Sore Loser
Being a Jeep owner and also loving Porsches made reading your article "Jeep vs. Porsche" (Jan. '10) interesting. I was confused how a Porsche with one more turbo, 50 more horses, 74 more lb-ft of torque, weighing 115-pounds less than factory can run 1.3 seconds slower to 60 than a bone stock Cayenne Turbo S having only a single turbo. Most people take their vehicles to an aftermarket tuner like TechArt to have the performance enhanced, not slowed down. I understand you are a Jeep magazine and your test Jeep couldn't possibly lose to a German import, but you could at least present realistic performance results that are hopefully somewhat unbiased.
Adam Varner
Marietta, Ohio
Sorry, no data was skewed. I suspect the reason for the loss is that the twin turbo system on the Porsche was set up for ultimate top speed (as noted in the story, fourth paragraph), not for off-the-line launching we did where the brutal torque of the big V-8 and supercharger really shined. But thanks for the input.
A Pity?
It's a pity that the only magazine dedicated exclusively to the Jeep enthusiast is consistently plagued with language commonly heard in the locker room of a boy's junior high school. Take for example the following Jp Staffer Quote of the Month ("Dispatch," Jan. '10):
"Oh really, half of Americans would buy a plug-in? Who the f^*# did they interview? Are these people just bleeding money out their a$$ enough to buy a new car but not pay for their house or heath insurance?"-Editor Cappa responding to a press release that stated a new survey showed 48 percent of Americans are interested in buying a plug-in "hybrid."
I buy this magazine occasionally at the newsstand when an article piques my interest, and every time I'm dismayed at the juvenile trash-talk that mars what would otherwise be a very fine publication.
Dr. Alec Isabeau
Santa Rosa, California
He Gets It
I hate to say that I am ashamed at the response to the Sept. '09 "Trail Head." I completely agree with Cappa's statements. However, I am shocked how some subscribers have reacted to the article simply because Jp magazine contains a political argument. It's ridiculous to think that someone would disagree with a point simply because of the genre of discussion. That being said, I would like to raise a point. The "Trail Head" of Sept. '09 was not written simply because Cappa is trying to bring politics to this magazine, but because Obama's policies concerning the trail closures is a conflict of our lifestyle and interests as a whole community.
I am not saying that it is wrong for those emails to be written to Jp magazine disagreeing with Cappa. Those individuals do have the same rights as Cappa to speak freely for or against whatever they please. But, some of the points raised by these readers were invalid, such as the blaming of the republicans for the financial crisis. It is not because of the Republicans that we are in a financial disposition, but because of several factors such as war and quite possibly the Democrat in office before Bush.
So next time something like the Sept. '09 "Trail Head" is published and there is some disagreement, simply think about whose side Cappa is on. Cappa is speaking on behalf of our community of Jeep enthusiasts while certain political figures are attempting to rob us of our ability to enjoy trail riding, rock climbing, mud riding, and so on and so forth.
Zach Bennett
Petal, Mississippi