I had a 1998 KA that was given to me. It was nice - I could park anywhere. When I left Europe and tried to give it away- nobody in my office wanted it. Haha
Chris Oliver it was normal for the plastic parts to not be colour coded back then. Even early examples of some models that soon after adopted colour coded exterior plastics started out with non colour coded ones, like some S and T reg Peugeot 206s and R reg Astra Gs
I have one as my first car and I will say now. 48 MPG is complete bullshit. I have a newer one with the Duratec Rocam and I tested my average MPG, mixing some city driving with a motorway drive to London and back. I filled the car back to full after burning through half a tank and I averaged 43 MPG. If you're careful, maybe you'd be able to just around hit 50 but that's a stretch. Apart from that, these are good cars. Simple and very fun to drive.
We had 2007 one just had it and it was very loud on motorway and hit tiny hill back to 50 was great laugh and was very reliable. Didn't like hills at all but was great
Some people may actually consider sensible things like power steering and auto transmission a *bady* They want manual trans- NO! No transmission at all! And yokes instead of steering technology 🤷♀️😝🚘
@@wojtas2524 Yeah it would obliterate my wallet if I ever attempted to fix it. But it's not like it's breaking down all the time. In fact it's working perfectly fine, it just has a tremendous appetite for oil. I also have an original MX-5 from the same era which has no issues at all and is a lot more fun to drive. Obviously though I'm not relying on any of those as a daily driver.
Laugh. It’s funny that you typed those words because those words are in the video that everyone reading these comments just watched. I watched the video and a man said those words and then I came here and read those words. Thank you for typing those words I just heard.
I have a fix for that.. Take a heat gun and blow the bumpers until the surface starts to darken. Do this for the whole bumpers. Then to finish it off, spray some plastic shine on top and rub.. The bumpers will look like new again.
I have seen this done, it's quite amazing, but I have been told that a few weeks after this fix, the bumpers will look like before, e.g. the discolouration will appear again very quickly. What was your experience?
don't do that, use boiled linseed oil on the weathered plastic bumpers and trim, just make sure the plastic is farely warm (e.g. outside on a summer day)
It is actually a good and fun car to drive, perfect 50-50 weight distribuction, exact as much power you will need, and here in Brazil we have a XR version with a 1.6l, 105hp engine, that transforms the car in a little rocket... But is ugly as f*ck...
cara eu fiz meu exame de habilitação num desses e digo que até hoje é o pior carro que ja dirigi na minha vida. negocio desgraçado de ruim puta merda. tortura ficar dentro desse carro.
I bought an old Ka back in 2014 for £500. I just needed a cheap ‘runaround’ to last me 6 months or so. 3 years and 40,000 miles later and it was still going! One of the best cars I’ve ever owned!
incase youre wondering, that exact can opener he used on the beans, is still in production, i have about seven, which is odd since ive never bought a can opener at all.
Try and open those cans with thicker metal lids and guarantee it will shear off. I have a electric can opener and it's total crap, I went back to manual ones, but had to make sure it didn't have plastic cogs in it like 90% of them do. Ironically, the can opener from the 99p shop was sturdier and had metal bits that ones that cost 4 times more did not.
Had a Ka Climate as our second car. Nice 1.3 engine in a car that weighed nowt. In the days before standard sat nav and air-con, it had a decent spec list. It was a dealer demonstrator with body coloured bumpers, purchased for under 6k with just 3000 miles on the clock. Handled brilliantly. They rusted round the filler cap but fantastic value, fun little car.
My mum had 3 of these when they were new, back when I was a kid, I then went on to own one as my first car and another as a stop gap run about before choosing my long term vehicle. Jeremy does raise some good points to be honest and although people will joke, if you get to know the Ka, it can pleasantly surprise you.
I've owned 2, first car and current. its pretty easy to maintain and parts are easy to find, yea it has a issue with rust but most cars from when it was designed do. Its not particularly pretty but it does the job well enough and is cheap to run.
Hirovard I like Ford and the Ka but Ford and Opel/Vauxhall were the worst rusting cars of that time period. Wether it was the cheap Ka, the top spec Scorpio, the cheap corsa or hot astra gsi. French cars used to be worse but they had already switched to galvanizing the chassis and body's of their cars by that time.
Ford KA: It's like a vagina. Not pretty to look at, but nice to go back and forth in... ;-) (Danish joke about the KA from back when it was originally released)
I had one of these as my first car and it was absolutely brilliant. It might not be a looker in the traditional sense, but there's no denying that it was ahead of its time and IMO doesn't look too dated even to this day. In many ways it was the perfect first car - small, easy to park and great for nipping in and out of traffic around town. But it was also much more than that - fun to drive, reliable, fairly refined and capable of keeping up with motorway traffic during my frequent trips to/from London and the midlands. It even kept me safe in a rather nasty crash on the motorway. Just don't mention the wind up windows or cassette player!
