What you should know before buying a Ford Focus ST/XR5... | ReDriven used car review 

A few points from a long term owner. 1. The back seats are MUCH more comfortable if you put the head rests up. The headrest interferes with your back/neck sitting against the backrest properly. 2. The factory leather option XR5s are actually 4 seater cars, only the cloth/fabric XR5s are legally 5 seaters. Says so on the plaque in the door frame (I think on the B-pillar). Factory leather equipped cars don’t even have seat belts for the rear middle “seat”. Some XR5s have been retrofitted with leather seats later in life, hence why they’re a 5 seater. Just check the door plaque. I’ve had my LV XR5 for 8 years. Love it. Bit heavy on fuel if just in traffic constantly, but enjoyable. Love the mechanical nature of it, the 6 speed is nice. Sounds great. With the rear seats folded down, it can take a tonne (not literally) of stuff in the back, so it’s quite versatile. Despite versatility it’s a rewarding drive. No, it won’t ever be the fastest car in a straight line, but it was never designed to be. Sits on a freeway comfortably, but also is quite competent in twisty roads (even before suspension mods). As for the AC, there’s a pretty well known issue where the compressor clutch material wears away and the clutch goes out of tolerance. Can be remedied by removal of one shim in the Ac compressor clutch (there are videos on YT) or buy a new compressor. Do not buy through ford, it’ll cost you a lot. You can buy the genuine compressor through XR5 specialists and save hundreds. The PCV diaphragm can be bought separately to save a lot of money too. There are issues with the bonnet lock, usually because people don’t know how to open it properly. Ignition key goes into the bonnet lock (behind the front ford badge) and press down on the bonnet, turn key to the left, let bonnet rise onto the catch then turn key to the right and you can lift the bonnet up. There’s a small white plastic piece in the lock that ford put in as an anti theft device, which breaks if you don’t open the bonnet properly. You can buy that plastic piece, you can upgraded pieces, ypu can buy the whole lock assembly, you can install the mondeo bonnet latch (with traditional under dash lever), or you can remove the bonnet latch completely and use bonnet catches (like Aero catches). If the bonnet latch breaks there are videos of what to do. You need a really long screwdriver basically, but if it does break you aren’t the only one it’s happened to so there is info out there. These are great modified if modified correctly. Any crackle tunes are idiotic and asking for a cracked liners. The liner issue is a bit random too, some very powerful cars have no issue while some stock do (random hey), but you can stop it by doing the block mod. This involves putting little shims that fill the factory gaps between bores. It’s peace of mind security. Best basic mod for these is a proper stage 1 tune from a reputable supplier (OEM Denied is one based in QLD, there are a few really good others too). Factory they have boost limits on 1st and 2nd gears, making the car sedate. Stage 1 tune sorts that out and can make the car nicer to drive. A resonator delete helps make sweet sweet 5 cylinder noises without drone. There are good full aftermarket exhausts that are drone free too, just takes some looking into. As mentioned in the video, other great mods are an LSD and RS clutch (you do both together to save on labour - RS clutch is similar feel to stock but much stronger and still quiet), rear sway bar, short shift kit. Best thing for a car this age is to also redo the suspension, whether you go new good shocks and springs or coilovers, but all the factory rubbers. They’ll tighten the car up back to factory spec (or harder if desired). Cruise control was not available in Focus XR5s (despite being on Mondeo XR5s), but can be added, probably around $900-$1k supplied and fitted by most decent auto electricians New head units are easy to install with Aerpro kits. Super easy, I installed a Kenwood DMX8520dabs with wireless Android Auto and CarPlay for less than $1k. Awesome headunit offering more than many new hot hatches. Tonnes of great headunit upgrades for a few hundred dollars, so the ICE can be upgraded very cheaply. Definitely underrated, but buyers need to be realistic. This will not be as quick as an i30N, Golf R, or AMG A45, but it’s also tens of thousands less. What the XR5 will do over those is give aural sounds that only 5 cylinders can give (we’re talking RS3 type sounds), and those other 4 cylinder turbos can only dream of.

I like that you didn't bother to have the car cleaned for the video. 🤣

I have owned a fully stock 2010 Electric Orange ST since 2013 and it's honestly been the most reliable car I've owned. For me, the car shines on long road trips while returning 7.8l/8.0l. Super comfortable and that 5 cyclinder is the best thing Ford ever did to the mk2. Best of luck getting one in decent condition though but if you do find one, I would 100% recommend them.

