2003 Ford Ka Sport from UK and Ireland - Comments

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.

Key in your comment is: "not the car we expected it to be" - Well one cannot expect comfort in a car that is labeled SportKa - one must expect sport. And as a sporty car the car is absolutely great. I have one, and I love it. Never any problems with it. Fuel usage is OK. Handling are just fabulous. Engine has great power all way down to 1500 RPM. I had choico of red, blue and black interior, and red, blue, silver, black paint. full safety fitting too. Great car.

AHN, Denmark.

This review is based on a Sport Ka SE UK spec. At the time of purchase the leather seats only came in black with blue inserts. No other colour option was available. I have a twenty year old XR2 (my pride and joy) which outperforms the Ka without a problem. For a modern car with a 1600cc engine this car is not very quick at all and the engine is very audible and harsh. This is something that has been noticed in several other reviews. There is no denying that the handling is just about perfect, but the car is flawed in other areas that spoil the experience. We have owned a new Ka luxury before this which was a fine car and my expectations were based on this experience which I think is a fair comparison. For a tiny car with a fairly large engine my expectation would be for it to shift itself pretty rapidly!

High fuel consumption is also a complaint often heard from other Ka owners this one being no exception. This car is driven fairly hard by myself, but 25 MPG is a little on the steep side none the less.

Regarding comfort... our last Ka had the older style dash which had the warning lights in the right hand corner where they could be seen. Ford has now moved these to the top of the dash where they are completely obscured by the non adjustable steering wheel!

Then there's the engine noise... It's fair to say that my old XR2 makes a bit of a racket when you put your foot down, the exhaust note is deep and it's a pleasing noise. Now jump into the Sport Ka and put your foot down, it's not a pleasing throaty noise at all, it's just harsh. This can get very irksome on a long motorway trip.

My expectation was for this car to be quick with good handling a pleasing and a pleasing noise from the engine. In reality it only delivers in the handling department, in my opinion Ford could have done a lot better than to put the remnants of a Ford Anglia engine under the bonnet.

I too have a new SPORTKA and I am bitterly dissapointed. The car is dreadfully slow, anything with a 1.4 engine or above will lick it or easily match it!The gears are too short, engine runs out of puff to soon and it DRINKS petrol. I can't beleive FORD made such a good looking, handling car then cursed it with snail like performance!!I shall definately be trading mine in when it's a year old!!!

Hi. I have a SportKa 2004 with the 1,6i duratek engine. It performs quite well with strong torque - actually it has 135 nm, and 90% of this at just 1500 rpm - that is great for every day use and at the cornery small roads.

OK, do not take a long trip down the fastlane, it will be to noisy. This is not a travelers car - it is a great sporty car with fabulos handling and perfect gearshift.

I bought a Weitec adjustable shocks and springs that makes it 4-5 cm lower and very stiff. This makes it handle even better. Plus a set of 7x17" wheels with 125/40 Goodyear F1 tyres. That works like a Gocard. GREAT handling, nothing beats my SportKa in the city and on the small roads.

For extra noice I use a K&N sport filter - sounds great. Next step will be a power trim of the engine.

As topGear wrote

""...There’s no doubt the Ford Ka could run rings around the other three through a deserted Spitalfield Market in the middle of the night. It’s a right little street geezer, ducking and diving like nothing else here. Nothing cuts into a corner as instantly, nothing has such direct steering and nothing is such pure, undiluted fun.

"... "SportKa SE hits the sweet spot on the fun front every time, whether you are a fan of the styling or not. It’s the ultimate urban racer"..."What we are looking for is a little liveliness and a lot of spirit, and the SportKa is more than happy to oblige on that front.

Its new 1.6-litre Duratec may only have eight valves and just one camshaft and it may have the least horsepower with just 94bhp (95hk), but it’s an eager little beaver. It’s keen to rev and even if the engine isn’t the last word in refinement, the gearbox is.

Admittedly it’s a fair old reach down to the gearlever, but the little aluminium ball gearknob feels good and positively dances between ratios, helping create a feeling that you are absolutely flying along.

Take a look at the test figures though and, while the Ka is excellently responsive in fourth and fifth gears, it’s not lightning fast to 60mph. Ironically it’s the car that at times felt the least responsive on the roads, but proved the quickest accelerating at the track."...

The label SportKa are perfect. Not touring, not luxury, not MPV, not anything, but Sport. I do have a car more for family use, but I do prefer my SportKa when I hoover round city and on a sunny day in the country side.

It could be a better car - but at the price nothing come close. (It costs 20.000 € in denmark, but all cars are burdened with 180% tax here - no kidding).

Nielsen, Denmark.

I too have a sportKa, I think that this is a little cracker. I have taken on the Saxo VTR's and such like and cained them. I think that most people forget this is a city car not a motorway cruiser.

I have had my 9 months, no problems here just the numb cheeks of my face as I smile as Mr/Mrs Rep try to overtake in their 2 litre Mondeo's and Vectra's. I have owned 5 Ka's an loved them all because most people expect you to be a girl or rather camp, but when a 17st rugby player gets out they seem shocked, remeber that Wayne Rooney owned one as it meet the critera for young people, cheap insurance, good looking, mine is the SE in Imperial Blue and all the toys, handles like it is on rails and offer great value for money. A friend has an ST170 and comments all the time that he has nearly twice the power and struggles to keep up unless he drives really hard and still mine corners better. The body roll is well controlled and for 2 people is fine, but the car struggle to fit in 4 adults and the extra weight taints the fun of the car.

