Ford may never make carnival RS. This has been discussed a few times, but the last time we checked, the big guys at Blue Oval thought an all-powerful rs was "unnecessary." In a way, we understand that. The fiesta st works very well out of the box, and you do have to question whether you need extra power and a more focused chassis.
In any case, we can't help but be curious. We suspect it's the same for you. Happily, the aftermarket has allowed us to realize this fantasy. For example, Mountune has a variety of carnival st tuning options. Not long ago, we had sampled the Fiesta ST using various chassis modifications and a "m235" power pack that provided 232bhp, and now the Essex-based model is equipped with a demo car with a more fruity "m260" kit.
This squeezes 256 hp (260 hp) from the Fiesta's small 1.5-liter engine using two fairly non-invasive drills. The first is a Bluetooth unit plugged into the obdii port, and the second is the "mtune smartflash" mobile app. The cost is only £675, and anyone who already owns an m235 can upgrade for just £100. In fact, it's worth spending more money, and Mountune recommends its induction kit, charging tube, and more powerful intercooler to "maintain performance and reliability."
The test car was equipped with all of this, plus a short shift kit, 20mm lowering springs and upgraded brake discs and brake pads. We'll talk about that later. As for the power system stuff, we can tick the "Recommended" box directly.
Things start to get exciting from less than 2,000 rpm, and the engine really gets into strides between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm. The engine has a huge influence here, while emitting a proper screeching sound from the mountune exhaust pipes. The £695 pipe sits downstream of the particulate filter, so don't expect anything too rude in terms of volume. On the other hand, if everyday driving is less mental, it will be easy to live.
Unless you explore upstream often, the m260 doesn't feel much different from the m235. That's because power is only part of the story. The latter kit increases the torque from 214lb ft to a powerful 258lb ft, and the m260 increases only slightly on that basis, adding only 8lb ft.
This is the best because the power and torque output of the m260 is about the degree to which you want to push one of them. At these levels, for the most part, the quaife mechanical limited slip differential does a good job of effectively reducing power (don't even dream of installing this kit into a performance package without a differential). There is no torque steering in most cases, which is only experienced when applied with a full throttle on a dodgy surface.
As for the chassis stuff, we'd love to get the extra benefit from the new brake components, but we're selling less on springs. The Carnival definitely looks great, dropping 20mm in front and back, but the standard car is already a bit sturdy. With these new coils, driving on a poor tarmac can be harsh, affecting comfort and making the car feel more stressful than needed.
We prefer the quick shifter – it turns the humble standard shift into something more mechanically satisfying.
With or without these add-ons, you can think of the St M260 as a carnival RS that Ford has never built before. Like the focus M330, the changes under the hood aren't outrageous. The proceedings have an "OEM+" feel to the M260 could easily be considered something that just launched from the forecourt of a Ford dealership, which is perhaps not surprising, given that mountune packaging like this once received official approval from Blue Oval.
This is entirely within the car's capabilities and doesn't push the engine far enough that turbine hysteresis becomes a problem. If you wish, you can do the same with the new puma st that we have also driven.