Mileage: 6,324 - 09/02/2002 - The Humber Bridge and Sutton Bank

A trip back to Lincolnshire gave us the opportunity to pay the £2·40 toll and cross the Humber via the bridge. Because of the high winds, the speed limit was set to 30, but every other vehicle on the bridge ignored this. We weren’t holding anybody up, and were able to dribble across at the speed limit, taking a few photographs as we did. In truth, there’s little to look at save for the bridge, which, even today, still stands out as a marvellous piece of engineering.

Anyway, after crossing the Humber heading south, we reached Humberside Airport, and the first time I’ve had the chance to take the Ka by the scruff of the neck and enjoy the drive on the B1225. My verdict of the Ka’s handling remains at five stars: on such twisty, bumpy roads it feels remarkably tied down. It’s quite possible to maintain the national speed limit on almost all of this road, and (I suspect) to exceed it by some margin on much of it too. I also had the chance to thoroughly warm the brakes, too, at the latter two main crossroads.

After punishing the brakes, they’re now so much quieter and more efficient in operation. There is a familiar pattern emerging here with regard to the brakes!

The drive did highlight one weakness of the Ka, and that’s acceleration. We happened across a HGV. Now in fairness, he was probably enjoying the drive as much as we were, and was sticking to his limited speed of 60 where he could, but had to slow down for the twisty stuff. We did overtake, but he did ease off to help us past. We never did see him again (perhaps he got himself stuck in a lower gear? /cough/).

Thanks to spending a few miles in the city, and the enthusiasm with which I tackled the B1225, fuel economy for the trip was just over 36 mpg. More importantly, when we arrived back in York, I went straight to ASDA to fill the Ka. I put in just over 34 litres, and the needle was telling me that I was looking at walking the last few miles to the pump! On occasion, I find this pessimistic fuel gauge a bit annoying, but at least you know that when the needle hits the red, you’re down to the reserve bit. And, of course, it should make it difficult for you to run out of petrol. Having run out of fuel before (in the Mondeo), I have no intention of doing it ever again.

The next day, we decided to go for a drive - we headed north to Thirsk (where some mad middle aged woman in a Golf TDI overtook us in a 40 limit, just to sit at 40 in front of us, go figure!). Actually, there is something strange about Thirsk: everybody has to overtake the Ka in front, just to sit at the same speed (at the limit), or one car in front at a queue. Anyway, through Thirsk, on to Sutton Bank, which is a glorious 25% hill with a lovely chicane half way along, some breathtaking scenery, and plenty of opportunity to put some heat into the Ka’s engine. Once up the hill, the long descent allowed the engine to cool down, and we headed east towards Scarborough before cutting south, back to York on the A64.

Mileage: 6,021 - 01/02/2002 - The Ka Collection

I had the fortune of taking Kermit back to Archers of Ashby for some paintwork repairs, and was given an X-registration Ka Collection as a courtesy car. Initially, I was pleased that I was getting a modern car - given that I had a 280 mile round trip to and from the dealer. The Collection had just under 12,000 miles on the clock when I picked it (and over 12,000 miles when I took it back), and gave me a useful indication of how our engine would feel after a few more miles.

The two feel quite different in some respects. The Luxury seems to have better sound insulation from wind and road noise; the engine is noisier when worked hard, with an induction snarl, but quieter at a cruise. The Collection doesn’t have even a hint of a snarl about it. It does feel brisker on the motorway, but in the city the Luxury has a much snappier response. It feels like the Collection has taller gearing - but could all this be down to the wheel and tyre sizes? Or is more associated with the Kermit’s engine still being tight? Or both?

The Collection had a harsher ride compared to the Luxury - despite the fatter profile tyres and smaller wheels (the collection sat on 165/65 tyres on a 13” rim). It’s unlikely that the Collection had worn-out shockers, but possibly that the Luxury’s seats are better.

One other thing that I did notice about the Collection was that the engine was making the dreaded ticking noise that’s associated with the Endura-E. However, as soon as we’d bought the Collection back to the dealership, it did go in to the workshop for it’s (belated) service! Given that the engine pulled very well, and it was due a service, I’m hopeful that ours won’t start ticking for a good few miles yet. Besides which, it only ticks at idle.

Anyway, back to our Ka, long drives at or just below the speed limit yield economy figures approaching 43 mpg. I do think it possible to breach the 45 mpg figure but I get the impression it’ll require a bit of patience. Indeed, the runs that have recorded 43 to the gallon have all involved lots of cruising at 60 rather than 70.

