4-Wheel & Off-road welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include an address or a telephone number so the sender can be verified. Once verified, your name may be withheld at your request. Letters published in this magazine reflect the opinions of the writers, and we reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, brevity, or other purposes. Due to the large volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot reply to unpublished letters or return photos. Digital photos must measure no less than 1600 x 1200 pixels (or two megapixels) and be saved as a tiff, an Eps, or a maximum-quality jpeg file.
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Reader: I really enjoyed your "2008 4x4 of the Year" test. I was really pulling for the new JK Wrangler rubicon, but i knew its weak minivan engine would prevent it from winning. Jeep's new owner, Cerberus, needs to drop a torquey turbodiesel in this sucker now! I couldn't help but notice how the Wrangler's current engine compartment looked like a carbureted engine from the late '70s. Black engine hoses everywhere!
David spreitzer
Via 4wheeloffroad.com
Reader: I'm a long-time subscriber and off- roader. I love the magazine and most of your opinions. I've learned a ton and built some pretty capable rigs with your help and ideas. Now that the big sloppy kiss is over, you have got to be kidding me! I'm sure this will be one of 10,000 letters you get about your "4x4 of the Year" selection, but maybe i can make my point. I'm a lover of most anything fourwheel- drive and can certainly appreciate everything that is built with true quality and craftsmanship. When i buy a vehicle, there are many aspects that factor into my decision to purchase that vehicle. I don't imagine that my "factors" are that much different from those of most people who read this rag. Quality, driveability, creature features, off-road capability, curb appeal, fuel effi ciency, and comfort are some of the things that i look for. I think that you guys look at all of these things in your 4x4 of the Year selection.
The big piece that I think you're missing is value. How can you compare, fairly, a $32,000 rubi, with a $71,000 land Cruiser? You know lamborghini made a $200,000 four-wheel-drive suv back in the '80s. Would it have been fair to put it against a class of xjs, yjs, Explorers, and s-10 Blazers? No? So why are you guys doing it now? As I read through some of the letters that you publish, one thing keeps ringing through: Not everyone has bottomless pockets. This is why we ask for help, ask for less expensive solutions, and try and do things ourselves. You guys do a lot of "low-buck buildups" for the same reason. We (the readers of your rag) want the best bang for our buck. The land Cruisers are great vehicles, but I could buy two rubicons and have $7,000 left over to add a lift, tires, a winch, a cage, and other goodies. Value has to be a factor or criteria for future evaluations.
Erik sears
Via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: You've made a very valid point, much better than most who wrote in decrying our choice of a megabuck land Cruiser. But truth be told, a high price counts against a vehicle four times in points, which we designed to level the playing field. A question to ask is if all these vehicles we tested were the same price, would the toyota still have come out on top? For my money i'd buy two rubicons as well and party hearty with the extra $7k, but guess what. Me buying a new rig won't ever happen!
Reader: Ahlan wa sahlan (in English: hello and welcome). I am a 4-Wheel & Off-road fan from saudi Arabia. I started reading in 1999, and I love to wheel with my '01 toyota GX-r land Cruiser 100 with a K&N air filter and an Old Man Emu suspension. Sometimes i drive to my dad's farm or to the desert and have fun all day and camp at night. In saudi the best 4x4s are the toyota, Nissan, Chevy, and Ford, but my favorite is the Nissan super patrol. Why don't I see land Cruiser or Nissan patrol parts like fuel injection, ignition upgrades, drivetrain, or computer tuning?
Abdullah M Al-Hajry
Via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Thanks for the e-mail. It's nice to know we have friends who wheel around the globe. The aftermarket parts you are asking about aren't available because not enough people want them in the u.s. Sure, you do and so does anybody that wants to hop up their patrol, but we unfortunately don't get the patrol in the u.s. Try and find a local company to make stuff, and maybe they can corner the world market on patrol accessories!
Reader: I love the magazine, but i have tried to submit various rigs to readers' rides and haven't had any of them printed. Yet i have noticed that two times the same rigs have been in readers' rides. The first is Jason Carr's '89 trooper (Dec. '05 and Nov. '06). I blew that off because he had changed wheels and tires and did some fender trimming. But when scott Cowee got his '91 s-10 in twice (July '07 and Jan. '08), i couldn't stand it and i had to say something. Not only was it the second time it was in there, it was the exact same picture. Call it jealousy if you want, but it's the fact that i've tried so many times to get my rigs in to no avail. I currently own an '02 Ford F-250 super Duty with 315/75r16 Goodyear Mt/rs on stock 16x8 wheels, bds 3-inch leveling kit, 7.3 turbodiesel with a power programmer and straight-through 4-inch exhaust, and AEM Brute Force intake, ranch Hand front end replacement housing a 9,000-pound Warn Winch, Weston nerf bars, and taillight protectors. Other than not having lockers, it goes where and when i want it to. You should comb through every issue to see if someone's rig has been printed or not, or maybe set up a data sheet where you just have to type in their name that will show if they have been in.
Robbie Evans
Bentonville, Ar
Editor: Wow, we never caught either duplication, and sure didn't do it on purpose! We receive too many entries to check all our back issues, and sometimes there are a few people who try and do this on purpose. Tell you what, send us a photo of your rig with a reminder of this conversation and the usual fields filled out, and we'll make sure you get in readers' rides next time.