By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek

Subaru sent out details on the 2013 Legacy and Outback models on Thursday prior to the New York auto show. In addition to the EyeSight system we talked about earlier this month, the cars will get a light restyling, light retuning and a handful of interior and efficiency improvements.

We'll start with the 2013 Subaru Legacy, which gets a new grille, headlights and bumper cover. Base models will get a more efficient version of Subaru's 2.5-liter boxer engine with broader torque delivery. Power from the 2.5i will be transmitted to all four wheels through either a six-speed manual or Subaru's second-generation Lineartronic continuously variable transmission. Power is similar to last year's output, with the four-cylinder making 173 hp.

By Brad Constant, AutoWeek

Ford unveiled the newest addition to its Explorer lineup on Wednesday, the 2013 Explorer Sport--the company's first performance-focused version of the midsize SUV.

Ford will show the Explorer Sport at the New York auto show next week.

"The Explorer Sport is differentiated from the rest of the lineup with appealing exterior design treatments, unique wheels and tires for sporty appearance and handling, and with exclusive interior materials," said Eric Peterson, Ford's marketing manager for utility vehicles.

By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos Canada

In an obvious attempt to mimic the sales success of BMW’s Mini brand, Fiat has announced yet another variant of its 500 small car family. Dubbed the 500X, the subcompact crossover will start production in December 2013 in Italy, and will become the fifth 500 model, adding to the existing two-door hatchback, Abarth performance version, 500C convertible and the larger 500L four-door, tall-boy hatchback (seen above) that just debuted at this month’s Geneva Motor Show.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

The annual Worst Roads campaing is arguably the CAA's most popular - a sad fact that betrays Canada's increasingly crumbling infrastructure. Potholes, cracks and frost-heaves are year-round problems for our cars and trucks and the damage it causes to our vehicles is a waste of time and money. However, because of its popularity, numerous roads dubbed the most dangerous have been quickly fixed and repaved because of the shame and negative attention the surrounding municipality receives. 

Now in its ninth year, the Worst Roads is spreading: in addition to Ontario, provincial CAA clubs in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are now 'all in' too (the latter four under the CAA Atlantic flag). Voting ends April 24.

So before you jump off and vote on which local road fits your definition of worst, let us know in the comments below. Bend wheel? Blow a tire? Chip a tooth? Fill us in below.

By David Menzies for MSN Autos

Unlike the greenshirts who make up the enviro-weenie movement, I’d never have the chutzpah to tell you all how to live your lives. So, for Earth Hour tomorrow (8:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time), if you want to exist for 60 minutes in the cold and darkness and party like it’s 1699, hey, go for it!

I certainly won’t be participating in Earth Hour. That’s because for the third year in a row, I’ll be celebrating Human Achievement Hour, which, coincidentally, falls on the same day and same time as Earth Hour.

What are the odds?

But that’s where the similarities end. While the Earth Hour aficionados will be turning off their lights, I’ll be firing up a couple of Bat Signal-style searchlights to illuminate the sky.

The reason: I simply want to highlight the inherent hypocrisy of Earth Hour.

For example, why should we listen to the likes of Al Gore and David Suzuki – who have carbon footprints significantly larger than average citizens – telling the rest of us to make do with less?

As well, it is perversely ironic that Earth Hour achieves the precise opposite of what it strives to accomplish. For example, Earth Hour acolytes light candles for illumination, even though most candles in Canada are made of paraffin, a petroleum byproduct. And lighting up your house with CO2-emitting paraffin candles is akin to idling a diesel engine.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Audi is rightly proud of its contributions to modern rallying - namely all-wheel drive - and its few years of dominance in both the World Rally Championship in Group B and at Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado. The four-ringed wonder was near-dominant at Pikes Peak during the mid-'80s with drivers like Walter Röhrl, Michelle Mouton and Bobby Unser behind the wheel of the 600-horsepower Sport Quattro S1. 

Now, Audi is bringing the magic back to Colorado: Röhrl will be reunited with the insanely fast S1 25 years after their win to tackle the Race to the Clouds again. The run has nearly 160 corners, climbing 1,500 m over its 20-km length. Compared to when Röhrl ran a quarter-century ago, a good portion of the road has been paved, leading to even faster times. His winning time of 10 minutes 48 seconds is nearly a full minute behind the current record (9:51.278) set by Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima in a Suzuki SX4 (hah!) in 2011.

There's no real chance Röhrl will come close to the 10-minute mark, but he'll still add to the drama and drool-worthy machines running up Pikes Peak this year. 

This year's Race to the Clouds takes place on July 8. 

By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek

The restyled 2013 Chevrolet Traverse will bow at the New York auto show in early April. The car is similar in size to the outgoing model and mechanically identical. It gets Chevy's new corporate face for crossovers and some safety upgrades for the model year.

The first thing buyers will notice is the new front end. It has a variation of the power dome hood seen on the Malibu and the Camaro, with a three-bar upper and two-bar lower grille design. Gone is the split mesh. New headlights, chrome accents and fog lights complete the look, with sculpted front corners similar to those on the Malibu sedan.

The new front end looks a bit restrained to us. We can see a bit of Saturn poking though along with some possibly German influence. There's a bit less plastic cladding, which is always good, and the fog lights look sportier than those on the outgoing model.

By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek

Jeep and Mopar didn't create the Moab Easter Jeep Safari, but they're using the occasion to introduce wild concept vehicles and new parts to a crowd of their most rabid fans has become something of a company tradition.

Jeep and Mopar previewed six concepts on Tuesday that are destined for the Moab desert. The brand showed off three customized Wranglers, a Grand Cherokee, a J-12 Concept and a Mighty FC Concept.

The Jeep Wrangler Traildozer Concept was the result of close collaboration between Jeep and the off-road gurus from American Expedition Vehicles. The Traildozer sports the same Hemi engine featured in the Challenger SRT8 coupled to a Getrag six-speed manual transmission. Dana 44 axles with 4:10 gears and electronic locking differentials transfer power to the wheels.

By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek

Chevrolet is resurrecting the 1LE order code for the 2013 Camaro SS. It will turn the pony car into a dedicated track toy with an upgraded suspension, ZL1-based wheels and tires and a high-capacity fuel pump for handling 1g corner loads.

The original 1LE was introduced in 1988, inspired by Pro-Am racing. It turned the Camaro into a showroom stock racer.

The 2013 1LE package is offered only on 1SS and 2SS Camaros with the six-speed manual transmission. The 1LE code makes that manual a close-ratio transmission tuned for road racing and adds a 3.91 final drive ratio.

By David Menzies for MSN Autos

Hate to be a rabble rouser (well, not really) but isn’t a police officer supposed to lead by example, regardless of whether he is on or off duty?

Well, leading by example is apparently not the case when it comes to Ottawa Police Constable Yannik Bernard.

The police officer faces stunt driving charges after he was recently clocked doing more than 200 km/h on Highway 174 while off-duty.

Police say the motorcyclist sped past East Division officers who were conducting speed radar operations on the highway. Barnard’s motorcycle was impounded and the rider’s licence was suspended for seven days. He now faces a mandatory court appearance and, if convicted, might also incur fines of as much as $2,000 or a further licence suspension.

However, according to a report in The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau has made what is called a chief’s complaint to the professional standards section of the force. That section will investigate the incident to determine if the officer violated the Police Services Act.