Bought a MK3 ST in Feb, absolutely love it! Such a great car.

As a person who owns a Ford focus myself I can say that these are quite nice cars and comfy. I only have a base model so I'm missing many different features, the small cubby that is under the headlight controls is where you plug in your obd2 controller if you need to plug it in. Hope this helps

Had a Mondeo XR5 back in the day and it was a lovely thing, this engine was/is a ripper.

Thanks for such a detailed review. I've always been keen on these and today I test drove a nice unmolested one with low k's and loved it! It will soon be mine hopefully!

I've got one of these since brand new and still absolutely love it.

Not watching from Australia but I find these videos very informative and entertaining, so I've stuck around.

Yet again, another great video. Awesome work 👏

Bloody good video as always guys and was quite an eye open about the problems that can crop up with them especially the fact it less water tight than a colander. When you did the showing off of the car I was expecting the safety features overview to be done in the style of a game show prize pack down lol. Had a feeling that this weeks review was going to be a ford or Volvo and in a way it was technically both lol. Wondering if you're considering reviewing a few of these Chinese made cars on the roads nowdays anytime soon or is it hard to find any to review? Keep up the good work guys you're all doing a bloody good job and I know of a few people that have seen the merch I've been wearing/using and have started looking you up. Have a good weekend and look forward to next week's batch of videos 👍

Just bought a pre facelift XR5 in Performance Blue with a Bluefin stage 1 tune! Great cars 👍

Love your hand waving! And these 5 cylinder motors are lovely!

I bought my 225 in February and I've been loving every minute of it.I was originally looking for a G6 GTi but I'm glad I found the ST.GTis are a dime a dozen in my country and the ST certainly turns waaaay more heads.I was shocked at just how cheap service parts are compared to other brands in this segment.Although I sit at 18l/100km,I don't regret it at all.

You guys are awesome! AK is the Matt Watson in Australia who reviews cars normal people can buy. Thanks for the top notch content!

Had one for a few years in the past. Tbh it was fun car but nothing reeeaallly special (the Volvo 5 cyl aside, that noise 👌👌). I have a Megane RS (2015 275 Trophy) now and it’s a much better all around package as a performance car if you don’t need 4 doors.

Another great review

Had one for 6 years. Will never forget that I5 note. One thing I miss everyday. Also look out for the bonnet latch failing and the radiator also failing. Any day over 30 degrees, the aircon is next to useless.

I had one of these and although it had its flaws(interior quality/radio. That engine was an absolute peach and the front diff handled torque steer really well. It also handled really well. My only really regret was selling the car.

Yes. Very timely boys. I just bought a 2010 MK2 RS and I absolutely love it, nothing quite like a 5 pot. If you are ever in QLD let me know and you can review my RS.

Note regarding the air con issue mentioned. This is a common issue, however a fix is very easy and doesn’t require a new compressor at all. OEM Denied has a video showing how to fix the issue. Also the note regarding the transmissions I’ve never heard before. If you’ve managed to blow a transmission in an xr5 you mustn’t know how to drive manual. The transmissions are tanks and can handle a lot of power and abuse.

Wow!! so good and real world information. A Holden Insignia is a forgotten gem.

I have the same engine in my 2012 Mk1 Kuga AWD. I just got a stage 1 tune from OEM Denied and it is a beast! Also handles great for an SUV, the handling is renowned in Europe.

Looked at one about 10 years ago for the mrs at the local dealer, a noise near the front wheel turned us off but bloody hell it went well (still looking at one) this one even had aftermarket cruise control that worked well to

Nice one. My son bought a second gen example in Frozen White as his first car 6 or so years ago (P plate legal). Still has it today and I've driven it a bit. It's nothing like my 2020 Fiesta St (of course), but still a nice and spirited drive, let down slightly by not having LSD fitted. That 5cyl volvo engine is lovely, and with great potential (where KW's are added sensibly), and have a great rep as being pretty bullet-proof.

