Ford Ka+ Review (2016-2020)

When Ford decided to replace its successful Ford Ka city car with something that would be a little more spacious and practical, it decided to use the same platform as the larger Fiesta. Yet to this it added a slightly less fashionable looking body and an interior that prioritised versatility over premium appeal. The result was the Ka+, which hit showrooms in 2016.

It is, in some ways, a little bit of an odd car, being neither a city car fish nor supermini fowl, falling between the two car segment stools. It can be compared to the likes of the Skoda Citigo, Vauxhall Viva and Hyundai i10, but also the Suzuki Celerio, Renault Twingo, Kia Rio and Dacia Sandero.

In many ways, this was the Ka going back to its roots as the very first model to bear the name was also based on a Fiesta. Its second-generation replacement on the other hand, was actually built on the same platform as the Fiat 500.

First impressions aren’t overwhelming, as the Ka+’s styling is somewhat bland: it's a stubby, stocky-looking car that looks as if practicality, rather than a desire to impress, was the underlying ethos behind the design. It's no Fiat 500, that's for certain, and it’s a far cry from the funky first-generation Ka that wowed buyers in the late Nineties with its head-turning looks and boldly styled interior.

It appears buyers weren’t convinced, either, with many either making a beeline for the competition or, in the age of PCP finance, simply paying a few extra quid for the more desirable Fiesta. Ford tried to breathe fresh life into the car with a facelift in 2018 that included revised looks, updated infotainment and some new engines, but the Ka+ remained a minority choice and it disappeared from showrooms in 2020.

Moving into the car, it quickly becomes clear that this is not quite what we expect from Ford, with a cabin that has clearly been built down to a budget. The plastics covering the interior surfaces are hard and feel inexpensive, but their saving grace is that they could, as a result, prove more durable. The cost-cutting is likewise reflected in the buttons and switches used on the rather spartan dashboard, which is functional enough, but lacks any effort to raise it above that.

The Ka+ was designed to provide owners with more space than the previous Ka, which it does, thanks to the higher roofline. This, along with the access afforded by the rear doors, means that the back of the car is more roomy and better suited to carrying adults. Headroom and legroom in the rear seats are good for a city car and certainly on a par with a lot of superminis, so it’s also a usable family car if you have young children.

The downside of this roomy rear is that the boot space isn’t massive. Yes, 270 litres is bigger than most city cars, but the 849 litres when folding down the back seats isn’t as voluminous as a Hyundai i10.

On the plus side, the driving position is good for such a small car, with a decent range of seat and steering wheel adjustment. There’s also a fair amount of cubby space, so storing phones, wallets and other family odds and ends shouldn’t be a Tetris-like challenge.

On the road is where most Ford models demonstrate their pre-eminence compared to their rivals, and this is also true of the Ka+, to a certain extent. There’s a lot of what makes the Fiesta and Focus so enjoyable to drive, such as direct and responsive steering, and suppleness to the ride quality that allows it to smooth out a high proportion of the bumps and broken surfaces of British roads.

That’s because under its fairly unglamorous skin, the Ka+ is based on more or less the same platform and suspension as the Fiesta, which gives it an impressively sophisticated feel. Not only does it ride and handle well, all the controls are precise and well weighted, including the light and accurate five-speed manual gearbox.

But unlike its siblings in the model line-up, there’s a fly in the ointment, which is the lacklustre engines that are available with the Ka+. Due to cost constraints, the Ka+ is denied the perky turbocharged EcoBoost petrol units and has to make do with the older 1.2-litre, which was available with either 68- or 74bhp. As a result, performance is somewhat limited, with the lower-powered version taking a sluggish 14.6 seconds for the 0-62mph sprint (or jog in this case), while the more muscular model requires a slightly sprightler 13.5 seconds.

For the 2018 facelift a 94bhp 1.5-litre diesel joined the range, and while it didn’t sell in big numbers it offers a decent performance uplift, with lots of torque for more effective pulling up hills and on the motorway. It’s not as quiet and refined as the petrol, but it’s a more attractive proposition if you’re planning on doing frequent long trips.

In keeping with the simplicity of the Ka+, Ford has kept the trim levels to a minimum, with just the entry-level Studio and Zetec, plus the Active trim introduced in 2018, which also receives styling features on the exterior and a jacked-up ride height to make it look more SUV-like.

Standard features on the base Studio trim include electric windows at the front, front fog lamps, AM/FM radio with Bluetooth connectivity, remote central locking with alarm, six airbags and Electronic Stability Control with Hill Start Assist. Zetec adds 15-inch alloy wheels, climate control, DAB radio/CD, Ford’s Quickclear heated windscreen, leather steering wheel and cruise control.

The post 2018 facelift cars also benefit from the more advanced and easier to use SYNC3 touchscreen infotainment system. Mounted on top the dashboard, it features fairly easy to use menus and responds crisply to inputs, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity make it a doddle to connect your smartphone.

There are three engine options available to Ka+ buyers, all of which offer reasonable economy figures. There are two versions of the four-cylinder 1.2-litre Ti-VCT petrol engine. The lower-powered of the two produces 68bhp that means 0-62mph takes a leisurely 14.6 seconds, while official fuel economy is 55.4mpg, although this is likely to be a lot lower in real-world use, especially in stop-start urban traffic. With an extra 15bhp, the higher-powered 1.2 Ti-VCT returns 49.5mpg in the better-equipped Zetec trim, or 55.4mpg with Studio trim.

The 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine – which has been chosen by a relatively small minority of buyers, so used examples will be harder to find – is more efficient and 68.9mpg is not to be scoffed at, especially if you cover a high mileage. It’s also the best performing engine, completing 0-62mph in 11.1 seconds.

The CO2 emissions that determine Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) are also pretty low across the board. The emissions from the two petrol engines range from 114g/km to 129g/km, so you’ll have to pay £155 a year on cars registered before April 2017, and £180 on cars delivered after this date. Any diesels registered before the 2017 cut-off will be tax free, with newer cars costing £140 a year.

As befits an inexpensive car, the Ka+ is cheap to insure, with entry-level models in group 1 and even the better-equipped Active models falling into group 5.

Servicing costs are also low, thanks to the relatively simple mechanicals. The cost of servicing is competitive and Ford does also offer a competitively priced fixed-price servicing plan.

The Ka+ wasn’t sold in high enough numbers to appear in most of the customer satisfaction surveys, so it's hard to be definitive about its reliability. However, it is based on the same platform as the Fiesta, which is a solid, if unspectacular performer in such polls.

As a brand, Ford doesn’t really excel in customer satisfaction surveys, either, usually appearing in the lower half of tables of most reliable manufacturers.

In its favour, the Ka+ is a relatively simple car in terms of its engineering, and doesn’t have a huge amount of complicated electronics, so it should be straightforward and inexpensive to fix if it goes wrong.

However, there are some reports from forums and owner feedback of issues including water leaks, fuel pressure issues and electrical problems.

Then, of course, there’s the warranty, which was the industry-standard three years and 60,000 miles, although only the most recent models will have the balance of this cover now. Most of its rivals have the same cover, but the Hyundai i10 has a five-year package and the Kia Rio has seven years of cover.