I caught the engine squealing - I think it’s the fan belt. It squealed one moist morning when cold, but it soon stopped. I’ll naturally be keeping an ear out for it, and if it needs to be changed, or tightened, or whatever - so be it. Actually, it might be a warranty job.

On that note, the Ka will soon be twelve months old, and therefore due a service. However, I’m finding myself a bit reluctant to mess up the service interval because in the future, I fully intend on reaching the mileage limit rather than on time. I’m contemplating getting just an oil and filter change done, then get him serviced at the 10,000 mark (which will probably be in about four months time). Then I’ll get the oil and filter changed every 5,000 miles, and him serviced at every 10,000.

On balance, it is much safer to get the Ka serviced as soon as, then simply get the oil changed every five thousand miles. Therefore, the 20,000 mile service will be due at around 17,000 miles. I could extend the service interval a little (Ford allow 1,000 miles / one month to still be within warranty) to get the Ka back on track. So we’ll be looking at a service at 28K, 39K and finally at 50K. If I’m getting the oil and filter change every 5,000 I’m a little happier to be doing this. However, to manage this we’ll need to put as many miles on the Kermit as we can in the next few weeks! Sadly, this is not something we can really manage: even a couple of trips to Scotland will only put 600 miles on to the car. A trip to the Archers will put 150 miles on it. A trip to Bert Eyres will put 100 miles on it.

Mileage: 5,514 - 22/01/2002 - I’m Enjoying This

Now I know that it’s not big, nor is it clever, but it is fun . . .

I’ve had the opportunity to explore the Ka’s handling. The suspension is supple enough to keep the wheels in contact on bumpy, rough roads - I’ve driven a few lowered cars that have been appalling on rough roads (that said, two were Novas, and in standard guise these are not exactly good handling cars). The amount of roll doesn’t feel all that much, even at “you-should-slow-down” speeds.

The Ka suffers from “small car syndrome” in that other drivers assume that you can’t get out of your own way, and you can’t corner without using two lanes. That’s very annoying: we took the Ka up to the Yorkshire Dales and, thanks to Charlie, I have a few pictures. This one was taken at modest speed.

The Ka does eventually understeer, but you really have to be pushing hard to get it to slip like this, even in the wet. I’ve only done it at a roundabout, and with full intention of doing it. In the dry, I’ve probably not come close. I’ve yet to encounter any untoward behaviour from the stern, even when lifting off whist careering around a corner. The cornering limits are much higher than the Mondeo (but I would be the first to admit that the Mondeo’s tyres were not such good quality). Of course, I’ll be the first to accept that the above paragraph is based on what I’ve driven and owned so far.

We’ve recently moved house, too, but unlike the Mondeo, we didn’t really plan on pressing the Ka into removal van service, instead hiring a Transit. Unfortunately, the weather was miserable and we crept behind schedule: when we had to use the Ka, I was disappointed. The rear seats do not fold flat - I don’t know if cloth trim Kas do this, but the leather trim model doesn’t. This means that you can not fill the Ka with boxes, because they slide towards the back. Carrying a huge load is not a priority for us, but I could fit a lot more into the back of my Cinquecento (and frequently did) than I can in the Ka.

We’ve also had rain in the last couple of weeks, and I have been able to use the air conditioning to demist the interior. Given that there probably isn’t much air inside the Ka, the system is very effective. However, if you use it for too long, when you turn it off the interior starts to mist up, so it seems to be best either used all of the time, or in short bursts when needed. The compressor saps power - my favourite dealership reckon on about ten percent - and you can feel it cycle on and off whilst driving along, but in the summer this will be a small penalty to pay for being cool, comfortable, and arriving refreshed. Meanwhile, the benefit of the system in wet conditions is certainly useful. You can read more about the Ka’s air conditioning system here.

Mileage: 5,296 - 31/12/2001 - Happy New Year

Just under eight hundred miles in just over a week, and we’ve averaged a much more respectable 39·4 mpg over the trip. Most of these miles have been on long runs - to and from London in the main, but also to and from Lincolnshire.

Pressing on does increase Kermit’s fuel economy and the difference is a lot more marked compared with the Mondeo. I was expecting this since the Ka has inferior aerodynamics and lower gearing compared to the Mondeo. Cruising at an indicated 80 on the motorway returned 37 mpg on the way down to London. Adopting a more modest cruise of 65 - 70 yielded 41 to the gallon, but we did make several stops and it was also very cold. Again, not excellent, but better. However, I still think the engine needs loosening up (but these trips have probably helped).

