By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Subaru has been very bullish about the success of its latest Forester - with good reason. We were impressed with its additional space, improved engines and big gains in fuel efficiency. But equally impressive was its newfound 'fun-to-drive' factor, especially on the turbocharged XT models, something that's now more akin to a WRX on stilts.

And what is the WRX most known for? Rally. Every generation has been used in everything from regional and national events all the way up to International series like the WRC and IRC. Rally is at the core of what makes Subarus tick and has been for decades, so when it needs to let people know about its new product's abilities, well, they just rally one.

Thus the Forester Family Rally, a campaign that's getting real families behind the wheel of the new Foresters on a closed rally stage with the winner taking home a new 2014 Forester. There's already been a first event with four different families competing, but the next will apparently be held this August in Mont Tremblant, QC.

On the Forester Family Rally page, you can check out how the families did along the 'stage road' and compare their times, speeds and heartrates with Subaru's Black Stig - ahem - 'professional' driver.

Although it's difficult to tell, we'd assume that the Siggurdson family went home with the prize thanks to being the fastest by far...

Would you be interested in trying an event like this? Does it do its job by making you more likely to consider a Subaru Forester or maybe just the opposite? Tell us what you think in the comments.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

We're well into autumn now with its splended colours and crisp mornings, but it won't be long until we're knee-deep into snowy winter. That reminder comes annually with the reappearance of one of my favourite television commercials of all time: the 'Canadian Police Chase' from Midas.

It's a beautifully simple concept that even five years after its debut still makes me giggle...

What other car commercials, weather related or not, have caught your attention recently? For me, BMW's two-minute viral video 'Bullet' featuring the new M5 playing the part of a high-speed projectile leaves me in awe. The super slow-motion of the glass 'apple' breaking, the giant water-filled balloons just barely getting pierced by the car's shark-fin antenna, just plain works.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

One conversation surely shared by car-enthusiasts is the old argument over which vehicle you'd pick in the case of an impending apocalypse or zombie invasion. Generally, there's one side that favours giant, lumbering trucks like Dakar-rally-style trucks or expedition-worthy campers. Others prefer smaller and more nimble like the US Navy Seals' Desert Patrol Vehicle or perhaps a Subaru Impreza WRX. 

Anyway, thanks to The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, we now have another entrant to consider: a Hyundai Elantra Coupe. To celebrate the 100th issue of The Walking Dead - a hugely popular zombie-survival comic book that's spawned an even more popular television show - Kirkman got busy sketching out how he'd modify Hyundai's new two-door to keep its occupants alive.

The giant spiked cow-catcher mouted to the Hyundai's front end probably doen't do a thing to improve fuel economy, but it sure looks effective. Also, check out the Ben Hur-esque chariot wheels to protect the Elantra Coupes sides from shuffling zombies. There are a trio of roof-mounted spotlights and also what looks to be an escape hatch just in case you get surrounded by the walking dead.

Hyundai's plan is to reveal the car at Comic-Con in San Diego in mid-July.

For anyone who's interested in a normal 2013 Elantra Coupe - or five-door GT - Hyundai Canada announced that prices will range from $19,949 to $25,199 for the two-door and $19,149 to $26,149 for the wagon. Both use the same 148-horsepower 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual or automatic transmissions as the successful sedan. 

So what would you choose to successfully avoid the zombie hordes?

By Jake Lingeman and Ronan McGrath, AutoWeek

It takes a special breed of person to be a storm chaser. It takes an extra-special truck to withstand the 350-km/h winds that tornadoes produce. The six-ton TIV-2 is just such a vehicle.

Based on a Ram pickup, the TIV-2 has six wheels, with a tandem set in the rear. Power comes from a Cummins turbodiesel engine, but acceleration and braking stats are unavailable.

Filmmaker Sean Casey built the truck for his movie Tornado Alley, which will be playing at IMAX theaters across the country. He eventually plans to build another truck with even more off-road capabilities.

By Steve Mertl for MSN Autos

BBC TV’s Top Gear has an estimated global audience of 350 million, with franchised versions produced in Australia and Russia. So it’s not surprising Americans have been trying for years to clone the outrageous car show’s magic.

After a few false starts, the first season of Top Gear America aired on U.S. TV last fall and now has debuted on Canada’s History Television. A second season is in the works.

Has the British original’s watchability been successfully transplanted to the colonies or been lost in translation? Short answer: It’s too early to tell.

 
Photo: Rex Features 

By Motoring Research for MSN Autos

Prince Harry is being lined up by Jeremy Clarkson to appear on the next series of Top Gear.

The Sun reports that Clarkson wants the Royal to be a “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car," driving the famous Top Gear Kia cee’d.

Apparently, Prince Harry is a Top Gear fan and has said he wants to beat the fastest time set by Tom Cruise (recently also beaten by comedian John Bishop).

 


By AutoWeek

Which Super Bowl car advertising rang your bell? We could pick our favorites, but why when you can go to the professionals? According to AW sister publication Advertising Age, Chrysler Corp., Audi and BMW all did well. Here's what AdAge had to say about the automakers ads.

By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek

Volkswagen used the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to tease the 2012 Beetle, which arrives in showrooms next fall.

A silhouette of the diminutive new car was shown on Monday on the TV show, and it's expected to have sleeker styling with a stretched-out roofline. That cue was also seen on the 2005 Ragster concept.

By Mark Atkinson, MSN Autos

The very public argument between the BBC’s Top Gear and its now-ex-employee Ben Collins, who played the second ‘Stig’ on the hit television program boiled over during the summer when Collins decided to lift the veil on his character’s identity by publishing an autobiography. The former F3 and British Touring Car driver was sued by the Beeb in an attempt to keep him silent, but a judge decided that Collins had every right to speak out about his career. Or ex-career as it turns out... Another Stig dead.

So Top Gear has been searching for a new ‘tame racing driver’, and it appears they’ve finally found a suitable replacement. Not much to say other than watch the video on the Top Gear page...