ford focus xr5 vs golf gti mkV

[daniel7y]

thanks for your input everyone. i think the gti seems like the better all rounder, but having said that if a good cheap xr5 comes on the market i'd probably still snatch it up. lack of a foot rest and cruise control are the most disappointing in my opinion, but i'm sure i'd learn to live without.

i still haven't seen an xr5 yet, but going by the pics the interior definitely doesn't have the class that the golf has. i'm surprised to hear that the quality is inferior to the golfs though, even after VW scaled back the trim quality from the mkIV to the mkV..

i'll keep searching and see what comes up at a good price first. i'd prefer the gti, but i think i'd be happy with either car.

[sevfive]

I'll dive into this debate, as I've recently made the jump from a 2007 Golf GT to a 2010 XR5.

I had a terrible 3.5 year experience with the Golf & for a the best part of half a year, the car was off the road being repaired. Neither the dealers or Volkswagen Group Aust. wanted to know about warranty issues with the engine & eventually after having the car for four months, they reprogrammed the ecu so no faults could register. By the time I traded it in, it sounded dreadful.

I digress, because it may have been a lemon, but it's hard to get past how I was treated along the way.

After owning the XR5 for a few months now, I think it is a mildly superior car. I agree the choice of materials used in the cabin are better in the golf, but in the Focus they are fitted without all those rattles. Road noise is also much less intrusive in the Focus.

For the $10k difference in price, it's hard to look past the Focus & is very easy/cheap to mod if that's the way you want to go. Mine is still stock & I couldn't be happier with it. The engine does drink, (but the price savings cover that cost for a few years!)

In terms of resale, VW are fighting to become the biggest mass producer (over Toyota!) & with GTI's, everywhere these days, the value is going to struggle to hold up. I certainly found that out when I sold the GT & would be hard pressed to think of VW as a premium brand in the future.

[gavs]

When I was looking for a new car 3 years ago, I drove the XR5 and was comparing to RS Megane, Golf GTI, WRX, Ralliart Lancer, Astra Turbo, Astra VXR and RS Clio R27.

The Xr5 was a nice car, the interior design and layout in my designer's opinion was messy, I didn't like it. That being said, damn, it looked fast, sounded fast, felt fast, but wasn't fast I got hosed on the test drive by a Polo GTI, bright red being driven by a girl, remember the smug look on her face clear as that day, so I walked out of the ford dealership with an embarrased salesman standing there quietly and I ended up buying a house.

Now i'm getting a Polo GTI for myself

[BarneyBoy]

do a you tube search if you value tiff needles view on the issue, also great for those that claim you can't slide a fwd

You can see him doing the same with a GTI - him & 2 passengers...
...that boy can drive!!! :-P

[Russ59]

I looked at the Focus TDCI (I know it's not the XR5) prior to settling on my Golf GT TDI. I found the overall quality of the Focus a bit average, I liked the style and the car drove well but strips and panels didn't line up very well and looked a bit tacky. The diesel had Cruise Control but IMO it was a definitely an after thought on the designers behalf. Everytime I tried to use the indicators (left hand side like Golf) I found myself catching the cruise control box when indicating to turn right. Maybe it was just me but that along with the feel on the road compared to the Golf was the reason I went with the VW. I love the look of the XR5 and I think they are great value for money and as far as the resale $ value is concerned I really don't think there's a lot in it when comparing how much extra money VW want for some of the options which the XR5 has as standard equipment. My suggestion would be to drive them both and see what you think and then compare the running costs etc..... and see which one ticks the most boxes for you

[blue32bingo]

Having stepped out of a MkV (R32) into a XR5, I can honestly say - Don't do it!

Strong motor - sounds good and not lacking for grunt, looks good, but the rest of it (incl the driving experience) is just ****.

I may be biased (V6 4Mo before the R32), but the VW is a much nicer place to spend time in!