2001 Ford Ka Collection 1.3 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Great to look at, great to drive and great to own!

Faults:

Someone dented the left rear panel between the fuel cap filler and the door. The dent was fairly minor, but if it had been any lower or larger it would've required the removal of the entire panel at great cost.

Otherwise, the Ka has been problem free!

General Comments:

The car handles brilliantly and is great to drive in (I'm a learner and yet it makes me seem good!)

Metallic paint scratches fairly easily.

Air conditioning makes the car extremely sluggish and has a major impact on fuel economy.

My only other gripe is that the power steering is very light and could do with being a touch less efficient!

The CD player is good, but I think two speakers in the rear would be beneficial as the car generates quite a lot of road noise and any music is drowned out for rear seat passengers.

We bought the car on import so we got a fully specified Ka Collection for the same price that you'd pay in the UK for the base version! I would fully recommend others taking this route as the savings are enormous!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th January, 2002

18th Jun 2002, 06:58

Update: I have now passed my driving test and I still love driving the Ka! The air con still seems to take most of the power out of the engine, and has made me stall on several occasions when the revs fall (and I may be a new driver, but I don't stall with the air con off!). Since the last review the Ka has been dented again, this time by someones door (I'm guessing, the dent is a vertical line so I assume this to be the case) the dent is fairly minor though so it probably won't be repaired. The only other problem is a kerbed alloy when trying to manoeuvere past an elderly driver who was parked across a junction, and didn't seem to appreciate the need to let anyone pass! (And they blame everything on the young). The Ka has also been serviced after reaching 10000 miles and this was done without any problems at a low cost, we were also allowed a courtesy Ka even though we hadn't bought out ka from that dealership.

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2001 Ford Ka Millennium 1.3 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A nippy, fun car to own. Not for the conservative

Faults:

Rear wiper has an intermittent fault: sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.

General Comments:

The air-con does soak up the power - I usually flip it off when going up hills if I need the power. However, either I'm getting used to this, or as the engine loosens up it's less of a problem. And the air con is great in warm weather or when de-misting in the wet.

The Millennium edition is based somewhere between the Ka2 and Ka3 in spec. Probably nearer the Ka3 although badged as a variant of the Ka Collection.

Its bright yellow colour attracts attention, especially from little children out with their parents who point and smile.

Interior is black leather and very comfortable, although taller people would find the seats a little short from front to back I think.

Rear room surprisingly good.

Front leg room excellent.

Interior styling fun and funky. Love the clock.

Wiper switch action a little non-standard: up for normal wipe action but down for intermittent so that to go from wipe to intermittent you have to go through "off" - confusing.

Hard to see the front of the car from the driving seat, but there is so little front that this is just not a problem. Same at the back.

Easy to park.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th December, 2001

4th Apr 2003, 12:31

Just to update this review: still love the styling and mechanically no probs., but paintwork another story. Rust showing through along where the sill seams are spot welded - both sides. This after only two years with low mileage (13000). Local Ford dealer said unlikely that this would be covered under warranty - so I have to revise my earlier comments and say I wouldn't buy from Ford again. Disappointing.

25th Sep 2003, 14:56

Update on the rusty seams: my local Ford garage DID finally re-spray the seams under warranty.

Recent problem (summer 2003) with car over-revving also fixed under warranty. I guess the "free" 3-year extended warranty might have been worth it after all.

Still fun to drive and air-con very worth it during the summer of 2003.

19th Nov 2003, 03:40

Can you put a picture up of it? because I have always loved the KA and I would LOVE to see a yellow one!

11th Jul 2004, 12:09

Final update on this Ka Millennium. I traded it in for a (no jokes please) Skoda Fabia 1.4 16v Elegance. Wouldn't have done so, but for the poor paintwork on the Ka and the indifferent service from my local Ford dealer. Got more than 50% of price I paid for the Ka three years ago - so OK I guess. But, although the Fabia is loaded with equipment and drives well, it's not as much fun as the Ka.