Tuesday 9th August 2016

Ford Focus RS: Spotted

A new Mountune RS is on the way, but there's a still a lot to recommend the old one

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There seems little doubt that the new Mountune Performance kit for the Focus RS will prove very popular. For less than the price of the Luxury Pack, you can get extra power and torque while keeping the warranty intact. It's a case of why you wouldn't, rather than why you would.

Looks promising...

Indeed, the MP350 upgrade for the last Focus RS was so well received that it formed the basis of the Focus RS500. But there was a Mountune range of tweaks that was less well known - because it wasn't Ford approved - but is arguably even more appealing. Because it's even more power.

In an MR375 Focus RS, the R stands for 'Racing' (rather than the P for 'Performance') and includes some much more serious hardware. On top of the 350, the 375 received a larger downpipe, a sports cat, a cast inlet plenum, another ECU tweak and a couple of other bits to yield 375hp at 6,700rpm and an absurd 406lb ft at 3,500rpm. So that's the same power as the new MP RS but even more torque, in a front-wheel drive car. Madness. Mountune claimed five seconds flat to 62mph and 11.3 seconds to 100. 11.3!

From what can be found on the car now, the MR375 was another Mountune success. It was a lot of money - around £4,000 including fitting - but then it was quite a lot more power too. Let's hope there's a Mountune Racing Mk3 Focus RS in time as well.

Until then, there's this car. The Racing pack is unsurprisingly quite hard to find, so it's odd to find this advert not making more of it. But the badge is there and there's Mountune written under the bonnet - it looks like the real deal. There don't appear to be any other modifications though, which is something to be aware of.

So is it standard bar the 375hp?

But here's the best thing. Despite the extra money that's gone into it, this Focus RS is a very similar price to comparable cars. It's a 2009 car with 29,000 miles, a 'GREAT SERVICE HISTORY' and a price of £24,975. This Focus RS, a 2009 car with 32,000 miles but none of the engine work, is £24,990. Makes it easier to justify a few brake and suspension upgrades then, right?

Oh sure, you could spend less money on a Renaultsport Megane for a sharper hot hatch experience. The fact this generation of Focus RS has retained its value so well does make comparisons with newer cars inevitable. But for sheer force of character, it's probably quite hard to match a Focus RS. Especially one with 375hp. Just don't race a new RS from the lights!

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FORD FOCUS RS
Engine: 2,521cc, 5-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 375@6,700rpm
Torque (lb ft): 406@3,500rpm
MPG: 30.5 (standard car)
CO2: 225g/km (standard car)
First registered: 2009
Recorded mileage: 29,000
Price new: £24,995
Price now: £24,975 (!)

See the original advert here

[MrBarry123]

I cry a little inside every time I see the prices of these and realise how much I would have saved in depreciation if I had bought one instead of the Scirocco.