So let's be honest. If you were going to drive a 38-year-old, 607-horsepower muscle car across the American west would you really do it without some kind of contingency plan?

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Just fifteen miles of driving our 2007 Toyota Tundra Double Cab pickup truck on a simple 4x4 trail in Joshua Tree National Park left both sides of the truck with a serious case of Desert Stripe. The driver's side (above) looked a little better than the passenger side, as the natural tendency is to clear the things on your side, which puts the passenger side up against it.

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Because it has true four-wheel drive with low range, our 2007 Toyota Tundra became the preferred mount for a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park for a hike to the summit of Monument Mountain. Why? The guidebook my friend Scott and I were using lists the dirt road leading to the starting point of the hike as "4x4 recommended."

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James hadn't told me about the Ford sticker on our 2007 Toyota Tundra, nor had I seen his blog entry. I drove around for two days before noticing the sticker on the rear tailgate while refueling. I felt a bit like a kid who finally finds the "kick me" sticker taped to his backpack. Not offended, mind you, as I like the F-150. But there's just some things you just don't do: never mess with a man's truck. I peeled the thing straight off and wadded it up. Sorry, James.

About 100 miles further down the road, after bouncing along narrow dirt tracks in Joshua Tree National Park, I noticed a second Ford tag while posing the Tundra for a photo. This one fits real nice over the Toyota sombrero. Seems our prankster was more thorough or determined to make a point than James realized.

Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 16,644 miles

I did a double take when I climbed out of the M3 this morning. This was the view that greeted me.

"That's not right," I said in my best Austin Powers voice.

It would seem that some Ford nut who inexplicably carries around a supply of Ford stickers decided to tag our Toyota Tundra. I'm not sure if this is to penalize us for buying (sort of) a Japanese pick-up truck (sort-of) or if he's trying to make people believe the Tundra is made by Ford.

Either way, I left it on there because it's funny.

James Riswick, Automotive Editor

A couple weeks ago I noted the somewhat flimsy tie downs in the bed of the Tundra. I liked the idea of having adjustable loops, but the way they flexed made me a little leery of securing anything important to them. When it came time to pick up a “new” motorcycle this weekend, however, I took the Tundra anyway.

I figured its longer bed would allow me to close the tailgate, so the loose tie downs probably would be an issue anyway. When I used our Chevrolet Silverado to pick up last year’s bike, its shorter bed meant leaving the gate down. Not a huge deal, but this time I had to drive a few hundred miles, so it was peace of mind to know the gate would be up. Turns out my tie down straps were too long to make use of the adjustable loops anyway. Thankfully, Toyota was smart enough not to rely on the bed rail loops alone as the Tundra includes four standard loops affixed to the bed at each corner.

The Tundra was as comfortable as ever on the trip. A supportive seat, well tuned suspension and more passing power than you could ever need in a pickup make it an enjoyable road trip truck. It’s racked up over 14,000 miles now and there are no noticeable rattles or squeaks either.

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 14,480 miles

My husband is compost-obsessed. On cold nights, he likes to sneak out into our backyard to marvel at how hot our compost is, beaming with pride at the steam rising from what used to be our kitchen scraps.

And that’s one of the problems with our compost pile: It’s mostly kitchen scraps, which isn’t such a good way to compost. You need “brown matter” (e.g., dry leaves) to keep the compost “healthy” and “not stinky” or “vile.” And so, this weekend, we loaded up the family and pointed our long-term Tundra toward the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank to get ourselves some brown matter, aka straw and horse poop.

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I didn't exactly tax the Tundra's 10,000 lb towing capacity with this chore but I needed to recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans. I had a little scrap metal lying around too. I know it's over kill to use the Tundra for such light duty but I wouldn't want to cram wet, stinky soda cans or sharp metal panels in a minivan or crossover. The bedliner is a worthwhile option too.

As an everyday vehicle, I find the Tundra a little stiff. The ride is very firm. On the other hand, the storage spaces inside the Tundra are incredible and the seats are comfy.  Nice V8 too.

Brian Moody, Road Test Editor.

I snagged our Toyota Tundra for the weekend in anticipation of picking up a new motorcycle. With its 6.5-foot bed, I figured the Tundra would be perfect for swallowing my new ride without having to drop the tailgate. I never got the chance. The deal fell though before I ever saw the bike in person, but I did notice something about the Tundra that made me think twice about using it again. The adjustable tie-down loops don’t feel quite as sturdy as they look. Pull hard enough and the rails they’re mounted on start to pull away from the bed. Our long-term Nissan Titan had a similar setup, but its tie downs were as sturdy as the loops that were permanently attached to the bed. I don’t think this will keep me from using the Tundra when I eventually find another bike, but I was expecting sturdier construction for something that’s designed as an anchor point.

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line @ 13,682 miles

With the approach of the summer driving season and the continuation of high fuel prices, you'll likely see media outlets publishing stories about how to save gas. But do these fuel-saving tips really work?

Well, we tested them to find out. In our Edmunds We Test The Tips Part II article, we used our long-term Buick Enclave, our long-term Toyota Tundra and a Lexus ES 350 to determine what techniques deliver the best improvements in fuel economy. We tested tips such as driving style, tire pressure, running the air-conditioner and lowering a pickup's tailgate.

Obviously, you'll want to read the story if you're interested. But here's a bit of a teaser: we were able to realize a 38 percent potential improvement in fuel economy in the Enclave. For the Tundra, we got nearly 21 mpg in one test, well above the truck's EPA highway estimate.

Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor