Autoblog

2013 Ram 1500 earns Truck of Texas honors

George Kennedy — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Work, Off-Road, Ram

Auto writers around the country tend to specialize in different vehicles based on the trends of our respective home markets. The New England Motor Press Association, for example, presents an award every year for the best winter vehicle. With that in mind, it is fitting that the Texas Auto Writers Association doles out an annual truck award. This year, the TAWA "Truck of Texas" is the 2013 Ram 1500.

In a announcement from TAWA, the new Ram took top honors based in no small part on, "a new 3.6-liter V6 that boasts 42 percent more power, improved fuel economy, infotainment upgrades and available eight-speed automatic transmission and air suspension." And according to Ram CEO Fred Diaz, "Automotive reporters have reacted extremely favorably to the new 2013 Ram 1500, and our research tells us that resonates with truck buyers." The Ram 1500 unseated the previous Truck of Texas, the 2012 Ford F-150.

The Texas Auto Writers Association Truck Rodeo was also an occasion for journalists to award an SUV of Texas, and thankfully, the distinction is made between SUV and CUV. The Jeep Grand Cherokee took top honors in the SUV department, with TAWA pointing to models like the off-road-ready Trailhawk and feature-laden Overland Summit. It is the third consecutive year that the Grand Cherokee has achieved this accolade. The award for top crossover went to the 2013 Buick Enclave, which is in its first year of a new design. To read more on the Truck of Texas award and all the finalists, check out the press release below.

Continue reading 2013 Ram 1500 earns Truck of Texas honors

2013 Ram 1500 earns Truck of Texas honors originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford sweeps Texas Truck Rodeo awards, Chrysler defends SUV crown

Zach Bowman — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Etc., Crossover, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Jeep

The Texas Auto Writers Association has awarded the 2012 Ford F-150 a slew of honors. The pickup took home the Truck of Texas title by beating out its competitors at the annual Truck Rodeo. The award is the association's most prestigious honor, but Ford also picked up a few other nods. TAWA named the company's EcoBoost engine technology its best vehicle feature, and the 2012 Ford Edge took home the CUV of Texas badge. Finally, the entire Ford pickup line was named the Truck Line of Texas by the association, making for a pretty clean sweep of the truck competition.

This year, manufacturers entered 48 vehicles into the TAWA Truck Rodeo, and 57 automotive writers turned out to evaluate the trucks and SUVs. When the dust settled, Ford had earned seven awards total, including the best heavy-duty, luxury and full-size pickup trucks.

For its part, Chrysler saw its products fare well in the competition, too. The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee went home carrying SUV of Texas trophy, while TAWA awarded its sister, the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the mid-sized SUV of Texas title. Finally, the writers in attendance named the 2012 Dodge Durango the full-size SUV of Texas.

Hit the jump for a volley of press releases.

Continue reading Ford sweeps Texas Truck Rodeo awards, Chrysler defends SUV crown

Ford sweeps Texas Truck Rodeo awards, Chrysler defends SUV crown originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Last Texan: Nissan Juke named CUV of the Lone Star State

Zach Bowman — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Hatchback, Nissan

2011 Nissan Juke - Click above for high-res image gallery

We told you yesterday about a whole slew of awards doled out by the Texas Auto Writers Association, but we missed one. The 2011 Nissan Juke has earned the nod as as this year's CUV of Texas. The gaggle of Lone Star writers that hopped behind the seat cited the vehicle's interesting styling and engaging driving experience as the top-ranking reasons for the high-riding hatch's win. Of course, we're pretty big fans of the 32 miles per gallon (highway) that the 188-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo-four turns out, and the super-trick HVAC controls are worth a win in our book, too. Still, we can't help but be a bit surprised that historically conservative Texas would recognize such an otherworldly looking machine. We're guessing that a healthy contingent of the jury comes from "Keep it Weird" Austin, and that's just fine by us.

Nissan says that the TAWA will present the automaker a trophy at its award ceremony on November 12 at Space Center Houston. Seems only fitting for a CUV that looks like it could have spent its formative years roaming the surface of Mars. Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke: First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL

[Source: Nissan]

One Last Texan: Nissan Juke named CUV of the Lone Star State originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeep Grand Cherokee named 'SUV of Texas,' Ford named winning 'Truck Line'

Zach Bowman — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Dodge, Ford, Jeep

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2011 Ford F-150 - click either image for high-res gallery

Ford, Jeep and Ram have new feathers to stick in their caps. The Texas Auto Writers Association has voted Ford the official Truck Line of Texas, while the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has landed the title of SUV of Texas. Despite FoMoCo's line of top-notch trucks, the 2011 Ram Laramie Longhorn was awarded the much-coveted Truck of Texas honor. We expect to see each respective manufacturer tout their new titles in ads any day now.