You missed a few issues, the dash cluster can suffer from bad soldering which throws up weird faults, the bonnet release will break easily as its only plastic , they have a big turning circle for a little car, the headlights on mine were like burning candles to see at night and the pedal box on mine failed due to plastic bushings wearing out. The tourque mount on the engine will also break at sometime in its life and the clutch lasts about as long as timing belts if you are lucky. Outside of that a fantastic car to drive, I really enjoyed mine so much that when it got retired at 175000 Ks I parked it in my shed and its still there as I couldnt part with it. I replaced the Focus with a new WRX and that got sold after 5 years because it was costing me more to service and repair than the XR5

B5254T3. Acessorie belts can shred they wrap around the crank and timing gear and will skip teeth and smash valves. A lot of the mounts tend to be cracked, hoses swollen. Also if the cam seals leak, its because the gears are worn, new gears are around $800 plus fitting. Also if buying watch for leaking PCVs, that can be caused by excess crank case pressure, usually caused by crackle maps with over fueling causing bore wash and worn rings so do a compression test when buying and avoid any cars with photos of them shooting flames. Also pull the oil filter, check the pleats for metal, these engines tend to spin bearings if they dont run the right oil. Avoid green coolant, its the wrong stuff, you'll blow a head gasket with it. Hmu if you want more info.

I remember seeing these everywhere when they were new along with a few RS models.

Had a mk2 rs back in the day. I enjoyed it but for me I found it a little to wide for narrow winding mountain roads. Was great but looking back I could never quite gel with the car. I got the opportunity to drive xr5's at the same time.. in some ways I found the xr5 a better fit for aussie roads then the rs. I miss the rs intake/exhaust note my god it sounded good.

love your videos man could you please make a video about if a used a45 AMG is worth-buying?

Hey guys! You should review the Mitsubishi FTO, they’re becoming more and more popular and would love to see you guys review them! Got one here in QLD for you to use ;)

Try out a Mondero XR5, They're just the perfect mix between performance and luxury. As they do have a couple extra features than the XR5. Yet it does come with the negatives such as less supportive seats. I would love to see how you would feel about it.

2006 model xr5 200ks was a one owner love it to bits even if it's stock.

One of my favourites

How about that Opel Astra H OPC behind Jim. That should make a nice video as a comparison !!!

My son has a late model lv and i love borrowing the keys every now and then for a trip to the shops. Its a fantastic car to drive. Ive got a newish RS245 Skoda and while its quicker than the XR5, its not as fun to drive.

Had a 220WKW one few years back. Has the RS LSD as it needed. Was such a brilliant car. Only issues was the Turbo loved to come off the manifold. Also the no cruise control was pure BS hahaha.

These cars were sold as a Volvo C30 (hatchback), Volvo V50 (wagon), C70 (convertible), and S40 (sedan) in the United States. They are very similar cars underneath. You can get them in automatic or manual transmissions. If you really want a MK2 Focus RS in the states check out these cars.

Bought one in July, superb. A standard example with low mileage.

12 years later and I'm still mad we didn't get these in the States...

Just a small FYI about sitting in the middle rear seat. Leather equipped car's (like the one you have there) are actually only 4 seaters 👍

I own a 2010 XR5 Turbo. Bought it a few years ago with 150,000KMs for $10,500. A few things to note: 1. You're 1000% right about it coming to life with good tyres. Mine came with pretty bad ones and it just spun the wheels all through 1st, 2nd and even third. It was very hard to launch. I put some Pirelli P-Zeros on and even with traction control off it just grips up and flies away. 2. Traction control is a nightmare. It's just way too aggressive, I permanently drive with it off, it cuts power even when I'm driving it normally. Your average 0-100 time will probably drop 1-2 seconds just by turning it off. 3. For maintenance - it actually says in the logbook to do the timing belt at 150,000KMs or every 10 years. Since all of these cars are over 10 years old, low mileage examples should get it done asap. It is a little pricey (I paid $1500 with the water pump and aux belts) but if the belt jumps you're looking at replacing the whole engine ($5000+). I had to do the PCV in my car too. Mine had an engine mount split, apparently it's common as well. PCV costed me about $1000 to fix. Engine mount was about $400. Besides these it's pretty good. 4. It's reaaally thirsty on petrol. It only takes 98, I'm running a stage 1 tune and average about 11.5L/100KMs. With petrol prices soaring bear this in mind. You're looking at ~$120 to fill it up and it'll do about 400-500KMs depending on how you drive it. 5. This is one of the cheapest cars you can modify. It's very easy to get more power. The main limitation is the downpipe and the turbo intercooler. Replacing these 2 + a better panel filter will take you from 225HP to 300HP reliably. For around $2000 as well. There's plenty of handling mods too, sway bars, torque mounts etc. 6. I'm a little biased here but it's by far the best sounding car in it's price bracket. Even in stock form it sounds great, I have a resonated dreamscience catback + cold air intake + turbosmart recirc valve and it brings it to life. It completely smashes the GTIs, WRXs etc in the sound department. You nailed it in the video, the 5cyl really gives it character that the others lack. Would highly recommend this car especially to P platers, it's a great car to learn in, great car to drive, I'm planning on selling mine (it's getting up there in KMs) just to buy another one.

