Driving Sports

In this episode of Driving Sports TV's Extra! We go to the North American International Auto Show to see how the industry is doing and have previews of the new Honda CRZ and the 2011 Ford Focus.

Welcome to Extra! The weekly news report from Driving Sports TV.

This week we’re not going to report on the new Mustang. Honda resurrects the CRX… kinda. And we have even more from Ken Block on his new WRC team.

It’s January of a new year, and you know what that means… time for car makers to roll out their new motoring hardware in Detroit.
First up is the new Ford Focus. Part of the companies “One Ford” initiative, the fresh Focus will be mostly unchanged between Euro and USDM models.

What’s new beyond the sheet metal? A peppier 2.0 Liter motor with variable cam timing mated to a dual-clutch 6-speed automatic. This combo puts out a respectable 155 hp and 145 ft-lbs of torque to the front wheels, and is reported to save gas as well, though Ford has yet to release any hard numbers regarding economy.

This time even the U.S. model will get European driving dynamics, a torque-vectoring power transfer system to reduce unwanted understeer, a push-button start, SYNC connectivity and general improvement in chassis rigidity.

How about a Focus RS? Nothing official, but Ford is starting to really surprise us, so it may just be a matter of time.

What would a hybrid Honda CRX be like if Honda released a new one today? Probably something like the CR-Z Sport Coupe. Set to go on sale this summer, the two passenger CR-Z is motivated by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC motor combined with a lightweight electric assist hybrid system. The electric motor is a 10-kilowatt affair that also acts like a generator when breaking. Combined the system has a peak output of 122 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 128 ft-lbs of peak torque at 1,000 rpm with an estimated EPA rating of up to 38 miles per gallon on the freeway.

Did I read that right, only 38 miles per gallon? The 2010 insight got 63.4 according to Autoblog, hell – the original insight scored 70mpg and that was 10 years ago!

Overall the 2010 North American Auto Show was a much more subdued affair this year. Don’t just take our word for it, let’s hear what some other journalists are thinking.

Maybe the show wasn’t so great, but last weeks news about Ken Block entering the WRC, I bet everyone was talking about that! Right?

Top Gear Season 13 is premiering on BBC America January 25. While Seasons 11 and 12 just started shipping on DVD. Nothing beats the original hour-long BBC broadcast versions, but this is a great alternative if you’re not comfortable with getting them off the torrents.

If you’d like to learn more about Ken Block and his new Monster Rally Team we now have a thorough 3 part interview, along with footage of Block going back to his first year of competition in 2005. Just hit up drivingsports.com.

Thanks for watching, we’ll be back again next week with all the stuff that really matters from the auto world.