XR5 or VXR?

[2ndclasscitizen]

The Turbo SRi is only $34k though, so the XR5 will have a fair bit of competition. MOTOR seemed pretty happy with the SRi so the Ford may have to contend with being undercut in price by a slightly less powerful but still capable Turbo Astra as well the VXR above.

[adrenaline]

The recent comparo between the XR5 and the SRi in carsguide basically summarises the Sri as a functional car with a turbo strapped on, whilst it says the XR5 is a true performance car...well it went something like that i cant remember the exact quote...but the focus beat it. Compared to the VXR? Well the VXR is more expensive, alot lighter (2 Door vs 4 Door), it has a little more grunt (i dont know about the torque though). So straight line would go to VXR, which leaves an opportunity for Focus to Trump it in handling. IMO the focus is a better car for no obvious reason, infact Im probably a little biased towards the XR5 as Im so impressed with the regular focus.

EDIT:Focus wins in value.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Originally Posted by Carsguide.com.au

Wakefield Park had seldom seen such a deluge. Water covered the track; every apex was a dangerous pool of oil and water that stole traction and precious seconds.

The first day of the NSW Alphera Dutton Rally was one for hefty all-wheel-drives — anything driven by two wheels spun straight into the infield.

Setting up for turn one in the front-drive Ford Focus XR5, its turbocharged in-line five bristling with torque, the likely result would have been slippery, slow understeer. Instead, the rear broke away in a hilarious, tank-slapping slide that would have shamed a tyre-smoking V8, but was fixable with a touch of brake and throttle.

The notion that compactness, practicality and price cannot be combined in a performance package was well and truly blown away.

The hot hatch may be a cult institution, but in the real world small cars have led the big sixes and eights in popularity since petrol prices hit three figures. Dollar value, bowser relief and all-round ability are what we want.

Thus the hot variants of Holden's and Ford's best-selling small cars couldn't have come at a better time. The face-off between the marques' hot hatches is the only comparison that matters these days.

Both entrants are priced under the magic $40K: the XR5 cuts in at $35,990; the second-generation Astra SRi retains its modest $34,990 tag.

Both ride on monstrous 18-inch tyres, possess sports-tuned exhausts and suspension, carry whopping turbochargers, but can claim fuel consumption of less than 10 litres/100km.

Both can be flung around a track, fit in a tight parking spot at Westfield, will carry the shopping and five people, and are loaded with standard kit.

Jumping from one into the other on the track and on the street, however, they couldn't be more different.

It begins with the powerplant. Ford, which owns Volvo, helped itself to the 2.5-litre turbo five-cylinder that powers Volvo's S40/V50 T5.

Hence the Focus grunts like a Volvo on steroids with a prompting throttle, a device under the car forcibly pushing the decibels through to the cabin to heighten the experience.

The XR5 packs 166kW and an electronically limited 320Nm of torque (any more, and the tyres wouldn't cope) for a visceral and aural surge off the line.

That's helped by a fabulous close-ratio, six-speed manual that hurls the Ford in front of the SRi in a straight line.

The SRi forces a respectable 147kW and 262Nm from its two-litre Ecotec engine, which is larger than the base Astra coupe's 1.8-litre atmo engine but pales next to the XR5's muscular powerplant.

It may lack the Ford's aural edge, but the Astra's turbo boost hits the back of one's head with much more force.

The SRi feels nimble and light, particularly with the rather sensitive clutch. Its six-speed transmission is sweet to shift, and its turning circle is noticeably less strained.

Although the SRi is slightly lighter than the five-pot Focus, it's 158kg heavier than the base-model Astra coupe from which it's derived. The compromise is a comfortable one: leather interior, heated seats, six-stacker CD and climate control — fabulous standard gear on a $35K car.

With minimal glass area and a tiny rear window, the Astra's interior is dark and has an almost corporate feel, which is in keeping with its understated exterior. It's a polar contrast to the Focus.

