1st FORD FOCUS RS
Mountune upgrade kit adds extra power, grip and performance to give popular hatchback the edge
FORD’S Focus RS stole the headlines when we first tested it back at the start of 2016 (Issue 1,409), and a year on the RS has been treated to a boost in power courtesy of the £899 Ford Performance by Mountune FPM375 kit.
As with the Mountune modifications to the Fiesta ST and Focus ST, the upgrades include a new free-flowing air filter and a bespoke ECU map, as well as a new recirculation valve. Combined, these take power from 345bhp to 370bhp. Apart from this, the mechanical make-up is the same, but that’s no bad thing, because the RS’S chassis boasts more than enough grip to contain the extra power.
Alongside the Cosworth-developed 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo unit’s 370bhp, there’s 510Nm of torque on overboost, which really starts hitting at just over 2,000rpm. There’s a soft edge to the throttle response as the turbo gets up to speed, but once it’s boosting, the performance is savage.
The difference is difficult to notice in any one area as the upgrades have been so well calibrated, but our in-gear performance figures show it’s a match for the Mercedes, accelerating between 50 and 70mph in sixth in 5.3 seconds.
Unfortunately, due to drizzly conditions during our test runs, the RS only managed to sprint from 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds; Ford claims an official time of 4.5 seconds for the upgraded car. But there’s no doubt launch control and the four-wheel-drive system helped. Developed by British firm GKN, it’s a clever unit that can send up to 70 per cent of the engine’s torque to the rear axle, where the rear diff can then divert all of this to just one wheel.
The RS has four driving modes: Normal, Sport, Track and Drift (the car’s party piece). Normal is as you’d expect. Sport sharpens throttle response and initiates some tight, rally car-style cracks and pops from the exhaust when you change gear or lift off. Track and Drift are best used away from the public road, so Ford says, with the latter adding a greater rear bias to the four-wheel-drive system.
Squeeze the throttle before the apex of a bend in second gear and you can feel the RS shift drive to the outside rear wheel as the tail arcs round, tightening the car’s line. While it adds adjustability, it sometimes feels like the Focus is fighting itself. Even so, it’s a clever trick for a front-engined hatch.
Some people might be put off by the RS’S styling, but with its big wing and bodykit it leaves you in no doubt about its performance potential. Inside, material quality is similar to a standard Focus, so it’s robust rather than tactile – but the A-class’s cabin is no oil painting given its price, either.