Our 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab has just spend three happy days in the Central Valley of California rubbing shoulders with a virtual parade of different work vehicles. Trucks, vans and delivery vehicles of all shapes and sizes surrounded our Tundra. And guess what? Unlike the pickups in LA, which are driven by stock brokers and computer programmers, who've never had grease under their fingernails, these trucks are actually used for work. The beds are full of stuff, the springs are compressed and the engines are straining mightily. The cabs are packed with guys wearing coveralls and hardhats, guys with names like Jake and Jose and "Stan the Man," guys that drink coffee in truck stops and complain about grain prices and the cost of diesel.
Sadly, our Tundra wasn't hauling anything other than one automotive editor. It was actually engaged in a different kind of work. We drove a 30-mile stretch of Highway 99 south of Visalia, CA, going south and then back to a Shell Station where we filled up and measured our fuel economy to update and expand "We Test the Tips." And as this editor drove he watched the trucks going by all around him. It seemed like he was seeing a cross section of a very different America than the one where the offices of Edmunds.com are located. But there was one common denominator: the consumption of vast quantities of petroleum products.
The very first test we used the Tundra for was to measure the difference between what we called "aggressive driving" (driving at 75 mph and faster and cutting in and out of gaps in the traffic) and "moderate" or "calm" driving (65 mpg with cruise control on). The difference between the fuel economy in these two different styles was incredible. Once this was documented, our editor began looking around at the much bigger trucks, going even faster, and mentally computing the fuel that was being used and how much could be saved with just a change of attitude. It begged the question: why was everyone in such a hurry? And, what were they going to do with the extra few minutes they would save by driving like maniac?
And here's another funny thing: we weren't even really aggressive compared to the other drivers on the road. We were more like, well, slightly above average on the angry meter.
We'll be publishing our findings soon (along with a tailgate aerodynamics test, low tire pressure test, and high speed cruising test) so we don't want to tip our hand now. However, we will share this one thing with you -- it's amazing the fuel efficiency this 5.7 liter Toyota V8 is capable of. Here's a hint: it's even better than the 2007 EPA highway rating.
Philip Reed, Edmunds.com Senior Consumer Advice Editor @ 11,655 miles
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