After posting this video and reading through the comments, a funny thing has happened. Every time I see a KA I notice 2 things about them... 1. If it had non body coloured bumpers they have faded to a very bright shade of grey. 2. They all have rust on them, almost all of them have rust around the fuel filler.
black plastic always did that if you didnt put stuff on it, it was known back to the 80s when black plastic started to be used on cars instead of chrome
I love the Endura/Valencia engine! Especially that it was used right up until 2002. I've just got rid of one of my toys, a 1989 very early MK3 Fiesta with a 1.1 Valencia in it. I think it's because I grew up with a MK1 Fiesta being driven by my dad. I just love the noise they make. They're very easy to work on too, and with their tried and tested reliability I'd have another old Ford any day. It's the bodies that let them down, rust would eat them away and has cleared almost all of them off the roads.
@@the.internet We had a 1993 MK3 Fiesta with the 1.1 HCS engine and to me stood for Huge Clattering Sound but when the valve clearances were adjusted it would run much quieter. The engine outlived the car.
@@jaggass exactly what's happened to mine! I can't afford to keep fixing the rust and other issues but the engine is still as good (maybe better?!) than the day it was born. I can always remember the sound of an old Fiesta a mile off, that booming tappety noise you mention. So many of the old Fords with the Endura made that sound. You could blindfold me and I'd be able to identify an old Fiesta 100% of the time!
I've had a KA a SPORT-KA and a STREET-KA and I loved them, I had a bit of road rage incident once, I stopped and extracted myself from my little street car, The guys bravery quickly evaporated when he was faced with a 6'5" fully patched up Biker rather than the little girl he was imagining he was verbally abusing :-)
He said the car is a bird puller, not that YOU would be pulling birds in it. As you most definitely wouldn't be pulling anything in that pile of shite even in its day.
I don't know about you, but women do find a cute, sporty, and useful car somewhat attractive. At the very least it shows good decision making skills since it gives you the best compromise between fun, utility, and aesthetic. Not saying that I wouldn't want an aggressively designed impractical much faster car, just that is a second car goal.
I remember when this car first came out. At the time the design seemed so radical as it was so curved compared to the more angular designs of most other cars in that period. People mocked it back then for it being like that but it was clearly ahead of its time as 20 years on, in my opinion, it has dated extremely well compared to other cars from that period. Also quite impressive when you consider this was aimed at the cheapest end of the market and wasn't even trying to show off and be anything luxurious.
Most hideous? Maybe not, you mustn't forget the Multipla, or cars like the old Audi A2 or the old MB a class from that time hahaha. At least, the Ford was cheap ;)
And how is the A2 hideous? I'm not really a fan of Audi, considering all their cars look exactly the same, and A2, the first TT, and the first R8 are the only post-Quattro Audis that look semi-decent.
looks ugly, breaks down all the time, no power or anything not even power steering? for 96? wtf i m still shocked people could actually buy this. the new one looks okay at least
I always thought he pronounced it "Kah" deliberately because he thought Ford intended it to be pronounced in typically southern England style ..."Kaaaaa". I like the way he says "Cee apostrophe D" and "Up exclamation mark", it's like two fingers up to pretentious poncified car names.
Agreed. I actually like cars like these that tried to be original or "different" in terms of design/styling at their time, as much as people enjoy making fun of them for their looks.
+R33Racer The KAs we have here rusted almost literally in the Showroom. And the Kent engine wasn't also one of the best out there. If you drove one of these, the Ford mechanics run away
+Subaru Guy Your username and avatar suggests you're going to be biased regardless what I say. Trawling through your comment history shows that all you do is comment how much better Subaru's are to everything else on car related videos. Why you watch videos of cars you don't like and comment on the fact is beyond me, so I'm not going to waste my time.
+R33Racer It is fact that the Ford Ka has immense problems of rust at the door undersites, the filler cap, the A-pillar, Front axle and exhaust. That is a fact and you can't deny it. The Ka was build in a time Ford and GM were suffering, so they had to pinch and scrimb. Good job Sherlock, I like Subaru. But you don't know the whole story. I also like other brands and cars but with Subaru I feel most connected to and I drive mine with proud. Anyway. So could you explain me, why my dream car is a 458? Why I think the GT-R is performance engineering at its best? And why I've been prostrated with greaf as Mitsubishi cancelled the Evo? I freaking hate the new AWD System, the Xenon light without a lens is utter bs, the CVTs suck, the clutches are too small, beware of the GR STi and I don't even start with the break line recall. Every brand has it's up and down sides. Back to Ford. They produce awesome cars. If I had the money, a black Mustang 5.0 convertible would be mine, Raptor is an awesome car but the Ka was one of the worst things Ford gave to there costumers.
+R33Racer You said the Ka was first attempt to build a quality car and it's as good as japanese ones. Could you precise what you mean with getting my facts right?
I have one of these! It's currently sitting in the garage rusting away with the battery dead and mould collecting on the seats! But I absolutely love it!
you have to remember that at the time the best selling car in the UK was the Escort - which is a POS. The Ka is crap by todays standards because cars constantly improve. You coudn't honestly say that any small car of that time is particularly good by todays standards.
