka here but the ka is the biggest selling micro car and somtimes even features in the small compact sales charts because of how many ford shift, my sister has a ka and it is really good.

yeah the ka was designed to not have to have any revisions and well it has worked but i am worried that when ford replace it in '08 it will loose all of its charm and character because it will be based on the Fiat 500.

LethalLeigh · 30-06-2006, 09:41 AM

Hey, don't be bagging the new Fiat 500. With the direction of fuel prices, I might be lining one of those up soon. Maybe paint it in some Abarth colours too!

**Polyal** · 30-06-2006, 12:11 PM

KA = gutless and very ugly from the rear. It was never going to sell here.

And we didn't get an auto because that would of made it even more pathetic.

simonr · 30-06-2006, 12:20 PM

lol the only thing good about the ka that i know were the ads...

Steffo · 30-06-2006, 01:31 PM

I learnt to drive manual in a Ka. That thing had so little power that it could not take off without the accelerator no matter what. Slowly easy out the clutch and the engine would just pop off. The car wouldn't bunny hop or anything like that, no power, it'd just turn off as if you used the key....

Every other manual I've driven will move forward if you hold the clutch at grab point without accelerating...

Teki04 · 30-06-2006, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steffo

Every other manual I've driven will move forward if you hold the clutch at grab point without accelerating...

I've thought like that before I got the Renault. It needs slight accelerator otherwise you will easily stall...

As for the Ka - I hated that thing. It was ugly, had a weird interior and gross colour choices. Basically, it appealed to females or drivers with no clue.

The Fiesta changed everything - it became a stylish benchmark, as well as a great drive with a spirited engine

murcod · 30-06-2006, 03:10 PM

The one thing I remember about the Ka was the interior- they still had a metal painted section at the top of the door trim just below the window. It really wreaked of cheap and nasty (just like my old 1984 Charade!!)

That sort of stuff went out in the '80s here in Australia.

Steffo · 01-07-2006, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teki04

I've thought like that before I got the Renault. It needs slight accelerator otherwise you will easily stall...

That's interesting... my mate's 1.6L Clio won't stall that easily...

jim1606 · 01-07-2006, 03:45 AM

see all of those points you are making are what we love about the ka so much, it is going to be a classic in the future! without a doubt!!

jim1606 · 10-07-2006, 01:22 AM

I was searching my database, and came across this image, how do you think this Ka would be accepted? It is the second generation version of the ka based on the 500 by fiat

Rev28K · 10-07-2006, 08:13 AM

Drove one as a hire car for a while. Very lacklustre engine but wonderful handling, way better than an Echos. The drink holder in the door fouled the manual window winders and the glovebox was a joke. Other than the lack of grunt (minimised in the StreetKa/SportsKa), I loved it.

P.S. Didn't Ford have some Ka's in Sydneys Gay Mardi Gra? That didn't go down well with the Ford hetro's.

goop · 10-07-2006, 08:56 AM

looks tops to me jim1606, love the rear wheel-arches.

I always thought 'our' Ka was about the ugliest sucker I'd ever seen on the road. I remember reading a review of it, and they summed it up nicely with: "it looks like it may hop away rather than roll", along those lines

LethalLeigh · 10-07-2006, 12:01 PM

Who needs a widebody kit with that thing? The guards are huge! Puts the Fez to shame even.

Steffo · 10-07-2006, 01:47 PM

That new Ka looks cool. They should bring that one here...

robjh80 · 10-07-2006, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim1606

I was searching my database, and came across this image, how do you think this Ka would be accepted? It is the second generation version of the ka based on the 500 by fiat

"Light years ahead of the one we got over here".....that ones pretty nice looking although it says its powered by either a 1.0L petrol or 1.3L Diesel engine....."dont like the sound of that bit"

:

jim1606 · 11-07-2006, 06:36 AM

Well i am pleased to hear that you like it this time

oh and a quick note to 'LethalLeigh' the original ka had massive arches!