2003 Ford Ka Sport review from UK and Ireland

Loose shock absorbers from new.

Windscreen wiper fuse blows frequently.

Very poor fuel consumption.

Steering column rattles when cornering hard.

Our new Sport Ka was bought to replace a Ford Ka Luxury which proved to be a very reliable and comfortable car. We liked our old Ka so much that we had no hesitation in deciding to buy another Ka. With hindsight this now seems to have been the wrong decision to make.

Our problems started the moment the new car was driven out of the showroom when we noticed a loud knocking noise from the rear of the car. The car was taken back to the dealers the same day and it was found that the rear shock absorbers were faulty. The car was repaired and returned to us a week later still with less than fifty miles on the clock. A day later the windscreen wipers stopped working on the motorway during heavy rain. The problem turned out to be a blown fuse which was replaced by the dealer, but this still blows every so often although no problem with the wiring can be found.

In fairness to the dealer, a new six disc CD changer was fitted as a free upgrade due to the problems we had experienced.

After having these problems sorted out the little Sport Ka has proved to be very reliable and can be fun to drive, but it's not a car that we have fallen in love with. The main reason for this is the harsh engine which is very loud and has to be worked hard to get any sort of decent performance out of it, add to this petrol consumption of around 25 MPG and you can begin to see why we have found this a hard car to live with.

It's not just the harsh engine that spoils the car, but some other minor things too, like the steering column being fixed and not adjustable, or the warning lights on the dashboard being completely obscured by the steering wheel. The black interior seems to show up the slightest dust and is uninviting to sit in. We also found it odd that Ford only offer the SE version with blue inserts to the seats despite offering the car in various colours! This obviously clashes with most of the colours offered except Imperial blue or silver. The Imperial blue paintwork seems to show up dirt and any tiny scratches and needs constant washing and polishing to look it's best.

It's not all bad news though, as the Sport Ka is heaps of fun to drive on twisty roads, the handling is spot on and the steering is pin sharp. The gearbox is a pleasure to use with short shifts and close gearing.

On the motorway it's a different story altogether, the engine becomes very loud and you can almost watch the fuel gauge go down with every mile, once you get up to speed you find yourself looking for another gear.

On the whole this is not the car we expected it to be, and we are looking forward to the day it is sold. It's not a particularly bad car, but it has failed to live up to our expectations. We have realized that for over £11000 there is much better value for money than this.