Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £7,395 to £11,195
Sharp drive, supple ride, cute looks.
Stingy on kit, limited space for adults in rear, lacks charm of Fiat 500.
The Ka out-drives the 500, but loses out on value and desirability.
Perhaps it's a little unfair to approach the new Ford Ka with such a huge weight of anticipation, but honestly, we can't help it.
That's because the tiny Ford has been co-developed alongside the Fiat 500 - the most exciting city car for a long time.
But instead of launching alongside the Fiat, we've had to wait an agonising 12 months for Ford to ready its own version - time we would hope Ford has spent addressing some of the 500's flaws.
Available initially with two Fiat-sourced engines, a 68bhp 1.2 petrol and a 74bhp 1.3 Mulitjet diesel, the Ka comes in four trims: Studio, Style, Style+ and Zetec. It will be aggressively priced to undercut the Fiat 500, with prices starting at just £7,995 - that's £100 cheaper than the equivalent Fiat.
The cute second-generation Ka might have price on its side, but does it have enough talent to overshadow the 500's hugely desirable retro flavour?
Click here to book a Ford Ka test drive
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Latest Readers' Drives About the Ford Ka
wrote on 14 08 2006