Ford's new Focus XR5 Turbo goes kinetic

Ford has given the hero car of its Focus range, the XR5 Turbo, a "kinetic" makeover, however, the rest of the range will have to wait.

Same, but different
The produced-in-Germany AU$36,990 XR5 Turbo has been given the company's "kinetic" styling motif, which includes swoopier headlights and an aggressive grille and lower air-intake combo. There are a host of more subtle exterior changes, like the new crease down the side of the car and faster acting, low power consumption LED tail-lights. The racing stripes seen in the above pic are optional.

Inside
Ford Australia has yet to supply any pics of the XR5's refreshed interior. This is a shot of the updated innards of Europe-spec Focuses, which should be similar to our XR5's. Aussie bound XR5's will get a big red button to start the engine, as well as alloy pedals and a "carbon-effect finish" on the centre console.

Body by Ford, engine by Volvo
As the name suggests, the XR5 Turbo uses Volvo's 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine. In the Focus it produces 166kW of power and 320Nm of torque, all of which is delivered to the front wheels.

Keep waiting
The styling tweaks on the XR5 have yet to filter down to the rest of the Australian Focus range. That's because the rest of the Focus range sold in Australia is built in Ford's South African factory, which has yet to adopt all of the latest updates from Europe. However, all Australia-bound Focuses now get side-impact airbags as standard.