Would you mind telling us the kilometres on every car you drive? Gives us idea about how well it’s holding up. Like this car you mentioned no major issues but if it has only done 50-60k in all those years, it will be better than other higher mileage cars . I am currently looking at buying one and lowest mileage was around 60k and most of them are like 100k to 150k. Your videos are really good and helpful for used car buyers here in straya .keep it up mate. Cheers

Being overlooked means great bargain compare to Golf GTi and others on the used market, great car to drive, I do want to point out XR5 in Australia is a 4 seater, there is no centre rear seat belt.

1 that’s not a factory colour yet you talking about over spray 2 leather models fit 4 canvas fit 5 3 good car good platform 4 only came as manuals 5 st225 6 traction control is dangerous 7 I miss mine

So nice I bought it twice!

U need to open the coolant resevoir tank while cold and smell it. If u smell exhaust gas, run

Most underrated and undervalued hot hatch is a an Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV! Pls review. Only old mine cause i caught the offroad bug and bought a Prado

These are pretty decent. If a bit firm in the old suspension. Just please buy a nice standard stock one or lightly modified one. Anything with more than minor mods are just endless trouble.

3:05 I own a Volvo with the same engine. Honestly had no clue the XR5 had the same engine as mine until I listened to an XR5 and thought it sounded exactly the same as my Volvo. I guess I know why now!! :)

Please review the Mk4!!

Please review 2014 Fiesta ST

Can you do a review on the mondeo xr5?

Bit late to the party but I’m in the newcastle area and have a mk3 Focus ST if you wanted to do a review on that

I see you mentioned that the middle rear seat would be uncomfortable. Just thought I’d mention that with the leather interior it only sits 4 people, where as the cloth interior ( red & blue) sits 5 :)

Pommie here. Bought mine at 44000 miles 4 years ago. Now got 86k. I rag it round everyday and I've had no issues whatsoever. Maybe I'm just lucky

Ugh, the fact Ford has always refused to sell us in the US their fun cars. When they finally brought the Focus RS over, dealers were treating them like McLarens. They WOULD NOT allow you to test drive them and dealer mark ups were in excess of over $10k over MSRP well before covid. It was only a year or two of being treated like that before it was considered a huge sales flop and they stopped selling them here. Everyone thinks people in the US only want trucks and SUVs and that might have a bit of truth to it but there's still a huge market for fun coupes, sedans and hot hatches, we're just not gonna pay whatever someone asks just because they ask that much. It's ridiculous.

"more dickheads are buying them!", You probably have the best and most accurate quotes on RU-vid at the moment 😂

i have the blue smoke you mentioned at 18:58 😭😭 pretty sure its a shoddy turbo seal, but i think its ok? just wasting a bit of extra oil?

I would like if you guys could give a few seconds to comment on visibility and ease of parking during the 'whats it like to drive?' segment of these reviews. You've only touched on it in a couple of videos, and I think it'd be good considering that a lot of your audience isn't buying used cars with modern safety & visibility features like parking sensors and reverse cameras.

The "sitting on not in the car" feeling is a Ford thing. My Mondeo has it, my missus' Fiesta has it, and Falcons I've driven have it 😂

Funny thing your front bumper colour not matching the fender 😂

if you lower the drivers seat, the centre consule becomes a problem with your left elbow! Its truly a real pain, literally as you keep banging your elbow off it! Its a poor interior but you dont really buy this car for its interior. In the UK the speedo is a problem. Our main sped limits are 30 MPH and 70 MPH. The speedo displays 20, 40, 60 MPH not the important ones!

All the cup holders are "static" cup holders in this car. They aren't deep enough not hold anything whilst driving.

What about the xr5 Mondeo?