I had one for years as my first car. It was a '98 model and I was lucky with the rust. Eventually part-exchanged it in 2010 (after driving it for three or four years - but had been in the family since 2001) and the last MOT it had was in 2013. Not bad. Lovely car to drive, although a bit challenging on long journeys given that I'm 6'2"...
Duncan Taylor Yeah, I'm 6'2" as well and my girlfriend had one up till a few months ago- kinda surprised Clarkson didn't say anything about being a tight fit as he's about 6'5". As small and goofy as it was I miss the little go-kart - seemed to run on air and never let us down until rust caught up with it.
I had a sports ka. It was great fun to drive and looked quite good. The only problem I had was that the alloy wheels were so flimsy they buckled if you hit a pot hole or went over a kerb.
Its a common car here in Brazil, one of the cheapest you can buy but also its quite good for its price. Of course this car is horrible and all but for a country where gasoline is expensive and even the cheapest cars are months or years of working, the ridiculous turns to be normal.
I remember following one in my dads car when they first came out. I mentioned that the rear end looked like an elderly lady with a 'full' figure from the back. My dad laughed so hard I thought he was going to pass out at the wheel!
This was my first car as a teenager. It cost me £50 a month on a finance agreement. For its first service (1k miles) the mechanics were laughing their heads off. First KA to ever come back for its first service that needs new engine mounts and two new front tyres. 😀 Reverse to first was the trend back then. 😜
@@pitbulls4088 reverse gear then leads on to the first. Its the other way around for most other cars where the reverse is after 5th or 6th. Fords have always had this
@@pitbulls4088 nah man he's referring to people driving in reverse, quickly shift into first and drop the clutch at full power. The way to do a burnout with a low power car. Thats why the motor mounts and front tires are shot
The SportKa, "The Ka's Evil Twin", did spawn a couple of fabulous internet only ads (not for the squeamish) one involving a cat and the other a pigeon. Worth catching on TH-cam.
How in God's name did Ford get away with producing these little rotters for so long? I challenge anybody to find a first gen Ka that isn't rusting around the filler cap door.
Funny in Poland they junked a good majority of the Ka autos but the Fiat 126p cars that have been the pinnacle of communism are still to this day one of the more popular choices (kept well too). Last time I’ve seen a Ka in my country was 06 or 07.
When I look at it I'm attracted to the practical side of having a light, compact car. I guess my mind just translates compactness to "good looks" in that way.
This is truly a horrible vehicle. That one time i drove it and i was amazed how horrible that car is. By the time the family car was a 1995 BMW 316i and it was like a prestige limousine compared to the Ford Ka. I also worked at APCB (Automotive Plastic Components Berlin) i worked on the Ford Focus and Mondeo from 2018 and i think that Ford is the cheapest trash money can buy. I am not absolutely sure about the Mustang. Never drove one, never been inside one and i really want to try it out. I'm absolutely honest about this:) I want to see if it rides as good as it looks.
I swear, every time I see this car in real life, they're dirty, the plastic's crumbling or the hubcaps off. So to see one thats actually CLEAN feels strangely wrong.
This is one of those times during old Top Gear when Jeremy was given free reign and the germ of new Top Gear/Grand Tour shooting style comes through. Much slicker and stylistic than the usual drive down the road for a spot of Woollarding.
I hate the Ford ka (sports ver) BECAUSE THEY MADE A ADVERT WITH A FORD KA KILLING A CAT (P.s I still like Ford but not the Ford ka sport) I BET FORD KA WOULD NOT CLOSE ITS WINDOW FOR THE CAT
‘Oi, mate! I heard you got a new car!’ ‘Yes, the Ford Ka’ ‘Which model?’ ‘KA!’ ‘Oh fuck off mate’ like seriously this car made 99% of British ppl angry
Very good car for 1st time drivers, cheap to buy these days, got mine for £1k and most importantly cheap to insure, which is more important than life for young drivers. When it was new though i suppose it was the fiat 500 of its day, little tart mobile for spoilt brats that was bought for them by mummy and daddy :-l
“Have you seen from the back?”
“It’s bad enough seeing it from the front”
That my friends, is British humour
How is that humour it's just stating the obvious
At least I’m not blind
@@kyle259 amerifats still haven’t learned that no one cares about their opinions
"Stick a bag over it. You'd still drive it"
@@kyle259 someone’s pissed😭
Jeremy was born at 48 years old, you can't convince me otherwise
He was 36 here...which is my age near enough (my birthday is in November). Incredible and terrifying 😮
He’s a smoker so he looks 15 years older than he is
He was only 36 in 1996
Ugh I’m 21 feel so old 😩
@@randomdude1053 what lol
Smoking as much as he used to does wonders
I had a 1998 KA that was given to me. It was nice - I could park anywhere. When I left Europe and tried to give it away- nobody in my office wanted it. Haha
i love how he says Ka. makes me laugh everytime.
Omigosh, its Donna Lewis. I loved that song growing up.
So it came with mismatched body panels from the factory?
