Goodbye KA…
I lament the passing of an icon, and worry about my trousers.
Well it's time to wave goodbye to an old friend, a familar face, a leader of fashion. It's been fun, you were quirky to start with, but aged well and kept us smiling despite becoming a little tired around the eyes.
Yep, it's finally time to say goodbye to the Ford KA, and say hello to the Fiesta Nano.
Ford have spent the last 15 years trying to better the KA, trying to find something the public love as much, which looks as good and will be as revered, and they completely bottled it.
Take a look at an original KA - there's bound to be one parked near by - and really look at it. Sure, the headlights look a little dated and the wheels a little small, but the way the shut lines ran along (and around) the car, the thoughtful interior, and charm gave it such a distinct personality. How many other designs can lead to a pumped up sport varient successfully? The 3-series, Imprezas and Evos, even the Puma. Pretty good company to be in. Let's be honest, there's never been a Suzuki Wagon RR...
It's a lot like my trousers. When M&S developed the Blue Harbour range, it was younger and funkier than the traditional slacks and slippers image M&S have, but older, more comfortable and better wearing than some cutting edge high street fashion that looks like you're trying to hard when you're approaching 30... So I was happy, I bought shirts, jeans, jumpers, all sorts. It seemed to be going well and was establishing itself, then they brought out the following season's range. They'd try to build on the success by watering down their offerings to try and appeal to a broader range of customers, and had made it even older, even less fashionable, even more like the rest of their range.
Sound familiar?
In a lot of ways, the KA follows in the footsteps of the MX-5. It was different, a bit special, a bit funky. Bought by people who wanted a bit of fun in their lives - be they 17, 27 or 47. The KA was lifted above the others in that market like the Lupo and that small one Seat make because it was... cool. It was the fancy shoes but without a lack of comfort. It was a fun little car that stood out enough to make a statement, but not enough to alienate or offend.
Whoever at Ford signed this off deserves to drown in his own blandness, and then should be replaced by Chris Bangle. If you ask KA drivers, I'm sure they'd say that they don't want a small Fiesta, they want something different. Something younger, something funkier, M&S quality with River Island styling.
If M&S are reading this, I'd like that in my trousers too please.