What is it?
It was only a matter of time before ace Ford-fettler Mountune turned its attention to the Ford Puma ST. Not only are crossovers hugely popular and therefore a potentially lucrative market to tap into, there’s also the fact that its oily bits are identical to those of the Fiesta ST that the Essex firm has already managed to massage extra muscle out of.
However, rather than just bolt on the M235 kit already seen on the Fiesta, Mountune has taken the opportunity to unleash even more performance from the car’s turbocharged 1.5-litre triple, creating the even hotter M260 kit. Available for both the Puma and the Fiesta, this upgrade brings the total power to 256bhp (up from 197bhp on the standard car), while torque swells from an already adequate 236lb ft to an extremely healthy 269lb ft.
As before, the increases come courtesy of a remapped ECU, the programming of which is made easy thanks to Mountune’s Bluetooth-enabled OBD dongle and mTune Smartflash app, which can be downloaded to your smartphone. Simply plug the small transponder into the car’s diagnostics port beneath the steering wheel, then fire up your phone and select your power upgrade. The whole process takes less than five minutes.
Mountune claims that you can just upgrade the software if you want (£675 for the M260 kit, or £99 if you’ve already forked out for the £575 M235), but it recommends some hardware changes if you want to get the best out of your Puma, especially if you plan on taking to the track. The first and foremost addition is the alloy intercooler (£549) and associated plumbing (£165), which more effectively keeps the air intake charge temperatures down. Also recommended is the £239 induction kit that comprises a bespoke aluminium chamber housing a high-flow air filter.
Our car was also fitted with a prototype twin-exit rear exhaust silencer. Essentially a modified Fiesta set-up, it is said to be very close in design, effectiveness and tone to a Puma-specific item that will be available to customers shortly.
Other than that, our Puma is pretty much standard, aside from some trademark Mountune stripes running the length of its flanks and 19in Clubsport OZ Leggera alloy wheels, wrapped here in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. As yet there are no Fiesta-style suspension and brake upgrades, but Mountune is working on them.
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Ah yes, the bellend button.