Chris Oliver it was normal for the plastic parts to not be colour coded back then. Even early examples of some models that soon after adopted colour coded exterior plastics started out with non colour coded ones, like some S and T reg Peugeot 206s and R reg Astra Gs
@@cbw06 I don't use Reddit, sorry. Don't really know what that means
I have one as my first car and I will say now. 48 MPG is complete bullshit. I have a newer one with the Duratec Rocam and I tested my average MPG, mixing some city driving with a motorway drive to London and back. I filled the car back to full after burning through half a tank and I averaged 43 MPG. If you're careful, maybe you'd be able to just around hit 50 but that's a stretch. Apart from that, these are good cars. Simple and very fun to drive.
We had 2007 one just had it and it was very loud on motorway and hit tiny hill back to 50 was great laugh and was very reliable. Didn't like hills at all but was great
1:55 sounds like Peter Griffin saying "car" 😂😂
My first car 😂 54 plate and red, great in fuel but as slow as sin, made my mates Corsa C look like a Ferrari. 😂
"Power steering *and* *a* *few* *other* *goodies* ".
Back when power steering was considered a _goody_
Some people may actually consider sensible things like power steering and auto transmission a *bady*
They want manual trans- NO! No transmission at all! And yokes instead of steering technology
🤷♀️😝🚘
what in the 1970s?
@@FIXTREME Automatic isn't really that good.
Power steering is only beneficial.
@@che3se1495 automatic gearbox is actually good and in some cases more fuel efficient
@@FIXTREMEpower steering is great but i hate automatics,my friend has one and every time I drive it it feels like I am asking it not controlling it
2:38 sounds like a tortoise procreating.
RoobehTunes hahaha exactly
You win comment of the year hahahah
KaAaAAaAAaaAhHhH
LMFAO
Sheldon cooper in the cinema looking for the acustic sweet spot ....
The big bang theory
"what should we name our newest car?"
**lift headphones** "what? car?"
"genius"
Even worse with the "sporty" one, which joined with the Escort in having a name that's uk slang for a prostitute.
The Potato reading that as an American doesn’t quite work
@@jimtaylor294 Same in Romanian. It's funny that I forgot it meant that as well, I was only thinking of the Ford when hearing Escort
Ka not car.
@@yammmit Or anyone else.
4:14 it really looks like the car is rolling away. Clever camerawork
Holy real xD
Lol
Yeah
Oops, forgot to put the handbrake on
i was really confused lol
My 30 year old 325i does something like 200 mpg. Except that refers to engine oil.
Whaaat ???
@@TheRazvy1990 He is saying his engine burns a gallon of engine oil per 200 miles. In short his engine is completely fucked.
@@gravemind6536 his wallet is even more so
Nice one dude just like the Beamer of my dad😂👍🏻
@@wojtas2524 Yeah it would obliterate my wallet if I ever attempted to fix it. But it's not like it's breaking down all the time. In fact it's working perfectly fine, it just has a tremendous appetite for oil. I also have an original MX-5 from the same era which has no issues at all and is a lot more fun to drive. Obviously though I'm not relying on any of those as a daily driver.
"Have you seen it from the back?"
"Its bad enough seeing it from the front"
Britpop Floyd it's hideous but I've still gone and bought one 🙄
Well..but is best to be behind of one of these..i really dont want to image behind a ford pinto...mh
Laugh. It’s funny that you typed those words because those words are in the video that everyone reading these comments just watched. I watched the video and a man said those words and then I came here and read those words. Thank you for typing those words I just heard.
The ugliest car in existence.
3:10 This is so 1996, i feel like I'm using Windows 95 for the first time.
The song used is I Love You Always Forever.
Are you referring to a type of "new age" feel?
Those were the days. When Top Gear reviewed cars people could actually afford without sneering at them
David Thomas not good it was boring it was good while the trio was there now TGT is where it is at
Get off ur high horse, this was boring compared to what it became after around the 2006 mark and you know it
@@adamfirth3082 he's a boomer
@@SteveOnlin plus the first top gear trio did do cars we could afford fairly often
@@AdotLOM your dusty mooddobn'gvibewith me dinosaur
i was expecting it to be roasted and instantly dropped from a crane
Kalle Grabowski that came after 2001 😆
...
No that's Top Gear now. When if a car can't do 150mph it's no good.
In 96 they did not anticipate it would come out so bad!
0:50-1:00 Blink count: 19
21 blinks
Camgamer 3000 nahhh it’s 19
Nahh its 20 xd
19 and a half
@@PeterSmith-ls7ut does that mean he closed eyes but didn't open?
Oh, if only he could have seen the plastic now. Oh the discolouration!
I have a fix for that.. Take a heat gun and blow the bumpers until the surface starts to darken. Do this for the whole bumpers. Then to finish it off, spray some plastic shine on top and rub.. The bumpers will look like new again.
I have seen this done, it's quite amazing, but I have been told that a few weeks after this fix, the bumpers will look like before, e.g. the discolouration will appear again very quickly. What was your experience?
Nitkurt It's been a few months and my bumpers look like brand new.
Cool, thx.
don't do that, use boiled linseed oil on the weathered plastic bumpers and trim, just make sure the plastic is farely warm (e.g. outside on a summer day)
Who else thought the car was rolling away at 4:16
Glad I'm not the only one
FlickGaming Thought I was going crazy haha
Plot twist: it was rolling away.
