Two sidewall punctures, one crunched running board, and a partridge in a . . . .

Well, we’re now comfortably into our Four Wheeler of the Year regimen, and we’re learning more about our testers every hour. But not without a cost, of course. The casualty list thus far: Two sidewall failures, one crunched running board and one dinged-up rocker panel. Not too shabby for a day’s work

Some things we’ve learned already:

Toyota’s Tundra-based Sequoia and the new Lexus LX 570 are both ultra-capable 4x4s. Forget the fancy leather packages and the lack of lockers----these things will handle all sorts of technical trails, at least wherever they'll fit.

Nissan’s Xterra is still a nimble little mountain goat. Having a real rear locker doesn’t hurt, either.

Suzuki continues to make surprisingly good 4x4s, as the new Grand Vitara has already proven over washborad and on rock. So why oh why is it so low to the ground?

The all-new Kia Borrego has got one heck of a powertrain, a 4.6L V-8 and ZF five-speed tranny that make this puppy a champ at the dragstrip.

Brubaker's ancestors must have included camels. The man can live for days on end in the desert with nary a drink of water. He must store it in that hump he's got . . . somewhere.

Stover collects dirt the way Uncle Sam collects worthless mortgage securities. We've taken to calling him "Pigpen" this week.

Blogging every day violates Holman's religious principles. We don't know what church he belongs to, but we're ready to convert, regardless.

Whose machine will reign supreme? Heck, we have no idea yet, and we’ve got many miles of off-road testing yet to go. Stay tuned.