The Texas Auto Writers Association holds an annual Texas Truck Rodeo every year, giving journalists from the state are given the opportunity to drive nearly every truck on the market over a two-day period. At the end of the event, votes are tallied for each award category and the winners announced. In addition to the categories just mentioned, there were other awards handed out, including Full-Size Pickup Truck: 2011 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman Crew Cab 4x4, Mid-Size Pickup Truck: 2011 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4x2 Texas Edition, Luxury Pickup Truck: 2011 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn, Heavy Duty Pickup Truck: 2011 Ram Power Wagon Crew Cab 4x4, and Outstanding Feature: Ford/ MyFord Touch.

This year's big winners make plenty of sense to us, as Ford has crammed the F-150 with a slew of excellent drivetrain options and the Jeep Grand Cherokee is a massive step in the right direction for Chrysler. Likewise, the Ram Laramie Longhorn offers one of the best interiors of any pickup available right now, and its supple rear suspension strikes us as just the thing for traversing the Lone Star state.

Gallery: Review: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost

Photos by Zach Bowman and Jeremy Korzeniewski / Copyright (C)2010 AOL.

[Sources: Chrysler, Ford, Pickuptrucks.com]

Jeep Grand Cherokee named 'SUV of Texas,' Ford named winning 'Truck Line' originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford F-150 SVT Raptor named 2010 Truck of Texas

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Truck, Ford, Off-Road

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor -- Click above for high-res image gallery

It's no secret that the Texas Auto Writer's Association loves Ford trucks: The Blue Oval's F-Series pickups have won the Truck of Texas award six straight times. Actually, you can make that seven straight times now, with the F-150 SVT Raptor taking the top honor this year in the Lone Star State.

We didn't go through the precise reasoning of the F-150's dominance in previous years, but the arrival of the Raptor probably made the choice just too easy this time around. After having driven the Raptor ourselves we knew that there is simply nothing like it, and nothing anywhere near as good as it is, to be found in the OEM pickup truck world. When you throw in the purchase price of $39K for the 5.4-liter, you're going to look hard to find a similarly priced competitor in the OEM or aftermarket. The press is after the jump, and to Ford, congratulations are well deserved.

UPDATE: Turns out that the F-150 was actually named this year's Truck of Texas, not the SVT Raptor model specifically. The Raptor was, however, named best "Full-size Pickup Truck". You can check out the corrected press release that Ford just sent out after the jump.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford F-150 ~~SVT Raptor~~ named 2010 Truck of Texas

Ford F-150 ~~SVT Raptor~~ named 2010 Truck of Texas originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dueling press releases: Which is the Truck of Texas? F-150 or Ram

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Dodge, Ford

Yesterday we told you that the new Ford F-150 was selected by the Texas Auto Writers Association as the Truck of Texas. However, it turned out there were two seemingly contradictory press releases on the Ford and Chrysler web sites both laying claim to the title. As always, the devil is in the details. Apparently, they do things different in Texas. At the annual TAWA Truck Rodeo they pick winners in a dozen different categories for pickups, SUVs and CUVs. They do something similar in dog shows where they select the best of each breed. However, in dog shows they bring out the best of each breed and select a best in show.

You might think that TAWA would look at their category winners and select a best of overall vehicle to be deemed the "Truck of Texas." Not quite. We consulted universally acknowledged pickup truck expert Mike Levine for a little information about what goes on in Texas. Apparently, being selected the best in category is not a prerequisite for being the best overall truck in Texas. Mike likened it to being selected as best album at the Grammy's versus the best rock album. It seems like if the F-150 is the best overall truck, but in fact, the Ram was selected as the best pickup. So there. The dueling press releases are after the jump.

[Sources: Ford, Chrysler, PickupTrucks.com]

Continue reading Dueling press releases: Which is the Truck of Texas? F-150 or Ram

Dueling press releases: Which is the Truck of Texas? F-150 or Ram originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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