Jip Harbers Oh shit ...
It is actually a good and fun car to drive, perfect 50-50 weight distribuction, exact as much power you will need, and here in Brazil we have a XR version with a 1.6l, 105hp engine, that transforms the car in a little rocket... But is ugly as f*ck...
cara eu fiz meu exame de habilitação num desses e digo que até hoje é o pior carro que ja dirigi na minha vida. negocio desgraçado de ruim puta merda. tortura ficar dentro desse carro.
@@GraveUypo KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKIKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Yes!
Love that unreliable bucket car funny to destroy !
Eu achava que a baratinha só vendia no BR
TH-cam: "oh so you like cars? Well here's a review of the ford ka from 1996"
Anyone remember the Ford Ka in the game Grand Turismo 2?
Steven Manning YES!! I was born like 5 years after it came out.
Yeah loved that game, The Saxo VTS was my favourite choice to use when playing it
It's in later ones too. 5 for example. Damn that thing is shit.
Steven Manning yup. I remeber the escudo pikes peak too
*Gran
Compared to many modern small cars, that old KA actually looks quite good.
LOL How he keeps saying "Ka" is making me pmsl xD..
I like it ...I've followed suit.
Cat-T= the Ford Ca
Because that's how its said...
I had one of these, the dealer also called it a Ka (with no rrrr) because saying you want your 'car' serviced isn't very descriptive.
What really annoys me is far too many people call it the "Kay-ay"
I bought an old Ka back in 2014 for £500. I just needed a cheap ‘runaround’ to last me 6 months or so. 3 years and 40,000 miles later and it was still going! One of the best cars I’ve ever owned!
incase youre wondering, that exact can opener he used on the beans, is still in production, i have about seven, which is odd since ive never bought a can opener at all.
Odd piece of Trivia
I have one as well
Its probably because its a cheap design patented a long time ago that still makes money.
Thanks, i was dying to know
Try and open those cans with thicker metal lids and guarantee it will shear off. I have a electric can opener and it's total crap, I went back to manual ones, but had to make sure it didn't have plastic cogs in it like 90% of them do. Ironically, the can opener from the 99p shop was sturdier and had metal bits that ones that cost 4 times more did not.
Had a Ka Climate as our second car. Nice 1.3 engine in a car that weighed nowt. In the days before standard sat nav and air-con, it had a decent spec list. It was a dealer demonstrator with body coloured bumpers, purchased for under 6k with just 3000 miles on the clock. Handled brilliantly. They rusted round the filler cap but fantastic value, fun little car.
My mum had 3 of these when they were new, back when I was a kid, I then went on to own one as my first car and another as a stop gap run about before choosing my long term vehicle. Jeremy does raise some good points to be honest and although people will joke, if you get to know the Ka, it can pleasantly surprise you.
I've owned 2, first car and current. its pretty easy to maintain and parts are easy to find, yea it has a issue with rust but most cars from when it was designed do. Its not particularly pretty but it does the job well enough and is cheap to run.
Hirovard I like Ford and the Ka but Ford and Opel/Vauxhall were the worst rusting cars of that time period. Wether it was the cheap Ka, the top spec Scorpio, the cheap corsa or hot astra gsi. French cars used to be worse but they had already switched to galvanizing the chassis and body's of their cars by that time.
I have one at the moment as my first car. Great fun to drive and my one isn't that rusty
Its actually a nice little car. Good engine and nice handling. They just started to dissolve after 70000 miles.
Ah, so that explains why ford only gave the odometer 5 digits instead of the usual 6 as it wont last 100k miles😂
Ford KA: It's like a vagina. Not pretty to look at, but nice to go back and forth in... ;-)
(Danish joke about the KA from back when it was originally released)
What do u mean vaginas are not pretty to look at!?
@@JC-lw4pp 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I love vaginas, most of them are cute looking 😋😁👍
I'll need to see some more before I make a decision.
More ammo for the Brexit brigade then...
My sister had one of these... in green.. Lil cute ball of snot it was xD..
@Bob Jo Will be now yeah lmao
0:08 i saw this years ago and only just realsed thats the exact same model of boombox stereo i have
He looks like Bob Ross
TheRubiksPilot A happy accident
Yup but he's Jeremy Clarkson
@Matthew Dawood Khaghani looked 46
@Matthew Dawood Khaghani yeah, right now he's about 60 but looks 70. Must be the smoking
@Matthew Dawood Khaghani what surgery did hammond do? he just dyed his hear....
This was disappointingly kind
Here you go guys.. Factual Top Gear.
It's sexist filth
@@SleepExports Who hurt you?
@@the_pigs_have_rebelled MEN!
I had a Ford Ka like this, between 1998/2001. It was a wonderful car, comfortable, economic and easy to parking. I miss it...
I had one of these as my first car and it was absolutely brilliant. It might not be a looker in the traditional sense, but there's no denying that it was ahead of its time and IMO doesn't look too dated even to this day. In many ways it was the perfect first car - small, easy to park and great for nipping in and out of traffic around town. But it was also much more than that - fun to drive, reliable, fairly refined and capable of keeping up with motorway traffic during my frequent trips to/from London and the midlands. It even kept me safe in a rather nasty crash on the motorway. Just don't mention the wind up windows or cassette player!
