I'm late to this party but wanted to clarify some stuff said earlier. I have owned my XR5 since December 2011 when I bought it new. Have passed 51,000km in it now. It is not hard on brakes, still have the original brake rotors and pads all the way around. I have not modified the car but don't drive like a granny either. The Mondeo is around 300kg heavier than the Focus and yet the same engine. The size of the Focus is excellent for around town, I find it fine on long trips (bought it in Brisbane and drove it home to Sydney on day one), the Recaro's are excellent. Around town returns around 10 litres per 100km even on 95 RON ULP. Hands free phone with voice dialling and other touches make it a very easy car to live with, yet with plenty of poke when needed. Test drive and odds are you will buy. The Volvo sourced T5 engine is well known for long term reliability if looked after, there are examples on the XR5 Turbo forum with well over 200,000km and modified.
