2004 Ford Focus on 2040-cars

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Ford to revisit CVTs?

Today, Ford wishes its first experience with non-hybrid continuously variable transmissions was far behind it. The Blue Oval was awash in complaints and a couple of class-action lawsuits over the CVTs used in its 2005-2007 Ford Freestyle, Five Hundred and Mercury Montego models, which were a manufactured in Batavia, Ohio as part of a joint venture with ZF. The company gave up on the CVT after just two years, but with fuel economy standards pressing automakers to conjure new tricks, Ford's global product development head, Raj Nair, is now saying the transmissions might make a return, "particularly in the low torque applications," says Automotive News. An obvious candidate for CVT consideration is the 1.0-liter Fiesta that can presently only be had with a five-speed manual. Beyond that, the company's 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines might fit the bill. Ford hasn't given any indication as to what vehicles it might use to reintroduce the CVT to the US market, or hints about timeline or who would develop it, however. Some CVT trivia: The 1990 Subaru Justy II was the first US passenger car offered with a continuously variable transmission - Subaru called it the ECVT. It handled gearing duties for a 1.2-liter, inline three-cylinder engine that got all of 70 horsepower. A contemporary blurb about the car begins with "Goodness, gracious, great gobs of gimmickry," and goes on to say that "We can't imagine where you would take this car for repairs, but we are certain that the one mechanic in the world who can fix it lives in a very expensive house." The transmission didn't win any fans, but the ECVT and the car have been largely forgotten, while Subaru played the long game and now you'll find its vastly improved Lineartronic CVT on six of the eight models it sells.

Cosworth double-feature is XCar's a drool-worthy look back

While American fans of Ford performance cars in the '80s and early '90s were loving the 5.0 Mustang, Taurus SHO and, for those who wanted to be a little different, the Merkur XR4Ti, British fans of the Blue Oval were getting their own unique take on speed. The Sierra RS Cosworth (which was similar but not identical to the aforementioned Merkur) and later Escort RS Cosworth were the stuff of dreams with huge wings, hood vents and big power for their time and class. XCar Films aims to find out whether it is little more than nostalgia that makes these classics famous or it really is their legitimate performance. Thanks to its Formula One and racing success, Cosworth was already a well-established performance name in the UK by the time it began selling tuned engines to Ford for the Sierra and Escort. The Sierra RS Cosworth hit the scene in 1986 with a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 204 horsepower and rear-wheel drive. Its huge wing at the back signaled it immediately as something special, and it proved to be a performance powerhouse on and off the track. When it was retired, Ford replaced it with the Escort RS Cosworth that used an upgraded version of the same engine with 217 hp, all-wheel drive and an even bigger rear wing to net yet more racing victories. XCar really gets into the spirit of the time, opening the video with the lo-fi grain of '80s and '90s TV, but to find out whether the Cossies stand up to modern scrutiny, you have to watch the video below. Stay tuned until the end to enjoy them at their best with some vintage motorsports footage. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Forza Horizon G-Shock Car Pack brings Nissan IDx, Subaru Brat [w/video]

With winter's icy grip around much of the nation, now may be the perfect time to sit inside at night and enjoy some video games. The latest six-car G-Shock pack for Forza Horizon 2 on the Xbox One is now here, and it gives players a very eclectic group of vehicles to race around the game's open world. This month's group of vehicles spans the decades ranging from 2015 back to 1953. The newest and only concept of the group is the 2015 Nissan IDX Nismo. Since the production chances for this retro coupe look increasingly slim, this game might be your only chance to get behind the concept's wheel. However, if you prefer driving something a bit more classic and Italian, the 1953 Ferrari 500 Mondial is available. To add one more flavor of performance, there is the 2010 Mazda Mazdasped 3 hot hatch, which is also this month's free car for download. In addition to three takes on the sports car, Turn 10 is also offering a trio of off-roaders. The quirkiest among them is the 1980 Subaru Brat GL, which features two jump seats in the back to avoid the dreaded chicken tax. If you prefer something more boxy and American, then the 1975 Ford Bronco is sure to please. Finally, for some real power to get through the mud, there's the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor as tuned by Shelby with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 575 horsepower. As usual, the whole pack costs players $5 to download, or it's free as part of the season pass. Scroll down for a brief video showing all of these virtual rides off and read the press release about them from Turn 10 Studios. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "Forza Horizon 2" G-Shock Car Pack Now Available Welcome to the New Year! Are you ready to hit the roads of "Forza Horizon 2" for Xbox One in some new rides? You better be because the G-Shock Car Pack is lighting up the new year with some amazing vehicles. Leading off the pack is a "Forza" First: the 2015 Nissan IDx NISMO is making its videogame debut in "Forza Horizon 2." The IDx prototype harkens back to Nissan's storied automotive history, with its compact size and aggressive appearance, and looks to the future with some serious under-the-hood performance. Take a spin in this gem, and you will be startled by its performance and charmed by its presence. The remaining cars of the pack also have "Horizon Festival" written all over them.