Reader: I think your magazine rocks. It is the one piece of mail I look forward to (besides my income tax return). I read your magazine from cover to back-everything, including the advertisements (feel free to send that last part to prospective clients). No offense, but I may even be one of the few readers who actually reads the Editor's Note; not that it is bad, but a picture is much easier to absorb than the 1,000 words it represents. My wife has a Jeep, I have a Jeep, my parents have a Jeep, and my boys (10 months and 30 months) have a single and a tandem Jeep stroller. I want my boys to grow up knowing how important it is to get out and four-wheel.
My background is as a chemist with a master's degree (my wife tells me that I've mastered my B.S.) and I drive a '01 TJ with heated seats-yes, heated seats from the dealer (please stop laughing now). I'm told by the dealer that my heated seats are the only pair known to exist in a TJ. If I am selected to participate in your Critics' Corner ("Limited Articulation," May '05), I will be honest and reliable to give feedback. For example, in that May issue, the new International truck was cool, but the new concept Hurricane was a bad mutha'. That would have made a cover to turn heads, especially if it was thrashing over that boxy piece of crap Mercedes had at the auto show. I will tell you what I like and do not like.
Hope this helps. In summary, you rock, I rock-let me help with the cover.
Michael Tyndall
via fourwheeler.com
Editor: Hey, we like heated seats, too-even our grizzled veteran Willie Worthy likes 'em. And we'll overlook that little remark about a certain Editor's column that everyone loves to read (right?). But bottom line: When it comes to the Critics' Corner, honesty pays, and for that reason, you're hereby inducted. And as a Letter of the Month winner, you also get a FW license plate-heck, for good measure, we'll throw in a couple more for your boys' strollers. When you can win goodies like these by just writing a letter, who needs to buy lottery tickets?
Finally, thanks to all who wrote in to volunteer for the Critics' Corner focus group. Even if we didn't pick you, we read all your e-mails and took careful note of your comments. Thanks again for all your advice!
Reader: My husband and I just purchased an '04 Chevy Colorado 4x4 and wonder why there are no articles in your magazine about this truck. Have any issues had any articles on the Colorado?
Lorraine Miller
Vermontville, MI
Editor: We conducted an extensive road test of the Colorado in our March '04 issue. We haven't revisited the truck since then as (a) it hasn't been substantially revised in design, and (b) until very recently, there hadn't been much in the way of aftermarket support for it. For a while, in fact, we were seeing more lowering kits than lift kits for it. Things, however, are starting to change in this regard, and we expect to see a flood of new product for this truck in the near future, particularly after the Colorado-based Hummer H3 goes on sale later in the year.
Reader: Hey guys, the Web URL you listed for Lincoln Electric in "What's New" (May '05) is incorrect. It should be www.lincolnelectric.com ... unless you're shopping around for Brubaker's next road-test vehicle.
George Allard
via fourwheeler.com
Editor: A Navigator test? Don't tempt us! But yeah, you're right, we goofed. Sorry for any inconveniences.