People say the engine is harsh which it can be, but the exhaust note is nice, reminds me of the old cooper s the sportKA has a top speed of 108mph so sitting at 80mph on the motorway mean 4000+ rpms, turn the radio up and enjoy the flexible engine most power is available low down so I tend to change at around 5k rpm, but it I pull right through to the redline.

As one motor magazine stated it can be 'fun at 50'. This is at home on the back roads here one BMW 323 owner was suprised to see a little KA rapidly gaining behind and after a few slow corners ie 35mph in 3rd gear rapidly passing him blasting off round the corners. I have covered 16k miles of motorway and town and am really happy with the car. The Ford dealer was excellent and very well priced (shop around I saved 50%) just a bit further to drive.

Do not be put off by people with bad reviews I would just by secondhand as the first year depreciation is steep. DO not expect this to be a luxury car, it is a mini rally car!!!

Note to Mr XR2, the xr2 maybe faster, but if you crash in it you die, at least the SportKa has safety and the ABS unlike the XR2 with I saw piled into a corner in the sno the other week. The xr2 is far to CHAV nowadays and so it the SAXO and 106GTI, the SportKa offer a funky alternative.

Hi all, I have had my Sport Ka SE for around 10 months now, a 53 plate which is just coming up to 12500 miles which are virtually all mine. Bought second hand through Ford Direct and although I went through a negative patch, once the miles had clocked up the engine seems much livelier and fuel consumption is not half bad. You have got to consider it’s a small tank, and a big gauge!

As for service; only problem I had was with the airbag warning light coming on. My car went in to the garage that week, back out the same day fixed with a full valet! Which impressed me no end, the service department so far has been fantastic!

As for the sales be cachous they seem more determined to sell you their finance than the car itself, which I didn’t like. Shop around and find the deal that suits you and your specific needs. Plus be sure to get a good test drive, a few may be worth while before you invest your cash.

The car is fun, quick enough to excite (who needs to go faster than 108mph?) sitting on the motorway just fine, I do a 300 mile round trip every other weekend in it.

Bad points: Be sure the seating position suits you and note the lack of clutch pedal foot rest for long journeys! (Worst point I think)

My Black Sport KA SE still puts a smile on my face wether it's flooring it off a roundabout or walking up to it in a car park, and that’s got to be a good thing 10 months after purchase!

Don’t let bad reviews put you off, make your own decision!

I have just purchased a brand new Sport KA SE. So far I've had it a month and clocked up 550 miles. As I am still on run-in, I haven't been able to find out its true potential yet.

I decided to opt for Panther Black metallic paint, with the infra red and black leather, as I have not seen one with it before, and it is absolutely gorgeous!

I have only had one bad surprise from my SportKa, the turning circle is awful!! This really surprised me as it is such a tiny car.

In response to comments about the loud engine, this is true when you are sat on the motorway at 4000rpm, but the performance is still surprisingly good.

Ford were a great pleasure to deal with when purchasing it, and even helped me out with high insurance costs. (I'm 18)

This is a great car for the girl around town, and I would recommend it to anyone!!

I own a sportka in imperial blue, I think it's an excellent car overall, for a small car that has leather seats aircon, cd player, electric mirrors plus, electric windows, alloys wheels, you can't go wrong with this nipper of a car, it's a rare looking car,that passers buyers will look twice at, so go for it, five star ratings from me *****

I own a sportka in imperial blue, I think it's an excellent car overall, for a small car that has leather seats aircon, cd player, electric mirrors plus, electric windows, alloys wheels, you can't go wrong with this nipper of a car, it's a rare looking car,that passers buyers will look twice at, so go for it, five star ratings from me *****

The only car in my mind can get close to the looks of this sportka is the fiesta st in imperial blue.

I have just purchased a second hand SportKa in imperial blue with full leather. My previous car was a tuned Focus ST170 pushing out 207 BHP at the flywheel, but was far less fun to drive than the SportKa. Remember that it only weighs around 900 Kg, coupled with 135 Nm of torque gives it awesome low down acceleration and brilliant throttle response. I'm getting 30 mpg while giving it death bouncing it off the rev limiter, 40 mpg when taking my time. Add a K&N induction kit and sports exhaust and you get an intoxicating sound from the engine every time you put your foot down! Its fun fun fun! And not to mention the handling, stunning looks and that wicked super close ratio gearbox (unlike the focus/fiesta ST`s boring long ratios!) makes it like a little rally car.

If you can't enjoy yourself in this car then you don't know how to drive.

Track day enthusiast and dedicated petrol head.

My new imperial blue sport ka se is just brilliant what a super little car, it goes great sounds great, handles like its on rails and the gear ratios are just perfect, I had a standard ka which was good. I liked the look of the sport ka drove one and that was it hooked! worth every penny.

If you want a quiet, refined, comfortable, economical relaxed car then don't buy a Ford Sport Ka. If you don't drive regularly on motorways and dual carriage (because it can be wearing to drive on these types of roads) and are in the market for an entertaining runabout that's full of character then a second hand Sport Ka could be just the thing.

The secret of the little devil is that it feels and sounds like you're bombing along when perhaps in reality you're not and on todays busy roads that's perhaps a good thing. Insurance is very affordable and so far after 18 months of ownership only a couple of warranty repair issues have blotted the Ka's copy book.

Getting into any other car (except perhaps a Lotus Elise) after a few cross country miles in the Sport Ka and I can almost guarantee you that your smile won't be as broad. It's a bit of a street urchin really, always ready for a bit of rough and tumble. No, it's not that fast, but find an empty roundabout and go for it - no other car for the money will keep up - I promise you.

A used 53 or 04 plate Sport Ka SE (with aircon) can be had for 4 grand - worth every penny. Enjoy.