Ford Ka 1.3 Zetec TDCi: On the Drive

We review / road test the Ford KA 1.3 Zetec TDCi

John Test Drives the Ford KA 1.3 Zetec

The English language is a funny thing.

We like to think that language is something that binds us. But actually  it divides us; classifies us; condemns us and pigeon-holes us. Speak with a Cockney accent and you’re either a cheeky-chappie or a wide-boy. Espouse your views in broad Scouse and you’re bone idle and have a moustache (girls too!). Your class, intelligence and wealth are all judged by how you speak.

But it’s not just accents which mark you out  – there are often huge differences in pronunciation. I was born in Lancashire and there it’s all harsh vowels and enunciation (think Bath instead of ‘Barth’, and Lay-er instead of ‘Laire’  ). But in the South it’s elongated vowels and blurred syllables.  And my accent is combination of both. Born in Lancashire but raised in Essex from the age of 10. From the working class North to the middle class South. With an accent that’s hard to pin down, but with the middle class south winning out – except for the odd harsh vowel.

And I wonder if my wandering linguistic roots explain why I never know how to pronounce KA, as in Ford KA. Is it Ford KA as in ‘Car’? Or is it Ford KA as in CAndle? Neither sound right to me. One sounds too much like ‘Ford Car’ and the other requires a linguistic stop followed by the motoring equivalent of Ulrika-ka-ka-ka. So I opt for the pragmatic option and say ‘Kay-Ay’. And in some ways, that’s what Ford has done with the new Ford KA.

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