Letters - 01/10/2008

Working people need working vehicles I agree with every thing in the editorial you wrote (“MPG Follies, Nov. 20). But you didn’t go far enough. I wish you would write an article on how SUVs and pickup trucks are used and the safety implications of continuingly building lighter and lighter cars and trucks that are expected to do the job. Take my case, for example. My wife has a 2003 GMC Envoy with a trailer-towing package and heavy-duty suspension. I have a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500, with a trailer towing package, limited slip, and a 373 rear end. My wife is 4 miles from work, and I am 6 miles from work. We put less than 10,000 miles on these vehicles a year, but we use them for a variety of purposes. They must have room to carry my wife and I, along with our grandkids. We have a small ranch, so both trucks are also expected to haul and tow. At times I am pulling 13,300 lb with my truck and stock trailer. A -ton truck would do some of these jobs better but gas mileage would be 13 mpg without any load. (Both our trucks get 22 mpg on interstates with light loads.) If fuel-mileage standards for SUVs and light trucks are increased to proposed levels, these vehicles will be lucky to pull themselves. The bigger problem, and a safety issue, is that medium-sized loads will push the towing vehicle all over the place while braking. Simple physics. My question is, what kind of vehicle are they going to leave us with? Bob, thanks for writing. I grew up on a dairy farm and we always drove trucks for the same reasons you mention. In my opinion, the people pushing for high mpg ratings are blind to the realities