Ford Focus XR5 Turbo and the Road Trip.

A recent trip to Sydney gave me the opportunity to take the family and the Ford Focus XR5 Turbo on the great Australian road trip from Melbourne to Sydney. It also was opportune as it allowed me to add further to my earlier review on this exact car.

Previously, I noted the performance and handling of this ‘hot hatch’ from Ford and on this road trip it was these two qualities that proved a distinct asset. In terms of performance there is a strong sense of satisfaction passing a V8 up a hill at 110kms per hour with four people and luggage in the car and all that in 5th gear and still accelerating. I must admit at taking glee in the surprise reactions from the drivers of these much larger cars as we effortlessly passed them.

While that was fun it was comforting to know that more power was on hand, if required, to get us out of trouble with the turbo kicking in seamlessly.

But enough on the fun quick stuff and on to the more important question – how was it as a long distance tourer?

The answer is quite simple it was very good.  All four of us were comfortable in the car with ample room for the kids to layout their respective iPods, DS consoles and DVD players within the main cabin.  Luggage for all of us fitted easily in the hatch without the need to remove the baggage cover – peace of mind when leaving the car full of luggage to grab lunch or check out a sightseeing area.

On the road the Focus felt good with the seats providing good cushioning and making the ride very comfortable.  The lack of cruise control was one of those annoying factors, particularly early into the trip but once you got familiar with the car and speedo it was not a huge hassle to manually control speed.  In fact I have to be honest and say that I actually preferred the manual control and have for the large part stopped using the cruise control in the GT!

Fuel consumption was good although not as efficient as the non-turbo focus model, however this Is to be expected given the spritely nature of the vehicle.  On a full tank we were averaging around 500 to 550 kms.

Overall the Ford Focus XR5 continues to impress me beyond my expectations. Over this road trip it provided me and the family with good comfort, excellent ride quality and better than expected fuel efficiency although the lack of cruise control while noticeable was not a significant negative to the vehicle.

More proof that Ford has produced an exceptionally well designed ‘hot hatch’.

For further information read our full review at: www.carhq.com.au

Tags: Driving, focus, ford, road trip, XR5

Category: Driving Journeys