2020 anyone?
Im from 2069 sup
me
@@basicallystupid9008 nope
@@rowan64official ok
After posting this video and reading through the comments, a funny thing has happened. Every time I see a KA I notice 2 things about them...
1. If it had non body coloured bumpers they have faded to a very bright shade of grey.
2. They all have rust on them, almost all of them have rust around the fuel filler.
black plastic always did that if you didnt put stuff on it, it was known back to the 80s when black plastic started to be used on cars instead of chrome
3. The horrible tappety Endura E engine which goes all the way back to the Kent engine in the Ford Anglia.
I love the Endura/Valencia engine! Especially that it was used right up until 2002. I've just got rid of one of my toys, a 1989 very early MK3 Fiesta with a 1.1 Valencia in it.
I think it's because I grew up with a MK1 Fiesta being driven by my dad. I just love the noise they make. They're very easy to work on too, and with their tried and tested reliability I'd have another old Ford any day. It's the bodies that let them down, rust would eat them away and has cleared almost all of them off the roads.
@@the.internet We had a 1993 MK3 Fiesta with the 1.1 HCS engine and to me stood for Huge Clattering Sound but when the valve clearances were adjusted it would run much quieter. The engine outlived the car.
@@jaggass exactly what's happened to mine! I can't afford to keep fixing the rust and other issues but the engine is still as good (maybe better?!) than the day it was born. I can always remember the sound of an old Fiesta a mile off, that booming tappety noise you mention. So many of the old Fords with the Endura made that sound. You could blindfold me and I'd be able to identify an old Fiesta 100% of the time!
I had the car and loved it. It was fast, snappy and cheap to run and maintain. As a city work car for one or two people, it was great.
Meanwhile in 2017s The grand tour, he claims there is no such thing as a (wo)mans car.
Times changed
No they just said that woman and man can drive the same car and it isn't nesesary to advertise something as a womans car.
Did I miss the part where he said it was a woman's car?
a trolley
The time's a changin'
I've had a KA a SPORT-KA and a STREET-KA and I loved them, I had a bit of road rage incident once, I stopped and extracted myself from my little street car, The guys bravery quickly evaporated when he was faced with a 6'5" fully patched up Biker rather than the little girl he was imagining he was verbally abusing :-)
If ladies like your car, wouldn't be that a good thing? Unless you're trying to appeal males, of course.
He said the car is a bird puller, not that YOU would be pulling birds in it. As you most definitely wouldn't be pulling anything in that pile of shite even in its day.
I don't know about you, but women do find a cute, sporty, and useful car somewhat attractive. At the very least it shows good decision making skills since it gives you the best compromise between fun, utility, and aesthetic. Not saying that I wouldn't want an aggressively designed impractical much faster car, just that is a second car goal.
This car is far from sporty or fun.
What kind of car goals do you have?! I'd rather be forever alone and have a decent car than own a 'Ka'.
The kind of car that women find attractive is very different from the kind of car that makes women find the driver attractive.
Absolutely adore my Ka
Too small
@@BavarianM Nah. Just don't be 6"6
I'm thinking of buying one... Its a great first car and only costs about £300 second hand
I know I'm a little late, but do watch out for rust if you bought one.
Cars that cheap from that era, are only so because they're falling apart and not worth repairing.
ah the good old days when u can just say if a car is for guys or girls and the only backash is being called crude and not OH U SEXIST FUCK😂
Somebody was from Boston.
Get in da CAH
I remember when this car first came out. At the time the design seemed so radical as it was so curved compared to the more angular designs of most other cars in that period. People mocked it back then for it being like that but it was clearly ahead of its time as 20 years on, in my opinion, it has dated extremely well compared to other cars from that period. Also quite impressive when you consider this was aimed at the cheapest end of the market and wasn't even trying to show off and be anything luxurious.
Ofcourse it has dated well. It was hideous and it remained hideous. While other cars were pretty but are now (just) outdated.
Wut? It's not hideous. Well, or at least it's prettier than any modern crossover.
No.
Most hideous? Maybe not, you mustn't forget the Multipla, or cars like the old Audi A2 or the old MB a class from that time hahaha. At least, the Ford was cheap ;)
And how is the A2 hideous? I'm not really a fan of Audi, considering all their cars look exactly the same, and A2, the first TT, and the first R8 are the only post-Quattro Audis that look semi-decent.
looks ugly, breaks down all the time, no power or anything not even power steering? for 96? wtf
i m still shocked people could actually buy this. the new one looks okay at least
48 mpg? If it weren't from the other comments, sign me up!
Ah 90's! Brits were still mostly white back then :D
I always thought he pronounced it "Kah" deliberately because he thought Ford intended it to be pronounced in typically southern England style ..."Kaaaaa". I like the way he says "Cee apostrophe D" and "Up exclamation mark", it's like two fingers up to pretentious poncified car names.
