Ford KA SUBLIME LIMITED EDITION
The Ka Sublime Limited Edition Provides Some Added Value To Fords Luxury Ka. Does It? Steve Ghosley Reports
Having created a luxury version of the feisty Ka citycar,
Ford have now produced an added-value limited edition to ensure that sales of this top of the range car remain buoyant.
Priced at £10,595, the Ka Sublime costs around £300 more than the Ka Luxury variant on which it is based. For that, you get 14-inch 8-spoke alloy wheels, a colour-coded clock as well as floor mats. The key standard feature over and above the Ka Luxury however, is the 6006 ICE CD stereo system. The Sublime features two-tone leather upholstery in either Dark Flint or Lightstone depending on the exterior paintwork you choose.
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Here you have a choice of five colours namely Aquarius Blue, Magnum Grey, Machine Silver, Oyster Silver or Panther Black. All this is on top of the standard Ka Luxury specification, which runs to power steering, air-conditioning, anti-lock ABS brakes, the handy Quickclear heated front windscreen, body coloured electric door mirrors, electric front windows, rear wash/wipe, tinted glass and a height adjustable drivers
seat. Meanwhile, to ensure nobody makes off with your pride and joy, there are high security door locks and a Safeguard immobiliser. If all this kit isnt enough, you can also specify any of a selection of extras at an additional cost.
These include a sliding sunroof and an incredibly useful satellite navigation system, which allows you to bin that dog-eared A to Z for good. Recent changes include the addition of an automatic wash-wipe for the windscreen wipers and a wider range of optional extras, such as the dealer-fit passenger airbag deactivation and parking distance sensors. With four out of every ten sub-Supermini citycars sold at present being
Ford Kas, the introduction of the Sublime is intended help maintain sales at these healthy levels. The Ka Sublime features a 70bhp 1.
3-litre 8-valve engine and the performance figures for this unit are pretty impressive - given that most of the engines pulling power is available from just 1,900rpm and the driving experience certainly is involving. Youll notice that around town this cars natural habitat of course the need for constant gear changing is much reduced. The Ka Sublime has a top speed of 104mph and the sprint from 0-62mph is accomplished in 13.7 seconds.
Usefully, in these days of ever-increasing petrol prices, fuel consumption is fugal too. Expect to achieve 43.5mpg on the combined cycle.
"The Ka has taken small citycars into a new era pure and simple. "
Outside, the Ka Sublime looks much the same as its stablemates with the bumpers and wheel arches now colour-coded with the bodywork. The instrument panel houses an electric odometer and a low fuel warning light, along with a rev counter. Otherwise, the recipe is pure Ka, the car that bestowed some much-needed credibility on the Citycar sector. Customers come from so many walks of life and so many other types of car: 4x4s, coupes, roadsters you name it. The Ka has taken small citycars into a new era pure and simple. Before it arrived, models of this kind were boring to drive, terrifyingly unsafe and certainly not suitable for venturing outside the city limits. This model has changed all of that and blazed a path that others have subsequently had to follow.
Take safety: in spite of its size, the Ka is as safe as any family car on the road today, meeting all current and future safety legislation for front and side impacts. It comes with a driver's airbag, seatbelt 'grabbers' and optional passenger airbags. Though the excitement value of the 1.3-litre engine still isnt anything to write home about, a redeeming virtue is the Kas superbly controlled ride and handling, which are strongly reminiscent of a much larger car. Youll forgive any shortcomings in the engine the first time you pitch the Ka into a corner.
Taking care not to slide off the leather seats, youll be impressed with the sheer stickability of the little Ford. Many of the cars handling attributes are only found in sports models costing a great deal more, and the Ka is something youll find yourself making excuses to drive. As with all modern Fords, the credit for this handling prowess can be attributed to one man, ex-rally driver Richard Parry-Jones, for he was responsible for engineering the driving fun back into class-leading cars like the Ka, Puma, Focus and Mondeo. Packaging is another Ka strongpoint.
You wouldn't believe the amount of oddment space and front legroom that the designers have crammed into the tiny cabin. The sheer size restrictions of a car 210mm shorter than the already compact Fiesta had to catch up with them somewhere however, and as you might imagine, the sacrifices have mainly been made around the two sculpted seats in the rear. Still, you can't have everything, but maybe Ka Sublime buyers can? If you like the colour schemes on offer, then the Ka Sublime could make very good financial sense. Ford are offering special rates at the moment through their Ford Credit Options scheme, so if you fancy one you had better act soon.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Ford KaSublime
PRICE: £10,595 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 3
CO2 EMISSIONS: 154g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 104mph/ 0-62mph 13.7s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 31.7mpg / (extra urban) 55.4mpg /(combined) 43.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front Airbags / seatbelt 'grabbers'
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3620/1631/1368mm
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