I own an xr8 and I would love to own one to match it

I've had my ST since new in 2016. I will never sell. So you can't have mine. What would I upgrade to ? There's no new Focus RS. Not interested in anything else. Highly recommend 👌

Does anyone know more information on that mountune 190KW kit. Ive been looking at hotting up my xr5 but when i heard that you could get a kit that was supported by ford aswell, i thought that would be a good place to look. But I have found no information on it, even on the redriven website, only on this video. Thanks

Great car back in 2008 but I reckon nowadays they could be a liability with repair costs and some reliability issues.

No mention of the Mondeo XR5? Want all the practicality and the fun of 5 cylinders? Mondeo XR5. Probably even more understated than the focus.

I was looking at buying the face lift version but I decided not to because I try to stay away from p plate legal turbo cars

aircond problem due to compressor clutch

I want a fiesta st

The front seats have 2 separate levers for controlling the angle of the base and height of the seat

Did you do all of the percussion parts?

So basically a V40 is a Focus with better interior?

Is that really Ringo Starr?

Or you could get it's Volvo sister the 2014 V40 T5 (2.5L)

The base of the back seats lift up?!?!?!

Quaife LSD would double the price wouldn't it?

Huge fan of the XR5. Hot tip from an ex owner; replace the wheels/tires immediately. Get some extra width; 7inch minimum.

2 of these rolled beside me on the freeway and both dropped it back a gear one looked stock other had an exhaust not sure of any other mods and my 1984 Mitsubishi GSR Cordia Turbo destroyed them .

Not sure I would call them a bargain or underrated. Less talked about for sure! But they hold their value well, if not higher than a similar Golf. Opel Corsa OPC on the other hand… Also worth noting is these and the Volvo cousins are rather heavy for what they are. Heavy and performance don’t match up that well.

Don't all new cars have plastic parts where they shouldn't in that engine bay. So really all cars are expensive to repair.

I drove one of these about a decade ago and thought it was underwhelming. I reconsidered one about three years ago when I was looking for a cheap and fun weekend project, but after test driving the XR5 again I thought the handling, performance and drive were average for something in its class. Ended up opting for a Honda instead.

Anyone own a VOLVO C30 T5? Pretty much the same car?

What does Focus spell backwards? Umm, never mind.

Hoh finally

Yeah baby

Please put time stamps back in! It was so much better

This car is an absolutely yes to buy as long as you have another car as well. Cars shouldn't always have to be sensible or reliable.

Ouch big Bucks if it gets a sickness 😫

Who says they are expensive to fix. Compared to what ? Why, what do you think is cheap to repair ? By far, the Nissan 300zx twin turbo is an awesome Ferrari to own and drive, but that takes the cake for repair bills...for an example

Personally, i find hot hatches rather pointless. Yes they are fast, but where I live, with speed cameras and police hidden around almost any and every corner, fast is pointless. The fact that they look to the uninformed and uninterested, just like their ordinary, family taxi brethren, makes the extra money that they cost, somewhat of a waste. If I am shelling out the amount it takes to buy one of today's high performance offerings, then I want it to look like it cost that much and not have to constantly explain to people what makes 'this one' so special.

That wasn't anywhere near 2.1 seconds from 60-100 kmh more like 2.8 seconds that would make it as fast as a e63s amg otherwise lol

Funnily their not that quick considering it’s a Volvo engine as well when I test drove an xc60 t6 tuned 330hp ended getting for my p plates just legal. At the traffic lights we had a commodore one side and a focus xr5 as well it was a 80 zone we pulled a few cars lengths away from both the 6 is also bulletproof in the Volvo amazing car only wish I could find it in a s60 body.

I think the xr5 looks ok, just the 5 doors make it a little ugly IMO.. same with the mk3 focus RS. I love the look of the mk2 focus RS! That's one of the main reasons I bought the 2014 Fiesta ST, because of the 3 door look.. look so much better than the US five door version and I heard the 3 door is about 100 pounds lighter too.. LMFAO 🤣 yep.. I swear the "ESC OFF" button in our fiesta st has my fingerprint imbedded into it.. I always switch it completely off because with it on its always cutting power right when you most need it IMO.. If we got for a crazy cornering mountain drive I have the ESC on every time tho for obvious reasons..

If those bolts look brand spanking new.... why? HAHAHah

Other word buy a fiesta ST

Red ones are faster.