Ain't No Mountune High Enough: dealer-installed performance kit for Ford Focus ST
Click above for high-res gallery of the Mountune Ford Focus ST
After driving the hot Focus ST at Ford's Lommel Proving Grounds, we returned with a big smile on our faces... and an eager anticipation for the upcoming Focus RS. British customers are also anxiously awaiting the even hotter hatch, and Ford's Team RS knows it. That's why they've teamed up with ROUSH's British subsidiary Mountune again to offer a dealer-installed package to pump up the existing ST, JUST like the one they rolled out earlier this year for the smaller Fiesta ST, and also while the orders roll in for the full-fat Focus RS.
The package includes a bigger intercooler, high-flow air filter and recalibrated ECU, all good for an additional 34 hp to boost output from 225 PS (222 hp) to 260 PS (256 hp). The extra power promises to drop the 0-60 sprint down to a scant 5.9 seconds and on to 100 in just 14.1 seconds. The best part for British enthusiasts is that the £1,120 package can be installed to any new or used Focus ST at a range of dealerships across the Isles. Ford and Mountune promise an accompanying suspension package in the near future and further mods for additional Ford models before the year's through. Follow the jump for the press release and check out the images in the gallery below.
Gallery: Mountune Ford Focus ST
Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Ford Focus ST
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE
FORD DEALERS OFFER MOUNTUNE PERFORMANCE FOR FOCUS ST
- Approved performance upgrades on new or used Focus ST models
- 2.5-litre Duratec ST engine can now be tuned to 260PS
- Continued association with motorsport specialist Mountune
- Prices from £1,120 plus fitting at specialist Ford dealers
BRENTWOOD, Essex, 16 September, 2008 – Ford is offering Focus ST performance upgrades through a special dealer-fit option.
The Mountune Performance package will retail at £1,120 (plus fitting) and consists of a larger intercooler, a high-flow air filter and revised engine calibration. Together, this lifts power output from Ford's potent 2.5-litre Duratec ST engine from 225PS to 260PS at 5,500rpm and from 320Nm to 400Nm at 2,500rpm.
The upgrade reduces the 0-60mph sprint by 0.6sec to 5.9sec, and the 0-100mph time by 1.9sec to 14.1sec.
The performance gain follows similar Mountune upgrades for the popular Fiesta ST which have been made available from Ford dealers earlier this year. Both have been verified on British B roads and over numerous laps of the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany.
Developed by Mountune Performance in association with Ford Team RS, these packages will only be available at selected specialist Ford dealers' from Sept 2008. The upgrades carry a minimum of 12 months/12,000-mile dealer warranty up to a maximum of three years/36,000 miles. The upgrade kit does not affect the vehicle warranty.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
xspeedy 4:35PM (9/16/2008)
How about making the car itself show up at US dealers? Thanks.
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Tam 4:43PM (9/16/2008)
Buy a MazdaSpeed 3 and put Ford Focus badging on it, if that's what you really want.
TJ 4:49PM (9/16/2008)
Tam, that 3-door looks better than the '3' ever will.
havoc 5:12PM (9/16/2008)
why buy a speed3 since this can be done for existing st owners?
i love my speed3 (someone is prob waiting for me to fanboy it) but this tune puts down very similar performance numbers (per the article)
why buy a new car when you can update
fixitfixitstop 5:12PM (9/16/2008)
Tam,
Some of us want Ford to have the car, not Mazda.
kal326 4:42PM (9/19/2008)
@Tam
And what exactly do you propose we do with those two extra doors and accompanying sheet metal?
LeMuRfArT 4:39PM (9/16/2008)
seriously. im looking at buying a car pretty soon here and this would be very close if not at the top of my list.
but alas ford hates its home country
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Yaroukh 4:42PM (9/16/2008)
and vice versa
knifetramp 7:34PM (9/16/2008)
Disagreed, Ford is working their butts off to be a success in America.
If you insist on looking to place blame for Ford releasing this very nice car in Europe first, look no further to the idiots in Washington DC. European governments tax cars annually based on liters of engine displacement..that's what you call "creating demand for smaller cars". European governments also make gas prices higher than h-ll. The US government has no such policy, instead prefering to blame manufacturers for their inability to push consumers into smaller vehicles. McCain, Bush, Obama, none of them is going to change anything.
Yo MAMA 4:43PM (9/16/2008)
I can't wait...I want a Focus ST 5 door superbad.
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Hamud 4:56PM (9/16/2008)
Ford will start to sell the new Focus here in Brazil in October/November and the ST will show up at a local Car Show. Sadly the price of the new Focus is high (cheaper than Corolla and Civic though) and the ST would be way more expensive.
Anyway, this car rocks and these upgrades will make it even more desirable. Saw a chapter of Fifth Gear where they tested the ST against the Astra VXR. The ST, even with less power, won hands down in every aspect.
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J M C 3 5:08PM (9/16/2008)
Suggestion-Ford needs to expand on the success of the Euro spec. Focus when it arrives here and offer it as a coupe competitor to the BMW 1 series.
The buzz on this car can't be bought.
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Pip 5:44PM (9/16/2008)
This is the best looking Ford ever, and it's not even sold in America.
Who is running the show over there, and why?
Get this in the states, pronto.
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revvo 7:55PM (9/16/2008)
Every time there's an article about a European Ford, you got all these autobloggers (including me) who would probably buy the car if it were available here.
And that's just us here on one site. Now take all the auto online communities out there that go through similar news, get a count of all the people who get fedup of Ford of the same thing.
For the fun of it, just try this! Show a random person 2 pictures: The US Focus and the Euro Focus, but do not label them as US & Euro. Ask them to slap a price tag (in $) on each and count the number of times that the Euro's price tag is higher than the US focus.
I mean really, this is not rocket science. European and Japanese car makers don't make uglier cars in their home countries.
James 6:07PM (9/16/2008)
oh my goodness, this Focus ST and the Mondeo are so good looking. Did Ford US actually think the Focus we have and the Fusion are better?!?!
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Allan 6:32PM (9/16/2008)
Dear Ford...
None of your US products interest me at all. They never really have. I don't find them interesting or fun.
But... I WOULD BUY THE FOCUS ST IN SILVER 3DR TODAY! I would even leave the Ford badge on it.
Thanks.
A Toyota Customer
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Warren 7:36PM (9/16/2008)
WHO CARES! It is not available here, and in 2012 or whenever Ford gets it's act together it will still be a watered down version. Trust me, Ford is an expert at underestimating and screwing the American public. I am just so tired of them giving us CRAP and the rest of the world gets great cars.
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dykast 9:30PM (9/16/2008)
There really was no need to have a article on this. I swear Autoblog just does this to piss us off.
Like the test drive article wasn't bad enough..now you have to go pour salt on the wounds.
Think about our emotions for once!!!
(I am obviously American)
I miss my SVT Focus:(
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StNicholasCagefighter 5:50PM (9/17/2008)
This car looks cool, in and out, but also sort of cramped.
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