New cars this month

Aug 22, 2008 at 2:18 AM
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The new Ford Ka, based on the Fiat 500 platform, looks good, but the other débutante, the Renault Symbol, looks like a Clio that swallowed a Nissan Tiida. I imagine the looks are down to the fact that in some countries, it will be sold as a Nissan, replacing the Platina.

2009 Renault Symbol

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Jack Yan’s rating:

★★★★

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Oh Gosh, is that Renault destined for the UK? I really don't like that.

Fortunately, no. Small saloons like that don’t tend to sell well. I believe it’s heading to eastern Europe, Turkey, some South American markets, México—generally, places where they like saloons. I’d bet that it will head to India as well.

This must be how people feel after a brush with death ;)

I think the Ka is an improvement on the present one, but I have to say if it's based on the 500 anyway, the 500 is really cool. I'd be interested to see how they compare on price.

Typically the Fiat is cheaper but this time they seem to be positioning the 500 as a fashion statement—it costs more than the Panda, for example, for no discernible reason. So maybe the Ka will be cheaper since “it’s a Ford” and therefore only fashionable for about two weeks before they start heading to discount lots and there are suddenly 60,000 on UK roads.
They both come out of the same plant in Poland and if you squint you can imagine where the commonalities between the Ka and the 500 are: radiator location, hard points in the basic structure, etc.

That is the one drawback of the modern retakes on small classics - I like the Mini, Beetle and 500 but they always seem to forget that part of what made the originals have such an enduring legacy was affordability.

That is so true. Also, if they remake these oldies, what will the next generation remake? There are few new iconic cars these days. Or will a Renault Scénic be retro-chic in 2025?
The other aspect with the Mini et al was classlessness. Now they are fashion items for Sloane Rangers. Yet it’s the utilitarian, clever cars that get mass support, which is why I think the Tata Nano will do well in India.

Perhaps that's it, classlessness, they're just exceptional at what they did, function and design meeting, so they work for everyone.

It's a real challenge to think of cars that may be classics from today's market, at least the UK market. I think you could be onto something with the Nano in India though. Perhaps it's also something about the economy - our economy doesn't need a mini or a beetle so much as most people have relative economic prosperity and can afford, which has increased choice so nothing becomes ubiquitous?

Even HM the Queen and Peter Sellers had Minis. If only the Smart was cheap and cheerful, it could have been a world-beater. The only classics today in the UK that I can think of are exotica and performance cars, but nothing as noble as the original Mini or Fiat 500.
You are right about relative prosperity, plus increased segmentation of the market where everyone expects “mass customization”.

Yes, I can't think of any mainstream, accessible classics on the market either - they all change so quickly too so it would be hard to establish any position in the market before the models change again.

I must say mind, on the performance cars section, I do love Morgans, so beautiful.

I think it's disappointing how little of the old Ka has been carried across. It was unique but the new one looks like just another supermini. You could almost slap any Peugeot Group badge on that thing and nobody would know it's a Ford!

Morgan seems to be going through a bit of a renaissance these days, showing that you can use an ash frame and put beautiful bodies on them. I wish Bristol would look at producing some beautiful cars.
I thought about cars such as the Citroën C1 and VW Fox but neither of them have anything remarkable.

That’s a good point, Robin. Ford grilles and Peugeot grilles are almost identical bar the shape. The Ka and the 207 have the upswept waistline. The lights are nearly the same shape. (Ford unashamedly admitted to copying the 205’s flavour for the Mk III Fiesta, too.) This is what Ford does best: take an existing nameplate, see what the prevailing trends are, claim it as its own, and churn out another car. There are exceptions such as the Sierra and it is good that Fords don’t handle like pigs any more, but I have to agree that the uniqueness of the original Ka is gone.
I wonder if we are reliving the mid-1970s, when manufacturers looked at stylistic departures from brand or model heritages as good things (e.g. Aston Martin Lagonda, VW Golf, Leyland 18-22 series, Triumph TR7, Simca Horizon, Fiat Ritmo, Jaguar XJ-S).

Yes, I'm not so keen on Bristol design wise either. To be honest, I'm not keen on Lotus anymore either, I used to like them but they all seem so alike now, even the Evora is no great departure. I know they're very good at what they are, but I'd prefer a little diversity in style.

Since I get to drive a lot of the new cars, they don’t seem to have those big jumps in development compared with, say, the 1980s versus the 1960s. All the true innovation has been taken out of them in favour of incremental improvements for marketing or ease-of-manufacturing reasons. While I like having a digital readout of my mpg figure, I don’t need it; while it’s fun having an electronic parking brake, I don’t need that over a conventional one.
The Evora was a bit dull. The Elise was a much fresher design on début and had those great Lotus virtues of lightness and performance.

I liked the old Ka's shape as it was kind of friendly, white with the black bumpers reminded me of a Panda (bear not Fiat). Don't get any of that from the new one. Seen from the back its C pillar/tailight/hatch join looks rather awkward.

Re New Cars, I started reading Car mag's regularly about the late 70's. Remember those Car Magazine Good, Bad, Ugly reviews which slammed some - lots - of junk cars.

I still remember their one liner for a Cadillac (can remember which but it could be any): "As flash as a rat with a gold tooth" :-)

The Ka I was cute, but also a bit dumpy. I did like the interior though. As a piece of design, it was better than the newer model, I must say: a good way to integrate the bumpers into the overall design, cute, petite lights.
I remember the GBU. They did one in the northern summer this year but that was the only time I saw it with the new-look Cars. The Aston Martin Volante’s was the one I remember: ‘For: Prince Charles owns one. Against: He talks to plants. Conclusion: Succeeded.’

The still have a GBU on their site but the layout is rubbish, you have to click into brand/model then choose a spec to see the GBU summary. It's ok if you want to see about a specific car but terrible to browse.

Sad because there are still some cutting comments;

Suzuki Jimny

For:

The list is empty

Against

Horrible to own, drive and look at

Verdict

Will always finish last

Very good! I wish Car would at least give us, even online, something resembling the old. Even a PDF would be good if it’s an issue of the cost of plates, ink and paper.

I sent them an email, via the web contact, requesting a better layout. See this post for the full text

New cars this month

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