Top Gear U.K. presenter Richard Hammond has one of the most enviable jobs on the planet, and his opinion carries a lot of weight in many car series. Hammond is an unabashed Ford fan, owning many great Ford automobiles like a classic Shelby GT500 and a more-modern Ford GT. The Hamster loves him some Blue Oval, though the latest Ford to catch his eye is far more practical than either the Mustang or the GT.

Hammond recently reviewed the Ford Focus ST Mountune for the UK’s Mirror newspaper, calling it “possibly the best hot car that Ford has ever made.” And with the Mountune improvements boosting mid-range horsepower, they’ve made “a great car even greater” in the Hamster’s words.

While the Focus ST is no slouch in factory form, with up to 247 horsepower coming from its 2.0 liter EcoBoost four-banger, Hammond noted that power dropped off considerably around 4,000 RPM before picking up at the high end. The Mountune package helps improve midrange power considerably thanks to a reflashed airtune, better-flowing airbox, and a new front-mount intercooler with greater cooling capacity.

While on paper these improvements only add about 24 horsepower, boosting the Focus ST to 271 ponies, the paper doesn’t tell the whole story. Much of that extra power comes where it is most needed, in the mid-range well before the peak, and Hammond found that in the Focus ST Mountune, “that doesn’t happen and the rush of acceleration is constant.”

If the Focus ST Mountune is good enough for Richard Hammond, it’s good enough for us too. No wonder Ford is bringing the factory warranty-backed Mountune to America’s shores next year.