At 08:59 AM 11/20/98 -0500, Joe L. wrote:

But the bumper is as high as it is for a reason; that being ground clearance. Take a look at the military "Hummer" and you will see the same thing. While it is true that most of the folks who buy these things never take them into the bush that fact does not negate the design.

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Actually, if they REALLY wanted to, they could EASILY design an off-road vehicle with bumpers at the "standard" height. Note that older SUV's have the bumpers at the "standard" height and that doesn't seem to affect their off-road abilities. That excuse is a tired one, I'm afraid.

The real issue is one of marketing -- the bigger looking the vehicle the more they can charge. While, I'm not a fan of bigger government -- having "certain" universal standards makes things work better for everyone -- driving on the right side of the road, for example. Bumper heights should be another one of those universal standards that apply to all vehicles, in spite of your rants to the contrary.

>>>>

<bold>Michael J. Sullivan

</bold><italic>Director of Catalog Design

Open Market, Inc.

</italic>

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