Courtesy of www.drive.com.au

Price and equipment Four Star The XR5 kicks off at a $35,990, or four thousand dollars less than VW’s Golf GTI. But the Ford isn’t short of gear, picking up uprated suspension, bigger brakes, 18-inch alloys and a big twin exhaust system.

 Inside, there’s a chunky leather-shod wheel, grippy Recaro front seats and a powerful Sony six-stack CD player. No cruise control, however, and automatic buyers will have to look elsewhere.

Under the bonnet
Instead of the 2.0-litre four from other Focuses, the XR5 gets a rorty 166kW 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder, pilfered from corporate sibling Volvo’s parts bin. It’s a gem, with entertainingly gutsy response from low revs, a surging spread of mid-range power and a free-revving top-end to call on as well. Sounds great, too, and fuel economy is acceptable.

How it drives
With faithful, precise steering, strong brakes, bags of grip and a finely honed sense of balance, the XR5 offers genuine entertainment whenever the road turns twisty. Torque steer, wheelspin and other nasty traits that afflict powerful front-wheel-drives are kept well in check. Then there’s ride quality, which despite its sporting bent manages to absorb really bad stuff with disdain. Similarly polished is the six-speed manual shift, which is backed up by a meaty, delightfully progressive clutch.

Comfort and practicality
For space, adjustability, comfort and practicality, the XR5 is just like any Focus – meaning good but a rather grey and dreary atmosphere. The only real differences are those Recaros, which offer sensational support, and boot space, which has been reduced to free up the space for the big exhaust system.

Inside, there’s a chunky leather-shod wheel, grippy Recaro front seats and a powerful Sony six-stack CD player. No cruise control, however, and automatic buyers will have to look elsewhere.

Safety
The XR5 gets a respectable artillery of safety features, including stability/traction control, six airbags (including curtain) and ABS with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist. In NCAP crash tests, the Focus scores a strong five stars.