Ford offers Mountune upgrades for the Focus and Fiesta ST

Back in 2008, we ran a 2.5-litre Ford Focus ST long-termer with a Mountune ST260 upgrade, and compared to the Focus RS of its time it felt faster and heaps more driveable.

Now Ford are offering Mountune upgrades on its Focus ST and Fiesta ST with the same promise – RS-like performance for a fraction of the price.

If you’re in any doubt then the following numbers should certainly grab your attention.

The Focus ST now offers 271bhp (10bhp more than a £38,237 Porsche Boxster and 25bhp more than the standard ST) and sprints from 0-62mph in less than six seconds.

As we found with our previous-generation ST, the real gains are in the mid-range with 31-62mph acceleration in fourth gear improving by 0.8sec to 4.9 seconds. That’s thanks to 295 lb-ft (400Nm) of torque which the ST’s torque vectoring front axle apparently makes light work of.

If you’d prefer something smaller, then the Mountune upgrade for the Fiesta ST delivers 212bhp (up from 179bhp) and 236 lb-ft (320Nm) of torque. That’s good enough to propel it from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds (down 0.2sec) and from 31-62 mph in to 5.7 seconds (down by 0.7sec).

The upgrades involve more than just a chip change – work on the Focus ST includes a cast alloy inlet duct (silver or black powder coat finish), high-flow air filter element, larger alloy intercooler (silver or black powder coat finish) and unique calibration, while the Fiesta ST includes a re-modelled air box base with secondary inlet duct, a high-flow filter element and that all important re-calibration of the ECU.

Any of the UK’s 120 Mountune-appointed Ford dealers will be able to fit the upgrade, which can be accomplished in under 60 minutes for the Fiesta ST, and less than 90 minutes for the Focus ST. The price is a modest £1,225 for the Focus (£1,275 for the black finish) and just £599 for Fiesta.

The upgrades are fully compatible with the standard Ford warranty, which means they’re covered against mechanical failure for three years or 60,000 miles from the original date of purchase.

Written By

Steve Davies

Steve is an investor, private equity advisor and former Partner at KPMG, PwC and Bain. Most importantly he's a life-long car enthusiast, mountain biker and active sports enthusiast. He designs and builds technology platforms and is the architect behind Transmission.