Reader: I just put down your 4xForward (Sept. '07) and had to send a big thank you for your article on personal responsibility. It seems that as a group we get so busy that we fail to recognize the impact of our actions on other people and our environment. As a police officer, I deal with this on a daily basis and it is truly the most frustrating aspect of my job (right up there with the paperwork). No one is perfect, but most get so defensive ("I didn't do anything wrong") that they forget that a simple "I'm sorry" would go a lot further! Everyone does something wrong, be it speeding, running yellow/red lights, or cutting people off. I actually don't like writing tickets, especially when the current temperatures are around 120 degrees. The philosophy is what will work...does simply getting caught and inconvenienced for a few minutes do the trick, or is the attitude such that it needs a ticket to make a point? Love the magazine and all the great tips and photos-my boyfriend and I off-road whenever we can, most recently in Utah! His Web site is www.bigjimsadventures.com. Thanks for all the hard work! Keep the great times coming.
Nicole Guess, Henderson, NV
Editor: Thanks. By the way, I knew better than writing the bit about the speeding ticket, and cringed as soon as I hit "send." Sure enough, I got a ticket for speeding (the first ticket in 20-some years) a week later by simply not paying attention. It was fully my fault, and yes, I'm paying the fine.
Reader: I just read your Point Taken (In Box, Aug. '07). I would like to offer my kudos to your response to Mr. Zwegat. I wondered how successful he was on his business trip overseas. If I am not mistaken, your magazine is sold throughout the world, which obviously includes Japan. His arrogance in his letter to you is a perfect example of why we have terrorists that hate America.
Frankly, I seem to see more complaints expressing your "lack" of coverage on this or that vehicle and there is too much coverage on Jeeps. I always chuckle when I see these shortsighted letters. I remember wishing that I would see more articles on Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers. I had a '68 Land Cruiser that I fixed up a bit and was constantly on the lookout for new and different ideas to implement on my 'Cruiser. However, I realized that the FJ40 had not been sold in the United States since the '70s and that there wasn't much demand for it from all of your readers. I also realized that the largest majority of your readers probably owned a Jeep, thus, this was probably why there was at least one article related to a Jeep in every publication.
Currently, there are so many SUVs out there, I don't see how you can possibly cover all of them. In my opinion, most of them are suited for "tough" highway conditions, not for serious off-roading. Finally, Toyota has come out with a vehicle that has been designed for some serious off-roading and they are selling them fast enough that some folks are having to order and wait for their new FJ Cruiser to come in. That tells me that you are right on cue in trying to provide information and constant updates to the world about what can be done with this new and exciting "off-road" vehicle.
By the way, I have been in 13 countries, many of these as many as 10 times, and I feel that I probably have a pretty good idea of how the international community views America. I also currently own a Jeep Wrangler and a Ford F-250 4x4. I doubt that Toyota is going to make a serious dent in the American marketplace any time soon. What I think is that Toyota has demonstrated their desire to compete in this market and, as a result, inspired the American automaker to improve its product line. I think this is evident in all of the 2007 Jeep vehicles. I call that a win-win scenario.
B. Crist, Salt Lake City
Editor: One reader wrote in to the point that he would have been happy just to have a photo of his truck in the magazine, and wouldn't whine a bit about it! And by the way, Toyota has definitely made its dent, recently surpassing GM as the largest auto manufacturer in the world.