ford focus xr5 vs golf gti mkV

[daniel7y]

hi all

has anyone considered the xr5 as an alternative to the gti? i'm curious to know what people from the vw camp here think of the xr5, and if anyone has taken it for a test drive. i did a search on the forum but couldnt find any posts on the xr5.

i'm looking to buy a new (used) car in the near future, and i'm thinking the xr5 could be an option. it's had great reviews, and it looks nice. only let down is the interior looks to be lower quality, no cruise control, no climate control and no footrest! it is cheaper than the golf brand new, although that doesn't seem to be reflected in the used market at this stage.

as great as the gti is, and as much as i love volkswagen, i'm starting to look at other hot hatches... seems like volkswagens in general are much higher (and more expensive) maintenance than other manufacturers, and have **** electrics (power windows, lock modules etc)... i'm talking about the mkIV golf, not sure if the mkV is better.

thoughts?

[Transporter]

IMO, the reliability of the Ford Focus is not better than VW Golf and Focus spares are very expensive too, I would say probably more expensive than VW parts.

[NabzGTI]

the xr5 is a little beauty. I was considering one of these before I bought my GTI, however my cousin had the same car and I couldnt copy lol.
At the end of the day, it is a "ford" regardless of its german engineering so you will lose more value than a GTI when you go to sell. In terms of performance, they are almost identical.

[AusScare]

I've heard nothing but good things about the XR5, especially its 5cylinder engine.

[BarneyBoy]

I looked very hard at the Focus (when it first came out) as an alternative to the GTI that I intended getting.
I had a lot of time to look around as the GTIs waiting list was 8 months long at the time. :-\

Plusses for the XR5:
Big, balsy engine with a ton of grunt
Nice standard sound system (Sony I think)
Nice std wheels & tyres
Nice range of colours
Nice looking interior (without the Golf's quality feel)
Std iPod interface (not that rubbish VW extort a lot of $ for)
Pretty good value (they've dropped the price a lot since then as well)
Looks pretty sharp (that's subjective, I know)

Downside:
No auto (IF that's a downside...)
No sunroof option
No footrest (mentioned)
Low rent A/C
Crap boot space (the exhaust takes a ton of room)
No way to fit a towbar (if that's an issue)
Steering felt very dead (on any of its settings)
Ride not as compliant as the GTI
Becomes a 4 seater if you option leather
It's a Ford (albeit German)
That balsy engine LOVES a drink...
No cruise control (I think they fixed that in the latest version)

And yes, I decided on the GT instead - go figga...

[AusScare]

wow I just looked up how cheap they are, $32k brand new!!!

2010 FORD FOCUS XR5 TURBO LV Cars For Sale in QLD - carsales.com.au - carsales.com.au

[sir_camel]

wow I just looked up how cheap they are, $32k brand new!!!

2010 FORD FOCUS XR5 TURBO LV Cars For Sale in QLD - carsales.com.au - carsales.com.au

Damn that's cheap. If they were doing them driveaway at that price two years ago i'd be driving it instead of my R32. Was much closer to 40K driveaway then

[99_FGT]

Reckon the XR5 is a ballsier car to drive than the GTi, but the GTi is a better daily to me. Looked at both, and was offered a good deal on a new one, but the ride quality is a bit jiggly for my liking. They are great fun to drive, truck loads of grip and sound good to boot (so good you want to give it the boot all the time, kind of like the R32). Still like my GTi with DSG though.
Al..

[adamk]

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

[adzy]

You lose overall quality with the XR5 but DAMN that Volvo 5 pot is one ballsy engine alright.... and the sound it makes!

[TomC]

Has kind of been said already but... When I looked at both cars before buying, it was the interior quality difference that I noticed. The Focus interior wasn't bad as such, but the Golf was so much better. That seems to be a sentiment that most motoring journo's repeat. I spend a lot of time in my car each day so interior quality was key for me. And as a side note, I found the GTI's suspension tune to be a better blend of commute comfort and weekend punt; Focus was stiff for the daily grind.

[mfl]

Although I got a mk6 GTI, my choice came down the GTI or XR5 and 16mths ago the XR5 was about 42k on road, that included a custom leather interior so it remained a 5 seater.

The biggest plus for the XR5 was the engine note and its torque. The XR5 also had more options such as BT and 18" wheels (but no cruise control).

It was the design and quality of the interior which won out in the end. While the front seats in the XR5, looked very classy and supportive, the rest of interior, especially the dash (although it did have the additional gauges, that a GTI should have) just looked tacky compared to the GTI.

[99_FGT]

Has kind of been said already but... When I looked at both cars before buying, it was the interior quality difference that I noticed. The Focus interior wasn't bad as such, but the Golf was so much better. That seems to be a sentiment that most motoring journo's repeat. I spend a lot of time in my car each day so interior quality was key for me. And as a side note, I found the GTI's suspension tune to be a better blend of commute comfort and weekend punt; Focus was stiff for the daily grind.

What he said, oh, and what hasn't been mentioned is fuel and rego - in QLD they cost the same as a 6 cylinder to register, and a mate who lives near me and does a similar run to me gets low 11L/100km, whereas I get 9L/100km

[bwen]

XR5T are a great little car in my opinion. If you want a more 'fun' car definitely pick the XR5. The GTI is a better daily driver, with it's DSG so it doesn't sacrifice performance like most torque converters.

edit: I think I was in the same boat as a lot of people in this thread, decided between the GTI and XR5 but only ended up fairing with the GTI side because I picked up a Pirelli

[Stalker]

I love the orange colour on the XR5. If only it wasn't a Ford and if only the guy across the road hadn't picked one up before me, it is probably what I'd be driving today! Very happy with the R32 too though!