Ford STREETKA
The Streetka Isnt The Most Macho Of Cars Ever To Roll Off Fords Production Line. As Such, Vanessa Hinkley Thins It Might Be Just Her Thing
I must admit that although I dont think of myself a s a particularly girly type, I really dont get along with boys cars like
Subaru Imprezas, hot
Ford Focus models or powerful Porsches. I find them a little overbearing for my tastes and prefer something with a little less horsepower and a little more charm. The Ford Streetka is just the sort of car that Id have designed given a clean sheet of paper, given that I already had a spacious backup car for family outings. As a sheer indulgence, the Streetka has me very tempted.
Right off the bat its apparent that the Streetka isnt the most practical car thats ever turned a wheel. With only two seats and a pretty meagre boot, it would be quite limiting as an only car. Nevertheless the cabin is comfortable for two and the car seems to mould itself around the driver. Many of the interior parts are standard Ford fare, but the addition of a Puma-style metallic gearknob and some metallic detailing on the dashboard and the steering wheel jollies things up a little.
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Unlike most of todays state of the art roadsters, the Streetka does without an electric folding hardtop, relying instead on a manually folding soft top that can be stowed in less than 30 seconds. Beneath the roof mechanism is a storage space that can accomomodate a golf bag. Another lockable box sits between the front seats giving a total stowage space of 188 litres.
Although my first suspicion was that this would be a car that looked the part but would be disappointingly dull to drive,
Ford have given the Streetka a fair turn of pace. Powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine thats good for 95bhp, the Streetka is much more than a Ka with its head scissored off. With only the bonnet and front light assembly shared with the standard Ka, this city funster is a vastly different proposition.
Both the front and rear and the suspension is a good deal stiffer, giving the Streetka a more solid platform than the Ka. Couple this with the punchy South African-built engine and you have a car thatll be guaranteed to put a grin on the most jaded drivers face. A sprint to 60mph in 12.1 seconds may not sound rapid enough to incinerate the trousers of your average bar room petrolhead, but the engine has been engineered for low end torque and boasts a sporty exhaust note.
The fuel consumption figure of 36mpg will satisfy all but the most tight-fisted, but the C02 emissions figure of 191g/km isnt the most impressive around. The steering has also been tuned for a sportier feel and now requires just 2.6 turns from lock to lock, making the Streetka great fun through a set of bends but a little harder work in the local multi-storey.
The standard £12,710 Streetka is fitted with anti-lock brakes, a cloth roof, remote central locking, twin airbags, a height adjustable drivers
seat, 16-inch alloy wheels, an alarm, power heated door mirrors, front fog lamps, a CD based stereo and electric windows. Should you want an even better equipped version, the £13,960 Luxury Streetka adds leather trim, heated seats, height adjustment for the passenger seats, air conditioning and a heated windscreen. Options include metallic paint, a CD autochanger and a climate pack (air con and the heated screen).
The Ford Streetka is a car I could most certainly live with. Id need another vehicle to cope with family fetching and carrying as well as the odd trip to the DIY store but for those days when the suns out and I can blow off the family responsibilities the Streetka is ideal. Cheeky, fun, unthreatening and distinctly affordable my only concern would be that the Streetka will become extremely commonplace. Until that happens, Id be more than happy to drive one
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