The Modifications to Our TransAmerica Trail 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness

July 28, 2025 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

We did it! We completed the TransAmerica Trail from Nags Head, North Carolina, to Port Orford, Oregon, in a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. It was a heck of an adventure spanning more than 7,100 miles with over 3,100 of that being unpaved. One question we get regularly asked is what modifications were made to the…

Continue reading →

We’re Running the TransAmerica Trail in a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness

March 4, 2025 / Andy Lilienthal / 2 Comments

For years, I was curious with the TransAmerica Trail (TAT). This is a transcontinental route, primarily on dirt, going from North Carolina to Oregon. When I first learned about it, I was intrigued; most who ran it did it on motorcycles. Then I heard it was doable in a four-wheeled vehicle, and I added to…

Continue reading →

I Have Sold Multiple Fast Cars for Slow Cars. Why?

October 22, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Most of my cars have been slow, reliable, fuel-efficient, and practical. Yet, every so often, I get a hankering for something fast, or at least quick and sporty. Despite having a fast car at the moment, I keep looking at slow cars online. What’s my problem?

Continue reading →

Subaru Forester XT Update: Fixes, New Tires, and Used Wheels

August 13, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Back in January 2024, we bought a 2005 Subaru Forest XT. It had 190,000 miles, a bunch of go-fast mods, and was ready to inject some speed into our fleet. So what have we been up to with it since? Quite a bit, actually.

Continue reading →

10 Days, 10 Reels, 5,000+ Miles: An Alcan 5000 Rally Recap

December 21, 2023 / Mercedes Lilienthal / Leave a comment

It’s exactly two months to the day of the winter Alcan 5000 Rally start line. Andy and I are partnering with INEOS Automotive to drive their Grenadier Trialmaster 4×4 for the competition. The 2024 Alcan 5000 Rally starts February 21 and runs through March 1.

Continue reading →

Photos from Subiefest Texas 2023: Grand Prairie, TX

December 5, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Texas was all-new for the Subiefest series, and we weren’t sure what to expect. But Subiefest Texas 2023 ended up having some super clean builds, wild rides, and awesome people.

Continue reading →

Photos from Boxerfest 2023: York, PA

November 10, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Boxerfest is one of the premier Subiefest events. There were hundreds of Subarus and thousands of Subaru enthusiasts in historic York, PA for this show. This year’s event happened in August 2023 and had an excellent layout to showcase both vendors and show cars. Heck, even the parking area at Boxerfest was impressive.

Continue reading →

Step-by-Step Guide: Installing a Trailer Hitch on a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek

October 23, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

After a year of owning our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek 2.0 Premium (6-speed), we decided to bolt up a hitch for a multitude of reasons. It turns out installing a trailer hitch on a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek is easy and can be a very versatile accessory, and not just for towing.

Continue reading →

2023 Big Northwest Subaru Meet is How You Do Subiefest in Oregon

October 8, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

After our first Subiefest show of 2023, Big Wicked Meet, we traveled back to Oregon and went to the 2023 Big Northwest Subaru meet. Yes, a Subiefest in our own backyard. We could even drive our own Subaru Crosstrek to it!

Continue reading →

Adding a Light Bar, Lights, and Armor to our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek

April 15, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

Our goal with our Crosstrek was to add just a bit more capability to it. We want to hop in it and go pretty much anywhere we want (within reason). So after we added the 15×7 Reika Seeker wheels and 215/75/15 BFGoodrich KO2 tires, we added a light bar, lights, and armor to our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. You can see how we did this in our Subaru Crosstrek video above.

Continue reading →