Ford Ka TDCi Review

Ford kept costs down by developing the new Ka on the same platform as the Fiat 500, and one benefit is access to Fiat’s engine expertise. For the first time, the Ka can therefore be specified with a common-rail diesel engine, making it a far more versatile proposition. The diesel’s added performance makes faster trips less of a chore, so it is no longer limited to runs to the supermarket.

Ford Ka TDCi running costs

That said, the diesel offers no real financial benefit. The petrol Ka produces 119g/km of CO2, while the diesel records 112g/km. As neither model falls below the key 100g/km threshold, neither receives a tax advantage. Even allowing for the 12mpg gap in economy - the 1.3-litre 74bhp TDCi returns an average of 67.3 - you would need to cover almost 20,000 miles annually before the diesel delivered a genuine saving in running costs. It is little surprise that Ford expects the TDCi to represent only four per cent of sales.

Choosing the diesel Ford Ka over the petrol version is not, then, a decision driven by cost. That is especially so because the diesel costs £700 more, and is offered only in range-topping Zetec specification.

Ford Ka TDCi on the road

From behind the wheel, however, the additional outlay feels justified. The diesel Ka appears more at ease, while also lowering expectations of the way a Ka ought to handle. In TDCi form, you are somehow less conscious of just how exceptionally good the previous generation was to drive. It is easier to take this Ka on its own terms: with this engine, it becomes simply a means of travelling from A to B, and nothing beyond that. It makes no attempt to entertain. The petrol model, by contrast, is too constrained by comparisons with its immediate predecessor.

Its quoted 0-62mph time of 13.1 seconds is hardly startling, yet in town and on the motorway it never feels particularly sluggish. You can remain in the outside lane without feeling like a moving obstruction. Naturally, the greater torque compared with the petrol engine helps - 107lb ft rather than 74lb ft - but the turbo’s low engagement point and the five-speed gearbox also play their part. As a result, the engine seldom falls beneath its 1,800rpm turbo threshold.

The absence of a sixth gear creates slightly more diesel clatter than is desirable, and it never vanishes entirely, even at motorway speeds. Nevertheless, high-speed NVH is lower than in the petrol model. That matters most in this car, and is what makes it a more capable all-rounder. It ought to be as relaxed at 70mph as it is when pottering through town. It is neither exciting nor engaging, but that is precisely where diesel city cars need to succeed. This car - sorry, Ka - does.