For the Kia cee’d I would say ‘See apostrophise Day and for the vw up! I would say ‘Up exclamation mark’ too
He used to pronounce it " C double E apostrophe D" for the cee'd
@Tone. Must of been both ways
Just watched him on dave and he said C apostrophe D
Up! Is a brilliant name though
Reg: P581KJN
Untaxed:
Tax due
3 February 1997
Wonder what happened to this car, surprised it didn't last a little longer tbh.
I'm male and I think the car looks weird, but kind of nice in a way.
Didn’t get them the big boy views
Agreed.
I actually like cars like these that tried to be original or "different" in terms of design/styling at their time, as much as people enjoy making fun of them for their looks.
the song is I love you by Donna Lewis
@Tone. nah this shit slaps
If this is 1996 why does it feel like 1987?
I always thought it was just a play on words/lettering Ka=Car (with a bit of slang)
Wow clarkson actually convinced me to buy one 3 years ago and it still makes me laugh when I look at it!
Wasn’t on the road very long, hasn’t been taxed since 1997, I drove a mates KA once and it was ok but I wouldn’t own one
This really was Ford's first effort to make real quality cars for cheap. Followed by the excellent Focus.
And what's about the rust problem?
+R33Racer The KAs we have here rusted almost literally in the Showroom. And the Kent engine wasn't also one of the best out there. If you drove one of these, the Ford mechanics run away
+Subaru Guy Your username and avatar suggests you're going to be biased regardless what I say.
Trawling through your comment history shows that all you do is comment how much better Subaru's are to everything else on car related videos. Why you watch videos of cars you don't like and comment on the fact is beyond me, so I'm not going to waste my time.
+R33Racer It is fact that the Ford Ka has immense problems of rust at the door undersites, the filler cap, the A-pillar, Front axle and exhaust. That is a fact and you can't deny it. The Ka was build in a time Ford and GM were suffering, so they had to pinch and scrimb.
Good job Sherlock, I like Subaru. But you don't know the whole story. I also like other brands and cars but with Subaru I feel most connected to and I drive mine with proud. Anyway. So could you explain me, why my dream car is a 458? Why I think the GT-R is performance engineering at its best? And why I've been prostrated with greaf as Mitsubishi cancelled the Evo? I freaking hate the new AWD System, the Xenon light without a lens is utter bs, the CVTs suck, the clutches are too small, beware of the GR STi and I don't even start with the break line recall. Every brand has it's up and down sides. Back to Ford. They produce awesome cars. If I had the money, a black Mustang 5.0 convertible would be mine, Raptor is an awesome car but the Ka was one of the worst things Ford gave to there costumers.
+R33Racer You said the Ka was first attempt to build a quality car and it's as good as japanese ones.
Could you precise what you mean with getting my facts right?
How much 1996 do you think we can fit into this review?
Editors: *ALL OF IT*
I have one of these! It's currently sitting in the garage rusting away with the battery dead and mould collecting on the seats! But I absolutely love it!
Rat it out lol
LS swap it
Ross Macfadyen drive it
@@Slayermetallica69 now that's something I'd like to see.
Project car? Just do it
Just about to get this in 2023 😂
Wonder how much Ford paid him for this :)
I was thinking the same thing. Very suspicious. Glowing review of crap car
I heard they are supposed to be very good (even though they're hideous).
Great car to drive, but rusts away.
you have to remember that at the time the best selling car in the UK was the Escort - which is a POS. The Ka is crap by todays standards because cars constantly improve. You coudn't honestly say that any small car of that time is particularly good by todays standards.
Ka was even worse than the French cars. The whole sector was led by VW
It's a "bird puller!" 😂 lol
I had one for years as my first car. It was a '98 model and I was lucky with the rust. Eventually part-exchanged it in 2010 (after driving it for three or four years - but had been in the family since 2001) and the last MOT it had was in 2013. Not bad. Lovely car to drive, although a bit challenging on long journeys given that I'm 6'2"...
Duncan Taylor Yeah, I'm 6'2" as well and my girlfriend had one up till a few months ago- kinda surprised Clarkson didn't say anything about being a tight fit as he's about 6'5".
As small and goofy as it was I miss the little go-kart - seemed to run on air and never let us down until rust caught up with it.
Why is he trolling us even in 1996 🤣
serious rust problems.even after 3 years .like most Ford of the era rust in hidden places
Mine is still alive and kicking.
I had a sports ka. It was great fun to drive and looked quite good. The only problem I had was that the alloy wheels were so flimsy they buckled if you hit a pot hole or went over a kerb.
Its a common car here in Brazil, one of the cheapest you can buy but also its quite good for its price.
Of course this car is horrible and all but for a country where gasoline is expensive and even the cheapest cars are months or years of working, the ridiculous turns to be normal.
Top Gear Intro
"Tonight"
"I open a tin of beans."
"I go cruising on the motorway."
"And then I park a car, 6 times in a car park."
Carrinho tanque de guerra o Zetec é claro!.
The Ford Ka was and always will be the best small car built despite the rust. What everyone one forgets is
Look after the car, the car will after you.
