Faults:

Top mount needed replacing.

Brakes needed replacing.

Clutch hose needed replacing.

Rear coil spring broke.

Front strut needs replacing.

General Comments:

Good little car, nippy in urban areas and definitely feels fun to drive. You can feel what the car is doing, so you feel bumps in the road through the steering wheel, know when it's skidding a bit, steering is very hard and responsive. The brakes require some force, but can lock the wheels must be acceptable. The car handles well; a little roll in the corners and slight loss of traction, but never skids.

The cabin is quite small, and really this car is a 2+2; only small children/animals/luggage really can go on the back seats. Top speed listed as 96mph, but it will go 108mph before the rev limiter steps in. Does about 35mpg, 45 if driven like a train.

Really needs to be revved to accelerate reasonably, there is not a lot of torque, however lack of a rev counter doesn't help much.

The car heats up quick in the cold, A/C is very useful. Good first car for someone who only rarely carries more than 1 passenger. I can't imagine driving the 1.0 litre, the extra 300cc makes a big difference on slip roads, country lanes etc.

Boot is small but seats do fold forwards for more space. Also the exterior styling is more suited for a girl than a boy.

The seats are slightly uncomfortable after about 3 hours, but having not driven another car for that long without a break, that could be typical.

Faults:

At around 10,000 miles the interior blower motor failed - new unit fitted under warranty.

At around 50,000 miles the front suspension failed under MOT - suspension struts replaced for around £100 by dealer (car out of warranty by then). Also front brake discs failed MOT - dealer quoted over £100 for the whole job, so replaced myself (note: disc material seems soft, pads themselves only half worn).

At the 60,000 mile service, I was told by the dealer that the power steering rack was leaking, but was safe mechanically to use. Tried using power steering fluid additives subsequently to expand the rack seals - dead loss - rack leaked even more - think twice before you use these wonder quick-fix products!

At its MOT a couple of months later, the same dealership failed the steering rack - apparently the rack was now also worn, giving play in the steering, and the leak is actually an MOT failure anyway - dealer didn't mention this at the previous service, which would have given me much more time to replace the rack myself before the MOT!!! Dealer quoted nearly £900 to fit a new rack! In the end I found a new rack on eBay for £120 and will be fitting it myself. The fact that the rack started leaking and was failed for wear at a relatively low mileage is dismally poor for a modern car. Other cars I have owned never gave such expensive (and potentially dangerous) problems even after 120,000 miles. Rack problems seem common with Ka's, which suggests poor design - hence Ford should offer at least a reduced cost for replacing the unit - I think I know what the answer will be if I asked!

General Comments:

Love the Ka, mine is very reliable, fairly nippy, comfortable, easy to park, and cheap to run - but the steering rack going so soon? - Not acceptable really - definitely a deciding factor on my next car purchase!!

Ford - you listening?