Ford Fiesta ST Mountune

What is it?

This is a dealer-fit engine and exhaust upgrade for the Fiesta ST. For £1838 (plus fitting), you get an upgraded induction kit, a very naughty-sounding exhaust, a tweaked ECU, and new camshafts and valve springs.

The result is 183bhp – not bad for an engine with no turbo or VTEC-style trickery. You can also buy a 163bhp version that does without the upgraded camshafts and valve springs for £1435.

What’s it like?

Loud. Start it up and the trumpet-shaped exhaust settles into a gruff, slightly flatulent idle. This is not a car for refined, shrinking–violet types.

Move off and you’ll notice a sharp clutch action and a paucity of low-down torque. But you forget the trickiness of the drivetrain once you wind the little Fiesta up a bit.

Beyond 4000rpm, things start to get properly exciting. The bubbling exhaust note hardens into a menacing growl, and you can hear the high-flow induction sucking ever more air into the cylinders.

There’s even a Racing Puma-style pop and crackle on the over-run. It’s addictive. Fast, too – Ford reckons the tweaked ST will hit 60mph in 6.9sec. That’s nearly a second quicker than the standard car.

The rest of the package is more of a mixed bag. The quality of the plastics betrays the design’s age. On the other hand, it remains a good-looking car and is refreshingly compact compared with a Clio or a Peugeot 207.

We’re not sure about the £605 KW suspension kit, either – there’s a suppleness to the standard ST’s suspension that’s entirely missing in the 300mm lower upgraded kit. And the £1950 part-suede Recaros? They’re lovely, but way too expensive.

Should I buy one?

If you like your hot hatches relaxed, refined and easy to drive, then look elsewhere. But the Mountune Fiesta is a riot to drive on the right road. If you really want to satisfy the boy racer in you, this is the way to do it.

Matt Rigby