Mountune FPM375 Auto Express Review

5 Star Review from Auto Express

Just as it applied its know-how to the Fiesta ST and Focus ST to great effect – extracting a few more horsepower for not a lot more cash – now tuning firm Mountune has turned its attention to the most hardcore fast Ford on sale, the Focus RS.

Not that the standard car necessarily needed more power, but the addition of a high-flow induction kit, updated recirculation valve and bespoke ECU remap has liberated another 25bhp. That takes the 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo’s output to 370bhp.

The Ford Performance by Mountune FPM375 kit costs £899 including VAT, and should take around one and a half hours to fit. It doesn’t affect the standard Focus warranty, and the upgrade can be made retrospectively to existing cars.

In addition to the extra power, torque has been tweaked from 470Nm on overboost to 510Nm – which is more than a Porsche 911 Carrera S delivers. The extra grunt drops the RS’s 0-62mph time to 4.5 seconds – helped by standard launch control. This is now a seriously fast car.

Tread on the throttle at anything more than 2,000rpm and the engine picks up with a vicious snarl. There’s a momentary pause as the turbo wakes up, but it almost adds to the sensation of speed as the full hit of torque is delivered explosively.

The performance upgrades have been so well developed and applied that it’s difficult to notice the extra urgency in any one place in the rev range. But there’s no denying the Mountune RS is bonkers fast.

Verdict
With the FPM375 kit, the Focus RS is an even bigger performance bargain. For £899 it takes the fast Ford into the league of hyper hatchbacks, rivalling the likes of the Mercedes-AMG A 45 for around £8,500 less. The RS’s chassis can easily cope with the extra power and still delivers grip, poise and engagement – but without any compromise to the car’s warranty.

Score: 5 Stars

Read full article: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/ford/focus/98220/ford-focus-rs-mountune-2017-review