Our right-hand-drive JDM Suzuki Jimny Wide got a major upgrade: a Front Runner Outfitters Slimline II platform rack!
Excited to mount accessories, which includes a double jerry can holder, a MAXTRAX Minis mount, Wolf Pack Pro storage box holder, and an essential bottle opener. More to reveal soon!
I think we all need a break.
We're no strangers to taking older '80s and '90s vehicles on long road trips. Whether our former '89 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon, '91 Pajero XP, or '95 Suzuki Sidekick, taking them takes more pre-trip consideration. Click for our care checklist! You'll thank us for reading it. 📝: Andy Lilienthal
The Dempster Highway runs nearly 460 miles from outside of Dawson City, Yukon Territory, to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. @andylilienthal.bsky.social and I drove it in the winter and the summer. Our article in OVR Magazine describes what it's like to drive this iconic, remote, and treacherous road.
The first installment of the Dakar Rally series just dropped! I arrive at the bivouac and Stage 2's rally raid action in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Just missed the trio of Defender teams, but caught them later and got the D7X-Rs prepped for Stage 3. Click below to watch/read!
Latest @crankshaftculture.com blog drop: Saudi Arabia! I share more about my visit to Hegra, Maraya, and Harrat Viewpoint as as first day in the country didn't include any scheduled Dakar Rally plans. Click to watch my video and read about it.
Join me as I take you along on my latest global travel endeavor: Saudi Arabia for Dakar Rally! Check out behind-the-scenes logistics as I traveled from the Midwest to the Middle East in the dead of winter. Watch and read the first installment of my latest travel series.
My first day in Saudi Arabia was STUNNING. An open day before heading off to cover the 2026 Dakar Rally turned into an amazing adventure filled with wonder and excitement. Hegra. Maraya. Harrat Viewpont. What happens afterwards? DAKAR RALLY and Defender! 🏁
PUBLISHED: My thoughts on the new 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness. Will this improved and capable AWD attract buyers, or will its polarizing design keep the masses away? Click below to check out my in-depth first-drive review via OVR. 📸: @mercedeslilienthal.com
tinyurl.com/tfmsa3yv
It took 5 airlines, 6 flights, multiple 5+ hr. layovers, 3-hour delay in Dubai, and 52 total hrs. travel (not incl. an overnight in Dubai) to get to AlUla, Saudi Arabia from Minneapolis, then home to Portland, Oregon to see the world’s greatest rally raid: Dakar Rally. Do it again tomorrow! 🏁
My first full day in Saudi Arabia was filled with unexpected adventures and fast new friends. We toured Hegra, an ancient Nabataean city and Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mayara, the world's largest mirrored building amidst Saudi Arabia's desert landscape. Harrat Viewpoint, too.
More to come!
The anticipation is REAL: I'm headed to the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia! I'll be covering three accomplished Land Rover Defender teams + DEFENDER DAKAR D7X-Rs at this year's Dakar Rally, competing in the new ‘Stock’ category for production‑based vehicles. Stay tuned to @crankshaftculture.com!
As @andylilienthal.bsky.social starts driving from WI to OR solo, I start the second major leg of my trip. I'm awaiting the first of three flights to carry me across the world. Seventeen hrs. flying and many more with layovers, etc. More soon! Stay tuned to @crankshaftculture.com for updates.
We, @andylilienthal.bsky.social and @mercedeslilienthal.com, spent time with the Fjällräven Expedition Down Lite Jacket for men and the Women’s Fjällräven Expedition Down Lite Jacket. Did they keep our core comfortable in below zero temps? Grab your hot chocolate and keep on reading. Lots of pics!
We, @andylilienthal.bsky.social and @mercedeslilienthal.com, wish you Happy New Year! May your 2026 adventures be safe, happy, and healthy.
Gear Garage: We, @andylilienthal.bsky.social and @mercedeslilienthal.com, just reviewed his-n-hers Sea to Summit Ascent Down Sleeping Bags.
Check out the Ascent line-up's features, stats, and what we thought of these down bags via our latest blog drop! #seatosummit #sleepingbags #gearreview #down
There is NO better way to give than to help four-legged doggies! 2025 #OperationFrodo is underway and several auto journalists partnered with automotive manufacturers to rescue 20 beagles, puppies, and dogs from the Basset & Beagle Rescue of the Heartland in Omaha, NE. Read this inspiring story!
Just like that, we're in WI! We traveled 2,208 miles from OR to the cheese state and tested a 2025 Kia America Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige AWD SUV. We randomly bumped into friends and talented auto journalists kicking off the #OperationFrodo Beagle rescue project. They're taking 20 rescue dogs!
Awesome. We love road trips!
Day two of our OR to WI cross-country trek with a 2025 Kia Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige AWD is done! This comfortable cruiser took @andylilienthal.bsky.social and me, from Pendleton, OR to Rawlins, WY. Check it out!
Road trip review with a 2025 Kia America Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige AWD! Headed across the US with Kia's three-row SUV. Will it tick all our boxes for a comfortable, powerful, and spacious road tripper? Stay tuned as we head OR to WI (and back)!
@mercedeslilienthal.com
@andylilienthal.bsky.social
Gear Garage: Wanna stay warm? We reviewed the Cotopaxi Fuego Max Down Hooded Jacket. Mercedes tries the Sienna/Fjord colorway. See how it stacks up against cold weather by checking out our feature via crankshaftculture.com. Link to jacket: cotopaxi.pxf.io/YR5VnK. #cotopaxi #affiliate #gearreview
Gear Garage: If you need a roomy, stylish, and warm puffy, we reviewed the Cotopaxi Fuego Max Down Hooded Jacket. First up? Men's in Woods/Fatigue. See how it stacks up against cold weather by checking out our feature via crankshaftculture.com. Link to jacket: cotopaxi.pxf.io/jeERyb #affiliate
My 2026 Subaru Outback feature article via OVR Magazine is LIVE! I peel back the many design layers of the all-new 7th gen Outback. I provide first impressions of its drivability/tons of stats. With 30 years in, do you love it or would you leave it? Tell us below! 👇
www.ovrmag.com/vehicle-feat...
Here are some sneak-peek interior photos I took of the all-new 7th gen 2026 Subaru Outback. Would you rock it? Article after the embargo lifts!
I attended the 2026 Subaru Outback first-drive event in Sedona, AZ! The all-new 7th gen Outback has been redesigned from the ground up with customer and enthusiast feedback in the automaker's forefront. Tech and driving impressions embargoed still, article via OVR Magazine soon!
These were fun to write. Maybe @mercedeslilienthal.com and I should write more of them ...
Yes we should!
More Subaru updates! We're testing Thule's latest roof box. The Motion 3 (large size) carrier sits atop the company's WingBar crossbars and fits our 2022 Crosstrek (MT) perfectly. Multiple design updates. Impressions and our review later.
@crankshaftculture.com
@andylilienthal.bsky.social
