We’re big fans of the Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch at CAR, and its Focus ST big brother has won plenty of friends here too. Now, each is available with a slug of extra power for not too much money– and it won’t void your precious warranty.
That’s what in-house Ford tuners Mountune are offering for the latest 2013 ST models. The upgrades take less than 90mins to apply, and appear to offer a decent ponies-to-pounds ratio. But would you take the tune-up plunge? Read on for the specs.
How much extra power does the Fiesta ST get?
Mountune’s upgrades lift the pint-sized £16,995 Fiesta ST from 179bhp to 212bhp, thanks to an ECU tweak and a reworked air intake, including a secondary inlet duct and high-flow filter.
It’s worth noting the improved figure is developed during the Fiesta ST’s temporary overboost period under full-throttle, but given the standard model hardly feels lacking for pace, it’s a safe bet the Mountune conversion will be noticeably more spritely.
What are the Fiesta’s numbers?
Thus equipped, the Mountune Fiesta ST sprints to 62mph in 6.7sec – 0.2sec faster than standard. Boosted by an extra swell of torque (up a massive 49lb ft to 236lb ft) the in-gear 31mph-62mph run drops from 6.4sec to 5.7sec.
And what about the Mountune Focus ST?
Send your £21,995 Focus ST under Mountune’s knife and it’ll get a cast-alloy inlet duct in a silver or black powder coat finish, high-flow air filter, and beefier intercooler, also in silver or black.
Power jumps from 247bhp to a Vauxhall Astra VXR-baiting 271bhp, and torque is up by 30lb ft to 295lb ft. That translates into a 0.6sec 0-62mph improvement (now 5.9sec) and a 4.9sec haul from 31 to 62mph (beating the standard car by a lengthy 0.8sec)
Go on then – how much?
Mountune is asking £599 for the Fiesta ST package, and either £1225 or £1275 for the Focus upgrades – black powder coat is more pricey than silver.
Ford is keen to point out that even with these tune-ups applied, their pocket rockets are cheaper than their behnchmark rivals. The Fiesta ST still undercuts the Renaultsport Clio 200 and Peugeot 208 GTi on price, while the Focus ST still works out less expensive than a VW Golf GTI or Renaultsport Megane 265.
Who the hell is Mountune?
After providing racing engines for Fords since the 1980s, Mountune was bought out by American Ford tuners Roush in 2004, famous for their Mustang upgrades Stateside. Since 2008, Mountune has been offering mechanical upgrades for European-market Ford hot hatches, with the full blessing of the official Ford 60,000-mile warranty. Currently there are 120 Mountune-approved Ford dealerships across the UK.