[dZired]

The Ford Ka+ hatchback has been launched in the UK market with prices starting from £8,995 (Rs. 8.85 lakh). The Ka+ is basically a rebadged Ford Figo, with some changes for UK customers. Ford will be manufacturing the KA+ at its production facility in Sanand, Gujarat, from where it would be exported to the UK market.

Despite being manufactured in India, the Ka+ has been given various changes as compared to the Figo, in order to suit European conditions and customer preferences. As a result, the Ka+ rides slightly lower than the Figo and gets various add-ons like 15-inch alloys, leather wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and ORVMs, rear parking sensors and cruise control.

Unlike its Indian sibling, the Ka+ will be offered in just a 5-door hatchback form, and will come with two variants - Style and Ztec. Powering the Ford Ka+ is a new 1.2-litre Duratec Ti-VCT petrol engine which is available in two states of tune, 69 BHP and 84 BHP. It is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Bookings of the Ford Ka+ will start this month in UK, while deliveries will commence later this year.



Link to Team-BHP News

[karan561]

Originally Posted by dZired

Powering the Ford Ka+ is a new 1.2-litre Duratec Ti-VCT petrol engine which is available in two states of tune, 69 BHP and 84 BHP. It is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

One of the rare occasion where the Indian spec got better engines

[Chetan_Rao]

Interesting they're offering the last-gen Figo's engine tune option on the current spec car.

Those alloys look so much better than the Indian version's 14-inchers.

Originally Posted by autorahul

.....the Fiesta hatch .........Pity they don't bring that to India.

+1. The package as a whole could blow the pants off most cars in the ~10 Lac segment.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by karan561

One of the rare occasion where the Indian spec got better engines

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Interesting they're offering the last-gen Figo's engine tune option on the current spec car.

Its primarily so that Ka+ doesn't cannibalise the main star, the Fiesta hatch which has all the Ford UK attention. Pity they don't bring that to India.

[i74js]

Is it possible to buy these alloys and heated mirrors and install them in the Indian version? Would be worth the effort if this is possible somehow.

Since the product is exported, it must be supplied by an Indian vendor to Ford !

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by i74js

Is it possible to buy these alloys and heated mirrors and install them in the Indian version? Would be worth the effort if this is possible somehow.

Since the product is exported, it must be supplied by an Indian vendor to Ford !

Those alloys were sold on the Fiesta until it was discontinued so it may be possible to source them from Ford India directly, but people who've bought the new Figo have invariably been told up-sizing will void their suspension warranties.

[aravind.anand]

The bigger alloys and wheels really make the Figo look much better than the Indian version. The black headlamps make it look sportier too. But I still think for a funky market like Europe, the car doesn't look flashy enough to grab attention. And isn't Europe a predominantly a diesel market? or have they started imposing a ban on diesels too?

[GTO]

I so hope that the export numbers are healthy. When a model flops, the manufacturer is big enough to absorb the losses without a hiccup, but it's the vendors that suffer the most. These are much smaller businesses (relatively). Ford would've given them a commitment of 4,000 units / month for sure. Imagine the kind of excess capacity they have. Only exports can solve their woes.

On a positive note, I'm always pleased when an India-built car is launched overseas .

[volkman10]

New Ford Ka+ to cost from £8995.

Later this year, buyers will also be able to order stylised Black and White versions of the KA+, which receive contrasting colour options, black 15in alloy wheels and come exclusively with the more powerful 1.2-litre petrol engine.

The model, built in India and sold there as the Figo, has been heavily revised for Europe, because Ford is desperate to avoid the quality difficulties it had a couple of years ago with the Ecosport crossover from the same source.

Link

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by volkman10

New Ford Ka+ to cost from £8995.

Later this year, buyers will also be able to order stylised Black and White versions of the KA+, which receive contrasting colour options, black 15in alloy wheels and come exclusively with the more powerful 1.2-litre petrol engine.

I would have bought this if it was powerful ( we get the 'powerful engine in India by default). I am really interested to know how that 69bhp petrol would perform.

[volkman10]

Standard version in Germany, pricing kicks off at €9,990.

Black and white edition -

Originally Posted by volkman10

Later this year, buyers will also be able to order stylised Black and White versions of the KA+, which receive contrasting colour options, black 15in alloy wheels and come exclusively with the more powerful 1.2-litre petrol engine.

Link

[deetjohn]

There a lot of changes done to the Ka+ under the skin. Wish we got the Figo with all these changes. Should be great to drive.

Originally Posted by Autocar UK

Darren Palmer, Ford’s boss of B-car projects, is at pains to point out that the Ka+ suspension has been fine-tuned by Ford of Europe’s experts at the Lommel proving ground in Belgium.

The result is a unique-to-Europe chassis spec with special specifications for the steering, springs and dampers, front anti-roll bar, rear torsion beam and tyres, plus a re-engineered front sub-frame and engine mounts.

The European Ka+ rides a little lower than the Indian and South American versions, and its ride and handling are much more in keeping with European tastes.

“I kept telling them to make it as good as the Fiesta,” said Palmer. “I reckon they’ve succeeded.”

Source

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

There a lot of changes done to the Ka+ under the skin. Wish we got the Figo with all these changes. Should be great to drive.



Source

That's a lot of changes, specially in the handling and steering department.

Wonder why they invested so much effort into all this though, with all the discussion about the new Figo being rated more fun around the track than even some supercars, by India's reputed auto magazines. Last heard, it got a higher rating than the Jaguar SE, Audi S5 Sportback, AMG C63S and equalled by the Audi R8 V10. (Source (Overdrive's hatchback track test - Figo 1.5 diesel quickest!))

Not to mention the wheezy engines available in Europe compared to the sub 10-sec diesel option in the Indian car!

That said, a re-engineered front sub-frame? That's a bit of a worry. Hope the Indian version of the new car is not a compromise on the safety aspect, unlike the earlier Figo. Will need to wait for the GlobalNCAP tests, if at all they happen.

[rajeev k]

The name Figo was discarded by Ford bosses for Europe, because it is close to an Italian word Figa, which is not fairly a decent one.

This and a mini Road Test is available at this link. http://www.sunmotors.co.uk/car-revie...a-review-2016/

A video review is also available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMMFX6V1fno

[RSR]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

That said, a re-engineered front sub-frame? That's a bit of a worry. Hope the Indian version of the new car is not a compromise on the safety aspect, unlike the earlier Figo. Will need to wait for the GlobalNCAP tests, if at all they happen.

The quality and fit & finish of the made-in-India Euro-spec Ka+ is bound to be better, along with the export variant's additional safety equipment. However, I was very surprised to learn that the Euro-spec Ka+ is a full 43 mm longer than the new Indian Figo (especially since the European Ka+ is not a 4m+ car to have its bumpers shaved for India).

Made-in-India Euro-spec Ka+ is 3929 mm long:



The India-spec Figo has a length of 3886 mm:



I can only hope the new Indian Figo scores well on the G-NCAP test! I'd willingly forgive Ford for the Figo twins' build quality (which is surely a couple of notches lower than the earlier Figo), as long as they did not compromise on safety.