Reader: Thank you. It's not every day a major 4x4 mag gives Land Rover any love, not to mention an article devoted to the new LR3s. Land Rovers have been iconic throughout the world but have had a rather small following here in the U.S., at least as far as hard-core 4x4s go. Land Rover has suffered from the "luxury ute" status for quite a while, especially after they stopped bringing in the Defender line in '97. I hope that your article will open some eyes to the capability of the Land Rover line. I have owned a '72 CJ-5, '94 and '01 Cherokees, a '91 Discovery (yes, I know they weren't in the U.S. until '94, but I bought it when I was living in Uganda), and now I own an '86 4Runner and a '77 Series III. I am not brand-specific, as you can see. I had a love/hate affair with every rig I have owned.
Oh, and to brag a bit, my tiny 88-inch-wheelbase 2.25L Land Rover pulled a fullsize Dodge Ram out of the mud the other day. Yes, I am a bit proud of that small accomplishment. Also, on page 49 of the March issue in photo 1 it states "the Warn winch mounted on the front of the Range Rover ..." but it's an LR3, not a Rangy. You can see the difference in photo 6, where it shows the same LR3 with roof rack next to a gray RR.
Richard Betts
Gunnery Sergeant, USMC
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.
Reader: In "Wheeling the Oriental Way" (Mar. '07), the photo on page 52 of the blue SUV is of a Pajero, or our Montero, not an Isuzu Amigo. Also the caption says it is possible to wheel without lockers. To me it looks like both of those back tires are spinning. Looks locked to me. A lot of Pajeros came with factory air lockers. Depending on the model, some also had Mitsu 9.25-inch ring gears with 1.4-inch, 31-spline axleshafts-not too shabby.
Blaise Bourgeois
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Mea culpa number two. Right you are on the Monte, but no, it was an unlocked rear axle with equal traction to the tires.
Reader: Ahearty hello from France. While reading and looking at photo 4, page 48, of the Mar. '07 story about Belize, I noticed a typo. The mud tire is a Goodyear MTR, not a BFG Mud. Still, I guess the goop would have stuck in the same way: nice cake.
Olivier
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Reader: I was checking out the Mar. '07 issue and I noticed that on page 48 you show the Land Rover's tire caked in mud and state that it is running BFGoodrich tires. Well, I have to disagree, the tire pictured is clearly a Goodyear MTR, and I would bet my mother-in-law on it. Keep up the great mag!
Damon Amsbury
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Wow, mea culpa number three for this issue. I think all the traveling made me do it.
Reader: Ilove your magazine. In the Feb. '07 cover story, Alan Huber talked about the different school curriculums such as biology, geology, and "palientology." It killed me to see paleontology misspelled (or palaeontology, British English). We do not deal with aliens. I am a geologist and paleontologist. I drive a '95 ZJ with a 3-inch BDS lift. I use it when I go out into the field. I love it when people with fullsize trucks bottom out on some of the hills. Plus, I am the only one with four-wheel drive. After a long day's work I may leave with an additional 300-400 pounds of material. Of course in my line of work, I can never afford to add things that I really need out in the field such as a winch or larger tires. Please keep up the good work. Just please do not misspell your -ologies.
Neil Pollan
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Mea culpa yet again. But most interesting is that both Alan Huber and I are well schooled in the -ologies, as our fathers both worked in geology and my own degree is in geography.
Alan writes back: "I guess you want an apology? I really do know how to spell paleontology. What I don't know is how we all missed the misspelling!"