Christ knows why they dragged that rattly old lump out of the scrap-heap when there was a perfectly good 1.7 Zetec just waiting to be put in there......
Not sure about the StreetKa - depends on engine size, I suppose. But the
Oh, yes, you're right, Ford have tried to market the Sportka as a hot supermini. But it's not. It's a quicker, grippier, stiffer Ka.
It may be slower in a linear fashion, but wasn't it Evo that managed to lap the Sportka significantly quicker than all other cars that were quicker in a straight line?
It does _not_ have a "rattly old re-badged CVH" donk, it has a Duratec piece of kit.
I don't care what they say, the specs just look a little too similar for it to be a coincidence. More or less the same capacity (ISTR), power output is about the same as the old CVH, and it exhibits the same roughness at higher revs.
Given that they've made some pretty major mods. to the Ka when creating the StreetKa and SportKa, it would have made sense to re-engineer stuff to allow fitment of the Zetec lumps rather than resorting to old tat like the Duratec.
About bloody time, too. It seems someone reminded Ford of the proper place to put a camshaft.......
I'm doing a project in which i've somehow managed to make test driving cars a part of it, hot hatches mainly :) Punto HGT is next on the list, along with the Civic Type R - dunno how likely this one is, Honda dealers might not let me take their expensive cars away!
So you think that almost all current 1.6 SOHC donks are related to the CVH?!
Nonsense.
Nonsense.
Err, no. Wider track, revised suspension on the Sportka . . .
The problem with that luscious 1.7 Zetec-SE is that it requires a smaller front crossmember.
You'll find that the 1.6 Duratec is a great piece of kit - it's engineered to produce good low down torque. Kinda the opposite of the luscious twin spark donks.
So you're immediately discounting the Zetec, Zetec-E, Zetec-SE, Duratec (and all similar) engines?!
No... but I do know that Ford dusted off the CVH and looked at refining it for use in their current range..... I know it reappeared in the Focus earlier this year.
Erm.... it is about the same. 95PS quoted for the SportKa, against the
90bhp my old Escort CVH had.
Read the reviews - it's typical, dog-rough Ford motor.
It's a cheap solution to a problem that didn't exist. But that's Ford all over. Why produce something really special when 'adequate' will sell to the average UK buyer?
Oh, yes. The Zetecs were great when launched and are still pretty damned good now. But only because Ford commissioned Yamaha to design it for them.... good job, too, given their previous f*ck-ups with OHC lumps.
But I was only making the point that they've only just caught up with the rest of the world in sticking an OHC lump in the Ka. How they got away with a shitty old pushod lump for so long, I'll never know.
Check - Ford CVH.... and most likely Duratec once it's done a few miles.
You say that like it's a bad thing. I mean, 'Sport' Ka suggests something zingy and fun - a dog-rough 8v lump will never be that. In a small car you _need_ revvy if it's going to be any fun at all.
Surely it would've made more sense to make a few engineering changes and make a genuine SportKa with the 1.7 Yamaha Zetec, as it would've surely sold better as it would actually be a good car.
I was gonna point that out :) Most of Fords current range was bought from other makers, the decent Zetecs from Yamaha, the diesels from PSA...
Small, sporty cars are supposed to be light anyway, hence torque isn't as important. Plus, as Steve said, sporty isn't so much about torque in a little car, you don't buy it with a view to comfy motorway cruising.
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