It looks scary in the back and in the front , it looks like it's crying blood , staring at you for your death.
This is one of my favorite cars. Up there with e type and alfas. The uniform design language is just exceptional. 👍
what? it looks like a fat lady sitting on a bench from behind and like a pikachu with a beard trying to act edgy from the front.
That's controversial
Clarkson here is only 5 years older than I am now (I’m 31) and yet side by side you’d think we were father and son 🤣
I remember following one in my dads car when they first came out. I mentioned that the rear end looked like an elderly lady with a 'full' figure from the back. My dad laughed so hard I thought he was going to pass out at the wheel!
I have the same car, and I make videos with it on my channel.
This was my first car as a teenager.
It cost me £50 a month on a finance agreement.
For its first service (1k miles) the mechanics were laughing their heads off.
First KA to ever come back for its first service that needs new engine mounts and two new front tyres. 😀
Reverse to first was the trend back then. 😜
What’s reverse to first?
@@pitbulls4088 reverse gear then leads on to the first. Its the other way around for most other cars where the reverse is after 5th or 6th. Fords have always had this
@@looneytoons171 oh right I thought he meant some kind of reversing skills. Thanks for explaining. On my Ford reverse is underneath 5th
@@pitbulls4088 nah man he's referring to people driving in reverse, quickly shift into first and drop the clutch at full power. The way to do a burnout with a low power car. Thats why the motor mounts and front tires are shot
@@andries4561 what you just dump the clutch? I might have to try that only once
"If the Ford Fiesta is John Major and the Vauxhall Corsa is Tony Blair, then this is Screaming Lord Sutch!"
A funny quote to be sure, though in reality the KA was Cherie Bliar, and aged about as well XD.
You could say that!
The SportKa, "The Ka's Evil Twin", did spawn a couple of fabulous internet only ads (not for the squeamish) one involving a cat and the other a pigeon. Worth catching on TH-cam.
2:36 *BUT THE* _k a_
Bottom gear indeed
How in God's name did Ford get away with producing these little rotters for so long? I challenge anybody to find a first gen Ka that isn't rusting around the filler cap door.
Darren Wison or the boot lock, or the floor, or the sills haha
Funny in Poland they junked a good majority of the Ka autos but the Fiat 126p cars that have been the pinnacle of communism are still to this day one of the more popular choices (kept well too). Last time I’ve seen a Ka in my country was 06 or 07.
Polska PL_USSR_PL i so want the fiat 126p/lada sooo bad, beautiful cars
Mafioso63 Even if not the “coolest”, cars like these have embedded value to people like us. Glad to see you interested in such cool automobiles!
Polska PL_USSR_PL yea ive been thinking about importing a vaz 2101 for a while, love how they can be started by hand
I like it. I also happen to think the Peugeot 206 looks good, though most of my male friends disagree.
When I look at it I'm attracted to the practical side of having a light, compact car. I guess my mind just translates compactness to "good looks" in that way.
you would love kei cars like the Suzuki alto
Ford ka is a bag of piss compared to Peugeot 206
This is truly a horrible vehicle. That one time i drove it and i was amazed how horrible that car is. By the time the family car was a 1995 BMW 316i and it was like a prestige limousine compared to the Ford Ka.
I also worked at APCB (Automotive Plastic Components Berlin) i worked on the Ford Focus and Mondeo from 2018 and i think that Ford is the cheapest trash money can buy.
I am not absolutely sure about the Mustang. Never drove one, never been inside one and i really want to try it out. I'm absolutely honest about this:)
I want to see if it rides as good as it looks.
The rear wings beneath the fuel cap fillers rusted on these little "Ford Ka's" faster than an iceberg going through the Titanics hull.
Muito boa esta propaganda. Tenho um Ka 1.6 série MP3 Fabricado em Nov/2007. Carro muito bom , não vendo não..
I can’t believe he likes that ka!
I swear, every time I see this car in real life, they're dirty, the plastic's crumbling or the hubcaps off. So to see one thats actually CLEAN feels strangely wrong.
This is one of those times during old Top Gear when Jeremy was given free reign and the germ of new Top Gear/Grand Tour shooting style comes through. Much slicker and stylistic than the usual drive down the road for a spot of Woollarding.
I hate the Ford ka (sports ver) BECAUSE THEY MADE A ADVERT WITH A FORD KA KILLING A CAT (P.s I still like Ford but not the Ford ka sport) I BET FORD KA WOULD NOT CLOSE ITS WINDOW FOR THE CAT
"Your tiresome
Your irksome
Like a Slavic Jeremy Clarkson"
-BBC
‘Oi, mate! I heard you got a new car!’
‘Yes, the Ford Ka’
‘Which model?’
‘KA!’
‘Oh fuck off mate’
like seriously this car made 99% of British ppl angry
I don’t know why but I’m surprised they had can openers on 1996! 😂
Very good car for 1st time drivers, cheap to buy these days, got mine for £1k and most importantly cheap to insure, which is more important than life for young drivers. When it was new though i suppose it was the fiat 500 of its day, little tart mobile for spoilt brats that was bought for them by mummy and daddy :-l