And so whilst the engine now feels better, the brakes are starting to grind and crunch. The handbrake also stuck slightly the other day after the car was parked up for Christmas. Also, when we drove off after the Ka had been sat for a few days, the brakes were appalling, so much so that the first time it happened I almost pushed the nose of the Ka into a busy stream of traffic. My words at the time were something like, “I say darling, our brakes appear to be non-functional, golly gosh, here comes the Give Way line.” I’m not a heavy user of the brakes, and it felt like the discs were suffering from rust, but I’ve never noticed it so much in any of my previous cars. Anyway, I had a good look at the disc, and took a picture. What’s all this greeny coloured gunk on the disc? I’ll get the service boys to have a look at the discs when it’s in for a service in the New Year.

After obtaining some views and opinions, it seemed that the best thing to do would be to give them some proper use, and see if that helps. So I did. With the weather now warmer, I took the opportunity to brake rather firmly. For me, that is. Guess what? After this activity, the brakes are both quieter and work better.

Otherwise, we’re found another bit of rust in the boot. The boot seal has a “crunchy” bit - and there is a bit of rust emerging from the seal. This is very surprising for a car that isn’t even a year old. I’ve let Archers know, and as I write, they’ve not confirmed if they’ll sort it out. I’m sure they will; at the very least this sort of problem will be covered by Ford’s paint warranty, I’m sure.

Mileage: 4,512 - 23/12/2001 - A White Christmas

I’m writing this just before Christmas, and just before a trek down to London from York. Over the last fortnight, we’ve had temperatures down to -8°C, and about six inches of snow. It has given me the opportunity to drive the Ka in proper winter conditions.

Firstly, a gold star for Ford’s heated front windscreen, QuickClear. This ingenious device might have been around for ten years, but it is exceptionally useful for frosty mornings or evenings. It defrosts ice and snow in a very short space of time, even a hard frost will vanish in under two minutes (a light dusting of frost takes about thirty seconds). The side windows do not stick to the seals, either, so it really is possible to drive off after a few minutes if you open the windows, even when it is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. Does anybody else remember that early 1990s Ford Escort Ghia advert that had a chap about to get into his car with a thawed front windscreen (all other glass was frozen), to drive off?

Another gold star goes for the heater. I’ve never had a car heater prove to be so effective that, in the middle of winter, I’ve had to turn it down after about a mile (five minutes with the engine running) because it has been getting too hot. The Ka’s ventilation system also allows my wife to have more heat than I by careful use of the centre vents - something the Mondeo couldn’t quite manage.

Whilst we’re awarding gold stars, another to the ABS. I’ve wanted ABS for a long while, even though I don’t want to need it. On a steep downhill bit of road just leading to the river Ouse in York, the ABS kicked in. This road, leading to Charlie’s work, looked suspicious to me before I’d even started going down it. Half an inch of snow, unmarked, can always mean that there is black ice under it. Guess what? I was right. We crawled down the hill and I touched the brakes - thump! thump! thump! thump! Knowing how ABS worked, I wasn’t surprised that we didn’t magically stop, but what was more important is that we kept on going in a straight line. All was revealed to me when, as I left, a middle aged lady drove down the road at twice my speed, and when I indicated that she ought to slow down, she touched her brakes, and her little red Micra spun, her rear wheel striking the kerb and stopping her before she could get close to the Ka. Good job too. Anyway this both confirmed that the Ka uses an electronic system (the mark three Fiesta’s system is semi-mechanical and only works above 20 mph, thus would have been useless in this situation) and that it works.

Taken at the M18 / M180 services

However, in the winter, the Ka’s economy has dropped. We only managed 25·7 mpg from the last tank, which is an appalling figure. That said, all of the mileage has been in the city, most of it for trips of three miles, in temperatures that struggled to reach freezing point. Given the weather conditions and how we’ve been using the Ka, I’m in a bit of a better mood about getting under 26 to the gallon. Of course, even spending four minutes a day defrosting the car is going to use a lot of petrol (because you’re getting 0 mpg).

Mileage: 3,994 - 14/11/2001 - The First Pit Stop

Kermy averaged 37 mpg over the first tank and almost 43 mpg from the second. I’m a bit disappointing with this since most of the mileage has been on a long run with the air conditioner switched off – Lucy the DervMobile would have returned economy figures of between 45 and 48 over the same distance. However, this said, I did expect to be disappointed with the Ka’s fuel economy compared to the official Ford figures. Ford quote a Euromix of 41·5 mpg for the LuxuryKa (or, indeed, any 2001 Endura-E Ka with 14” wheels). Given how the baby blue oval will spend a lot of his time in the City of York, I’m not expecting our long term average to be close to this figure, but probably in the upper mid 30s. In the meantime, the engine is still reasonably tight, and of course, I am still getting used to driving it. Having driven a diesel for such a long time, I’m finding the Ka rather strange.

