Suspension upgrade

[Tino]

The press is full of comments on the new Ford Ka's ride compared to the 500 i.e. it's a bit better. How long before there are similar upgrades available for the 500? As I understand it, the changes are:

• Rear anti-roll bar fitment
• 30% reduced spring rates
• New front suspension bushes
• Revised electric power steering mapping

I'm guessing that the 500 suspension can be upgraded as above as I think the 500 Abarth has the same basic changes?

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by mirror.co.uk

The Ka doesn't look much like the Fiat 500 and you'd hardly guess they're close relatives. You buy the Fiat because you love its retro styling and perhaps because you've always wanted to be Italian, but the Ford doesn't try to copy any classic car from the past, even though you can see a bit of the old Ka in it.

Its interior is very modern and there are no painted surfaces like in the Fiat.

In the new Fiesta, Ford has cleverly used the cheaper plastics in places where you're not going to touch or stare at them and the nicer materials for things like gear knobs and door handles and it's used the same trick in the Ka.

The Ka and 500 look different, but more surprisingly they feel different. Ford's engineers are a sporty bunch and like cars that are fun.

So they've had a fiddle with bushes and bearings, dampers and springs, to make the Ka a bit more spunky to drive.

I'm a big fan of the little Fiat, but it's more of a car for feeling cool in than for driving quickly along a bendy road.

And that's fine. The Ka is less cool to look at but lots more fun to drive.

The biggest difference is the steering and comfort. The Fiat's steering is light but a bit vague when you're pointing straight ahead whereas the Ka has stacks of feel whatever direction you're pointing.

The 500 can be a bit choppy over bumps, but the Ford rides really smoothly.

Presumably there's nothing to stop Fiat from putting these suspension bits on its car and adjusting the steering to make it like the Ka. The cars are built in the same factory - so no one would notice a hand sneaking into the parts bins.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm sure Fiat will change the 500 if it's cost effective for them to do it.
Fiat and Ford should be able to learn from each other in this joint venture.

[ensonricky]

Originally Posted by KevinB

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm sure Fiat will change the 500 if it's cost effective for them to do it.
Fiat and Ford should be able to learn from each other in this joint venture.

Its certainly easier to tweak the suspension than change that ugly body of the new KA.

[KevinB]

I can live with the bland and boring looks of the new Ka
but I definately want a Ka test drive (or two) before I'll consider buying one.
I want a look at the Toyota iQ as well before I make a decision.

Both the new Ka and iQ should be available for test drives in Jan 09, so not long to wait!

Is it possible that Fiat will use a different suspension set-up for the
forthcoming 500 derivatives - estate or convertible or whatever is coming next?

This from Daily Express yesterday

The Ka’s pedigree can’t be faulted. Based on the same platform and built at the same Polish factory as the hugely successful Fiat 500, it would be hard for Ford to choose a better partner. It could be argued that the two cars, fighting for the same buyers at the same price, are arch-rivals, but the reality is different.

Where the Fiat is very much a retro-based, cute-looking set of wheels, designed to appeal to a buyer’s heart as well as their head, the Ford is likely to appeal to different customers. Also, the Ka has form. Its predecessor enjoyed a massive 1.4 million sales across Europe since 1996 and brings more new-to-Ford customers into the showroom than any of its other models.

Crucially, the Ka also boasts the highest loyalty rate of any Ford model. Put simply, buyers love their Kas and keep on buying them, whether it’s as a son or daughter’s first car or as an empty-nester’s runabout. It’s no mistake that Ford has dodged the fashionable styling of the Fiat and opted for a more sedate but ultimately more timeless look instead.

[ensonricky]

Originally Posted by KevinB

I can live with the bland and boring looks of the new Ka
but I definately want a Ka test drive (or two) before I'll consider buying one.
I want a look at the Toyota iQ as well before I make a decision.

Both the new Ka and iQ should be available for test drives in Jan 09, so not long to wait!

Is it possible that Fiat will use a different suspension set-up for the
forthcoming 500 derivatives - estate or convertible or whatever is coming next?

This from Daily Express yesterday

A major selling point of the previous car was it's value and the discounting that was available, especially late in its incarnation. As Richard Hammond pointed out in his Friday Mirror article the latest model is no longer a cheap car.