The jellybean-orange XR5 looks like a sports shoe inside, all stripes and colours, complete with boost gauges on the dash and massively bolstered seats. But cruise control isn't even an option.

The Ford's tyre noise on coarse-chip roads makes a highway cruise less pleasant than in the SRi, which rides surprisingly well on its low-profile tyres and torsion-beam rear suspension.

The latter also removes some of the SRi's mid-corner speed, with the Astra prone to more front-end push than the Ford.

The XR5's independent rear end and grounded handling win out, but the suspension set-up and an enormous exhaust system don't leave enough room for a full-size spare.

The Astra packs loads of standard stuff into a well-priced, good-looking hatch that happens to have a turbocharger and some sports mods strapped on.

By contrast, the Ford feels dedicated to performance. Its neutral handling and German engineering combine with a dedicated powerplant (albeit someone else's) that pulls beautifully throughout the rev range.

Ultimately, the Ford is more rounded, more solid, and wins handily. For now, that is.

The tables may be turned next month when HSV's Astra VXR hits the market, promising a resounding 176kW from its two-litre turbo four (though at upwards of $40K).

No murmurs yet from the Ford Performance Vehicles stable, although Focus and Fiesta would be prime FPV candidates.

Either way, the perennial Holden/Ford battle is as big as it ever was. Only the cars have become smaller.

It's quite obvious how the Astra models are positioned within the market. The SRi is supposed to be faster and better round the bends than the base Astra, but is more of a cruiser, whilst the hardcore performance stuff is left to the VXR.

http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0...-21822,00.html

[adrenaline]

"The Astra packs loads of standard stuff into a well-priced, good-looking hatch that happens to have a turbocharger and some sports mods strapped on.

By contrast, the Ford feels dedicated to performance. Its neutral handling and German engineering combine with a dedicated powerplant (albeit someone else's) that pulls beautifully throughout the rev range.

Ultimately, the Ford is more rounded, more solid, and wins handily. For now, that is."

Thats the quote I was looking for!

[fpv_gtho]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WIJ3dZ-Ou...r%20Focus%20ST

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nS1I_pz_H...20gear%20focus

[Blitz_]

Wow the iosis actually looks great in the flesh (well on video anyway) alot more impact than the photo's showed imho. As he said, alot like an Aston, which, for a mondeo is great news

Also mentioned was his confidence it would beat the VXR around the track, i'll take his word for it, seeing as its top gear and all Don't know about all of you but that orange is the tits, loving it. Do we get the ST2 or ST3?

[SlickHolden]

I don't mind orange myself, Bit cheesed with holden for not giving the Flame orange a shot on the sedans, When i see a monaro in flame i think woooooo it's rare and looks good and different in different light.

I think when JC tested the XR5 he was very impressed by it's handling.

[syko]

Originally Posted by SlickHolden

I think when JC tested the XR5 he was very impressed by it's handling.

except he decided to call it a different name (the ASBO) and he seemed more interested in doing 360's and yelling out of the window

[Blitz_]

Originally Posted by syko

except he decided to call it a different name (the ASBO) and he seemed more interested in doing 360's and yelling out of the window

who wouldn't

loved the subtle bashing of the prestige cars, terrific contrast

[fpv_gtho]

From what i gathered the ST2 and ST3 were all upspecced models of the standard ST. Its a bit like how Ford used to market 2 different trim levels of the Ka, that and the Ka^2. So im pretty sure considering how cheap we get it, outs is only the standard model.

2 things though seemed to stick out from everything here and thats the rear suspension and the torque steer. Both of which seem to give the lesser powered XR5 an advantage over the VXR, just how much is the question.

[fpv_gtho]

The 2nd link also, the one to the video from 5th gear, if you look at the other videos on that page theres a video where they compare the VXR and ST.

If you cant see it though its here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fm9atdII5...20gear%20focus