Sign of the times...

In the new Evo mag that dropped through my letter box this morning, there is a review of the new Ka. They slate the Fiat 500 though as Ford has made huge changes to the suspension set up, which they had to do because the 500 (Abarth aside) is such a dodgy handler. This included things like fitting a hefty rear anti roll bar, increasing roll stiffness by 70% (!). They've done loads of other bits too and one part says the 500 isn't the drive it should be, and that bodes badly for the Ka and then "Except that Ford have made the suspension work properly" heh. It does all this and also rides the bumps better! The final line is quite good as well, "but if I owned a 500 I'd seriously consider buying a set of Ka suspension bits from the local Ford agent".

So, don't panic dude, the new Ka isn't a write off yet, although they do say it lacks the chuckability of the original. Also, the 1.2 68bhp petrol, the one most people will buy (apparently, I'd have thought the 1.3 74bhp diesel popular, unless it's silly more to buy) feels more willing and keen than the same engine in the 500 as Ford have re-written the throttle maps. But, if you fancy a banger money car again in a few years, it doesn't look a bad choice, they're a lot spacier inside now apparently - which was my main gripe with the Ka at first, that and the fact it didn't have the 1.25 Zetec as the only engine rather than the 1.3 8v, but then I guess they'd have cost more to make, and then to buy.

To be fair, I was surprised that they thought the 500 was crap, as they really liked the Abarth, and it's not just about power as they mention several times how much they liked the old Ka, just for it's fun factor. However, if Ford had to make all these changes

'Magazine takes Ford money to write a decent review of their car and slate car built on the same production line non-shocker'

HTH.

It's well known that the smaller Fiats have a bit of a choppy ride, and it's also been *widely* reported, (not just in the one magazine), and for some time, that Ford had worked their magic on that platform suspension wise, to produce something a bit better in terms of ride / handling.

Not really.

Heh. I know I said that this was likely to happen about a year ago...

Which as you're about to say, was most of the fun! :o)

Absolutely, yes. It's rumoured that there are some 1.25 Zetec-SEs (now called Duratec 16vs) in Kas from the factory but I don't believe this because:

• of all the thousands of Kas I've seen, poked and prodded, none had the

• it's wretched-cramped to fit the 1.25, as it's a very different shape to the 1.3 Endura-E / Duratec 8v / 1.6 Duratec 8v / 1.6 CVH / 2.0 ZVH.

And it can be persuaded to fit, but the 1.7 from the Puma is a nicer engine and also still fits.

Heh. The (original) Ka's weakness was its strength. It was designed as a city runabout with keen handling thrown into the equation. Rather than a keen handling small car that could be used for the city, if you see what I mean.

Heh, yea, that's what's happened...