I've got a Mk5 as a hire car until my new car shows up.
Ok it's the 1.4 5 door base model (but has cruise control??!?!) but it has some fundemental design flaws:
heater controls are so low down centre consol and are just rotary controls with no 'feel' as to what setting you have each on that you have to take your eyes off the road for so long to look at them to turn them it's really dangerous. trying doing it say... late at night at 100mph on a motorway.
Stereo - single CD one - utter cack. Assume the higher spec models get a better speakers and head unit. It's badly laid out, volume knob is slow, track searching etc is difficult and fiddly, buttons are difficult to hit without looking at it (see 100mph comment above).
'Electronic' indecators and wiper stalks - these you just nudge up and down to do things. 1 word - sht 1te! I've done 2,500 miles in this car and I still dont get it rigght every time (and I'm a very experianced driver). Good idea but just isn't that easy to use in real life. Keep indicating the other way instead of cancelling. Random windscreen wiper speeds. This is the only car I've ever had to get the manual out to discover how to turn the bloody indicators off.
Clocks and dash etc - soooooo bland. Not just the colour (grey.. with er... grey) but the design. Sends you to sleep. As soon as you get in the car it just shouts at you "welcome to a boring car. Please prepare for a boring drive". Worse than any Korean car I've seen. (ok yes my one is basic spec...).
Now the worse thing:
The Fu**** wan**** idiot buzzars and lights in the thing. If you drive with your seatbelt off lights flash and a really annoying 'dinging' sounds. - ie when coming out a parking space, pulling away from home etc.
Also does the same with the doors open switches (see problem with boot switch further down).
On the upside:
1.4 enegine is really good. 5 blokes 100mph all the way to Birmingham and back no probs.
Brakes - excellent. Over bracked really. Downside - no feedback at all.
Steering/handling - excellent but again no feedback. You won't know when this car is about to let go so it's pretty dangerous really. Saying that I have tried to make it and it really doesn't want to bite you easily.
Space - cabin - good (for size of car).
boot - good.
Fuel consumption - probably pretty good if driven by your mum. Driven by me I'm getting about 300 to £36 (about 30mpg). Oh dear.....
Looks - I like it. Looks good from most angles.
Other things:
little niggles on my car - iffy boot open switch - have to really slam it to stop the warning buzzer.
Also the 12inch crack in the windscreen that has appeared (oh well hire car so no issue).
Overall in MY opinion based on THIS car I'M drving:
it's one for your mum/sister/aunt or if you hate driving anything vagely exciting.
I'm sure the models up the range are better (fingers crossed) but they have missed the mark in some fundemental places (heater controls/dash etc) that are real school-boy errors.
My recommendation: - by a new focus unless your going for a high model.
Re: What do you think of the Astra Mk5? 
)
Just hope they've sorted the dam rust proofing by 
looks more like a Kia to 
