2016 Ford Ka+ - The New American Trump For A-Segment

MANILA: It has been just 2 days when we found the prototype of 2018 Ford Fiesta running heavily disguised on the roads. Well, the company hasn't revealed the specs of the 7th Generation model of this car but there are various speculations which are based on the experience of the auto experts and trends of the auto market. Well, apart from creating a whirl in the market with the spied Fiesta, Ford is again up to something. This time, it is about the unveiling of 2016 Ford Ka+. The company launched a compact city car Ford Ka in the year 1996 to accomplish with the needs of buyers who were looking for an economical hatch, which can fit their budget. The ideology behind launching this car was to give an option of a new car to those customers who were looking for pre-owned cars due to their cramped budget. Ford had Ka for 2 decades in the market and really enjoyed the success with its whopping sales over all this time. But now, it looks like that the American company has realized that this car can't survive the competition with the revisions and updations given to it over all this time and that's when Ford Ka+ came into the existence. Before taking you forward with the specs and other details of the new Ka+, let's clear that this vehicle has nothing in resemblance to the Ford Ka other than the model name. Time for quick detailing of what this A-segment hatch has in store for its prospective customers -

It's Fiesta’s look Alike

Just like we said earlier, the new Ford Ka+ has nothing in resemblance with Ford Ka other than the name, interestingly, Ka+ looks alike to the current gen Ford Fiesta at its exterior. The highly resembling trapezoidal grille is not the only feature which made us utter this statement about the similar appearance. The new Ka+ has approximately the same dimensions that of existing Fiesta. From its sides, pronounced wheel arches, doors and alloys also make a mirror image with Fiesta while the rear gives a fresh feel with simple-styled bumper and tailgate. The fender wrapping tail lamps and rear wings are also those features which differentiate Ka+ from Fiesta.

Cabin Inspired By Ford's global Theme

The cabin of this new hatch has been given Charcoal Gray tone which makes it look sporty. With various equipment packed in this cabin, the comfort and convenience of the passengers has been taken care nicely. The multi-functional steering of the new Ford Ka+ is wrapped with leather and the manual air-conditioning facility comes as a standard feature in this hatch. For the convenience of the occupants, power front windows, central locking and electrically adjustable mirrors. For entertainment, you get MyFord Dock which is a storage bin on the top of the dashboard where you can charge your smartphones and further use them for navigation. This 5-seater has got ergonomic layout allowing a comfortable seating for all the passengers. A decent boot counting to 270-litre is also offered in this car.

Safety Front

Ford has said to equip this family hatch with 6 airbags as standard in all of the trims. With this, there is Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Speed Limiter and Hill Start Assist (HSA). In the context of safety, Darren Palmer – the director of B-Platform vehicles, has stated that the crash test is still due for the new Ford Ka+ but with the aspects, it has within, undoubtedly it will achieve 4-star or more in Euro NCAP rating.

Engine & Power

If it's from Ford, it must be adequately powered. Ford Ka+ 2016 is powered with a 1.2-litre petrol engine but delivers different power across the trims. The base trim with this engine knocks out maximum power of 69 hp along with 105 Nm of peak torque ensuring 24 kmpl of fuel consumption in standard conditions. With this data, this Duratec engine accelerates from naught and touches 100 kmph in 15.3 seconds. When this 1.2-litre engine is packed in the upper trim of Ka+, it churns out 84 hp of peak power along with 112 Nm of peak torque and takes 13.3 seconds in the accelerating from 0 to 100 kmph.

Well, all the specs look impressive for us considering that it is open for booking at a starting price of £8,995 in the UK market which would be equivalent to PhP 597,457. If this drive comes to the Philippines automotive market, it is surely going to be a big threat for Kia Rio. One thing to add here is that Kia Rio 2017 is arriving with a turbocharged engine for which the company has also released a commercial. Back to Ford Ka+, there is no news about the launch date in the Philippines automotive market but considering the impressive market share of the American manufacturer in the local market, we can hear sometime soon about its local launch.