2008 Ford Focus XR5 Turbo Review
September 2, 2008 by Matt Brogan
2008 Ford Focus XR5 Turbo Review & Road Test
Five doors, five seats, five cylinders… perhaps good things come in fives
Model Tested:
- 2008 Ford LV Focus XR5 Turbo 2.5-litre, five-cylinder, six-speed manual – $36,990 (RRP)
Options:
- Metallic Paint $310; Premium Paint $1,800 (Fitted – Electric Orange); Rear Parking Sensors $600; Electric Sunroof $1,900; Overhead Stripes $350; Recaro Sports Leather Trim & Seat Heaters $2000; Mullin’s Motorvatr 18” Alloy Wheels $1064
Balance, Power Delivery, Grippy Handling, Exhaust Note, Price Tag
Panel Lighting, Brake Pedal Position, Road Noise, No Cruise Control
CarAdvice Rating: 
- by Matt Brogan
A lot of so called sports cars these days comprise of little more than a badge, a spoiler kit and a set of alloy wheels – an anodyne, half baked attempt at attracting the brain dead if you ask me. But if instead you’re the type whose right foot gets a little itchy at the mere idea of pounding down a twisty country road in a no holds barred bona fide hot hatch, then perhaps you’d better take a look at this.
The face-lifted LV Focus XR5 Turbo, unlike its LT series South African siblings, is a completely German designed and manufactured five-door, five-seater boasting not only the sporty good looks deserved of wearing the XR badge, but a tremendous and dynamic engine and handling package sure to delight the driver in all of us.
From the supportive embrace of the Recaro bucket seats to the passive-aggressive attitude of the restyled (kinetic) front end, the XR5T offers a combination of looks, practicality, performance and price that has lured many an eight-cylinder purist in recent times. Not hard to see then how this little champion has earned an almost cult-like following.
Far from being a bare-bones boy racer though, XR5T includes such modern niceties as a sweet sounding Sony MP3 compatible premium six CD tuner with remote audio controls, a sassy leather bound tilt/telescopic adjustable steering wheel, multi-function trip computer, sports instrument cluster, power windows with one touch up front, power and heated wing mirrors, air-conditioning, remote control central locking with keyless starter button, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, and height adjustable halogen headlamps.
You also pick up some juicy external appendages with a set of salient 18” alloy wheels (space saver spare), unique twin exhaust outlets, front and rear fog lamps, moulded sill panel skirts, oversized rear spoiler, clear tail light lenses and larger diametre rear discs all adding to XR5T’s already athletic appeal.
But aesthetics aside, a hot hatch needs a pretty big heart to win any respect at all given the amount of competition out there (think VW GTi, Volvo C30-T5, Honda Civic Type R, Mazda MPS3, Subaru WRX, Holden Astra SRi), let alone keep fans coming back for more with every re-incarnation released. XR5T is one such car, and here’s why.
The 2.5-litre, in-line five-cylinder, turbocharged engine is the embodiment of all that’s right in forced induction. Strong, linear boost and flat, early torque delivery make the 166kW, 320Nm, at 6000rpm and 1600rpm respectively, offering a lithesome, overtly usable affair that has an uncanny habit of putting on more pace than you’d at first give heed to.
Jon:
i own a 2007 FN2 CTR. the one they sell in australia. if youre considering a new CTR make sure youre a person more concerned about how a car drives and feels as opposed to how much power it has. if youre a person who enjoys big oopmh at the hit of the throttle then even a GTI is better than the CTR for that. if you like hanging onto a high speed corner at 7800rpm while wondering whether to change up or stay in gear then CTR is for you
Try a ralliart Colt cheap as and fun to drive, I bought one for only $25k drivaway and got a ralliart upgrade for another $500. 128kw 240m/n and ONLY 1120KG!!! Do the maths, it keep up with a XR5 with heaps of change in the bank
Andy there is no way that a Colt Ralliart can keep up with a XR5 Turbo. I’ve driven both cars and the XR5 has alot more grunt. If not why would people buy this over the Colt. XR5 best there ever was best there ever will be.
This is a good machine but I can not understand why no cruise and hard to believe no left footrest engineered for RHD version…..even for the larger UK market. My test drive noticed a huge turning circle 11.7m and annoying road noise (like all Mazdas and the Focus). No car is perfect so it is good value but……I will wait for the new Subaru WRX 4WD sedan for only $3000 extra.
One of my friends recently purchased an LV XR5 and I must say, it seems to me to be a thoroughly impressive hot hatch for the dollars. Not to impliedly deride the car’s looks, chassis or build, but I still think the motor is its standout feature. That engine is brilliant!
I thought my mate was bullsh##ting about being able to drive around in 6th gear at 40km/h without the motor struggling, then I sat in the passenger seat and ate humble pie while he demonstrated. Then to add insult to injury, he went up a steep hill – still at 40km/h in 6th gear – and the thing didn’t even break a sweat. Then opened it up on a straight shortly after, and it sounded awesome! Indeed that is a fine engine..
I’d always harboured the unfortunate misconception that the XR5 weighed in at 1440kg+ and hence I never bothered to test drive one when I bought my last car (an MY08 WRX.) At 1360 odd kg, it’s about the same as a 5 door Golf GTi and with considerable advantages in both power and torque, I’m surprised it isn’t faster to 100km/h.
The suspension on the XR5 is fantastic too, sadly better than my WRX, although to be honest, I think the car’s still not quite spot on.
Front wheel drive still kills it for me, and whilst it’s probably among the more capable of the breed, you’re never far from your friends in the ’steer’ family (understeer, torque steer, and cousin lift-off oversteer..) if you really push it. Whilst the grip is commendable, I don’t imagine those 18 inch 225/45 Continentals would be cheap to replace either. And what’s with the miserly 50 litre fuel tank?
The lack of cruise control too (esp in Victoria, with our speed camera infested highways) is somewhat unforgiveable this day and age. Certainly not a deal breaker in itself, but an unnecessary inconvenience by its curious omission.
In all though, I guess one has to remember the XR5 only costs $37k or so, and that said, on a bang-for-your-buck assessment, it pretty much trounces all the competition in my book.
That was a pretty good mini-review Hugo. Good stuff.
We just bought the LV in Performance Blue (no stripes) with leather and sunroof. Trouble is my hubby hogs it so I’ve only driven it once but made sure the experience was worth it! Had an XR6 T in auto a couple of years ago, but love the size and manual box in the XR5 T more than I thought I would. I can put up with the few nuisances it has like no C/C, foot rest and being a bit noisy (not too bad) because as a package it is sensational. Love the engine and gear box, engine noise, seating/comfort and paracacality and it can go like stick if you want it to. No regrets so far – just want to drive it more!!
interior… very nice, fords interiors are very consistantly eye pleasing. exterior… can’t complain. engine… not as impressive as when i saw the vtec. but wtf is up with the way you open up the hood? wtf???
Is that 400m time Fair Dnkum???Seems a bit fast.