IT might come as a shock but this city slicker and Fiat’s 500 are twins separated at birth.The two were co-designed by Fiat and Ford but despite the Ka’s cameo in the last James Bond film it’s been the iconic Italian which has grabbed headlines so far.
The Ka may not have the crowd-pulling looks of the 500 but it’s still a pretty car. It’s also a better machine than its radical ancestor, which proved so successful it lasted 12 long years in production.
Anyone used to the old Ka’s go-kart steering isn’t going to be dissapointed with this new version, even if the ride’s still a bit bouncy.
Ford say they have tweaked the suspension to make it more sporty than the 500, and anyone who hustles this through a tight roundabout is going to love its fun handling and all round ease of driving.
It’s just a shame that this Ka is always going to live in the shadow of the radical original, but that’s more a reflection of how bold the original was when it came along in 1996 than any failing of this one.
It might not be a car to change the world, but the new Ka is better than the old one in every way, and it’s a small car that celebrates smallness.
If you’ve driven a Fiat 500 and been at all dissapointed, you might want to give one of these city slickers a try.
Thundersley Inva Ka
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