First Drive: 2021 Ford Fiesta ST 225 Mountune Review

When it comes to tweaking modern Fords, few are as good at it at Mountune. The company has been modding and racing Fords for decades, and the results have always been positive. You want an old Focus ST that sounds and oversteers like an Audi Quattro? No problem. You want a 500PS Focus RS? Mountune have got you covered. And in recent years, Mountune has really found a devoted audience with the Ford Fiesta ST.

With the Mk7 Fiesta ST, Mountune’s tuning wizards were able to extract a hefty 300PS from its 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. As the Mk7 has now been put out to pasture, replaced by the three-cylinder Mk8, Mountune has set about with spanners (or in this case computers) to lift a little more power from the new ST’s heart. It’s highly likely we’ll see a 300PS Mk8 in a year or two, but, as always, Mountune are taking things gradually. It has started with this, the M225 tune. There’s more power, more torque, and all for just £795.

The ST is a cracking looking little machine, with just enough aggression that it stands apart from every other Fiesta but not so much that those who drive it look like boy racers. There are no cosmetic changes as part of the M225 package, but the car you see here came with quite a few, as you’ve probably noticed… The wing, for example, costs £150 and the side decals are yours for £79. I would do without the wing, and also the wheels and mud guards, as none is to my taste – I’d rather leave it the way Ford intended – as I’m pretty dull when it comes to originality – but the stripe I could live with. Besides, it adds extra power*. What I really love is the Mountune logo you can see behind the lower front grille – it gives it a proper old-school rally vibe!

*The stripe doesn’t actually add any power. Sorry about that.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder now cranks out 225PS (165kW), up from 200PS (147kW), and 340Nm (252lb ft), up from 290Nm (215lb ft), thanks to a new airbox, a new air filter and an ECU tune. The tune can be controlled using an app, with three modes: Stock, Performance, and Anti-Theft. There are no quoted performance gains, but there is definitely a bit more shove in the second half of the rev range.

As for the handling, this Fiesta ST has both the big-brake package and a set of lowering springs. The lowering springs drop the ride height by 25mm, and, dare I say it, I think it looks rather good. Mercifully the lower ride hasn’t compromised the Fiesta ST’s excellent ride, if anything adding a slightly keener front end and tad less roll. The brakes, meanwhile, do help with braking performance but would likely only really come into their own on a track day, and having tracked a standard Fiesta ST it is the brakes that give up first.

There’s a lot to like about the Fiesta ST’s interior. The chunky Recaro seats are brilliant, for example, and the driving position bang on. The ST steering wheel is lovely as well, although Ford’s infotainment system takes some getting used to. The yellow-stitched Mountune gear-gaiter and the new gear lever aren’t to my liking though – personally I’d stick with the original Ford parts.

When it comes to tech this remains a standard Fiesta ST. There are two trims of ST, namely ST 2 and ST 3. The ST 2 gets Ford’s infotainment system known as ‘SYNC 3’, which includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation Bluetooth and a DAB radio. You also get a chrome exhaust. With the ST 3 you get all of that plus electronic folding mirrors, a B&O sound system, a 4.2-inch TFT screen in the instrument cluster, rain-sensing wipers, automatic climate control, a rear-view camera and parking sensors, keyless entry, tinted rear windows, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. The big plus is the Ford Performance Pack, which brings with it a mechanical limited slip-diff – it’s a must.

The M225 Mountune ST doesn’t feel massively different to the standard ST – there will be more powerful tunes in the future, don’t you worry – but perhaps that’s something of a blessing. Mountune hasn’t made the Fiesta ST less practical to live with or more difficult to drive in any way. You just get a smidge more kick for not an awful lot of money, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Photography by Joe Harding.