Having owned the Ka for just a couple of weeks, it is too soon to comment with reasonable authority about some aspects of ownership. The balance of handling and ride is exceptional for the class - it is smooth and supple when you want this, yet taut when you want to chuck it about. None of the other cars came close - the Lupo and Arosa offered a firmer ride, the Smart and Daewoo Matiz didn’t have the handling. There is some roll, but not much, but more importantly there are huge reserves of grip at slightly quick roundabout speeds. I am slowly pushing harder, but taking my time. The engine is never silent, but delivers decent low down torque and has a very quick response to throttle movements around the city. It is also very flexible.

Actually, that highlights the Ka’s appeal. It is very responsive to driver input. The one weakness is in the braking department, in that you do need to depress the pedal down quite far before you can feel the brakes slowing you down. This is partially a perception thing: the Mondeo’s brakes did not quite much of a push.

We have found a problem with the Ka though. Two, really. One is that the wiper blades are not perfect - there are chunks missing. I’m surprised that the RAC didn’t spot this, because they are as bad as a set I had to have replaced because they were an MOT failure. I more surprised that Archers didn’t offer to replace them, but said I’d have to pay for replacements. On a more serious note, under the rear hatch, there are some rather deep scratches that have started to rust. It looks as though somebody has used a roof rack and been a bit brutal with it. Archers have graciously given me three months to bring the Ka back to their workshop to get it fixed, which is a good job really because we’re about a hundred and forty miles away and I’m out of holiday until January.

Mileage: 3,454 - 04/11/2001 - Picking the Ka up

I admit that I was genuinely sorry to see Lucy the Mondeo TD go, and yes, I did shed a few tears as we drove out of the car park, which is an utterly irrational emotion to feel for a car.

She had been a faithful companion over two years and 36,000 miles, had seen me get married, move house four times, and go through a very messy divorce with a previous employer (not that I’m bitter, and you gave it a good try, but you’re the losers). The one constant during this volatile time of my life had been the Mondeo. The engine had never missed a beat, she had averaged 45 mpg, and had generally been an excellent steed. But the time had come to change; through no fault of her own, the Mondeo was a throwback to my previous employer (she had been purchased from the company car manager) and the City of Norwich. Reluctantly, I agreed with Charlie that we would change the car, knowing that it meant saying goodbye to the DervMobile.

After a thorough appraisal of what we wanted from a car, and what we needed, we eventually settled on a Smart & Passion City Coupe. We needed low running costs, space for two people, and a small size. We wanted air conditioning, ABS, electric windows and central locking. We didn’t need rear seats, a big boot or huge performance. To cut a long story short, a right hand drive Smart Car of the required specification would have taken at least four months to arrive and we were not prepared to wait this long.

After a trip to our local Ford dealership, which proved fruitless (they were not interested in playing ball with us, so we walked out), we decided to use the Ford Direct web site to find suitable Kas. It took us just a few minutes to produce a short list of suitable models, which was encouraging given that ABS is an option on all Ka models.

We found ours online, at Archers of Ashby, checked the specification, arranged the part exchange, and effectively did the deal via the Web. Our Ka is a 2001 Luxury model, finished in metallic Pacific Green, and with Ford’s optional safety pack (side airbags and ABS). After a slight detour en route to the garage (the DervMan misread the instructions and got the A1 / M1 mixed up) we arrived slightly late. Richard Locke let us take the Ka out for a drive by ourselves, which we did to check that everything was okay, then we came back, paid for it, and were on our way.

Shiny & new

When we finalised the deal and drove off, it all felt rather different to our previous Mondeo TD. You sat up higher, the brakes needed a good prod before they kick in, there was a distinct lack of go in the upper gears (no turbocharger giving lots of torque) and the steering wheel felt very direct.

So far, we’re happy with the Ka. It’s been polished, the truffle leather interior smells wonderful, everything works as it should apart from one minor problem. In my wife’s enthusiasm at the lidded glove box type thing, she wrenched it open without pushing it down first, and pulled the clip out. That’s not too bad, but unfortunately, when we put it back into the spot, we put it back in the wrong way. Fortunately, Richard removed the broken catch (with a screwdriver and some brute force) and ordered a new one, which arrived - as promised - in a few days.

Going back to my original sentence, yes I did shed a few tears at the last time I saw the DervMobile, but within a few miles my tears turned into a big grin. Just about the time we reached our first roundabout. . .