Sportka

Don’t be fooled by the cute and cuddly looks of this Ka, because they hide true hot hatch driving dynamics.Introduced in 2003, the Sportka is the spiritual successor to the original Fiesta XR2. Like that car, it got a neat bodykit, while 16-inch alloys filled the large wheelarches.

Climb aboard and you’ll find the Ka’s usual spacious cabin and, for the first time ever, a rev counter. But it’s the mechanical tweaks that make this car so special. First up, the ageing 1.3-litre engine is ditched in favour of a 93bhp 1.6-litre unit. Performance is warm rather than scorching, but there’s a raspy exhaust note and strong mid-range urge, which combine with slick shifts from the short-throw, aluminium-topped gearlever.

Better still is the little Ford’s cornering ability.

Thanks to suspension components shared with the Puma coupé, the Sportka serves up plenty of fun. The direct steering has bags of feedback, and the short wheelbase chassis is beautifully balanced. It’s certainly not the fastest or rarest model in our line-up, but its 16th place finish demonstrates just how good the little Ka is.

* Performance: 2/5
* Heritage: 2/5
* Style: 4/5
* Driver appeal: 4/5

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Details

Model tested: Sportka
Chart position: 16