2012 Texas Truck Rodeo: 2013 Ram Reigns Supreme

After redesigning the 2013 Ram 1500 from the frame up for the new model year, the pickup professionals at the Chrysler Group have seen their efforts pay off at this year’s Texas Truck Rodeo. The annual event—hosted by the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA)—recently saw 50 automotive journalists put 60 trucks, SUVs and crossovers through a comprehensive, two-day trial by fire, and when the smoke cleared, it was the Ram brand that had been named “Truck Line of Texas.” And while the decision was no doubt a tough one, it was certainly made easier by the fact that the 2013 Ram 1500 also corralled three other awards during the event.

As a result, when you take into account the four TAWA titles earned by the Jeep brand, the bottom line is that Chrysler Group products captured eight awards at the 2012 Texas Truck Rodeo, with GM winning five, Ford getting recognized in four segments, and Toyota and Hyundai earning one victory apiece.

Of course, as explained by Michael Herzing, president of TAWA: “There are really no losers in this event,” although “the big winners are the consumers of Texas, the No. 1 state in the nation for trucks and sport utility vehicles."

2012 Texas Truck Rodeo: A Lone Star Ram-pede

As mentioned, the Ram brand was chosen as the “Truck Line of Texas,” with the 2013 Ram 1500 scoring three separate titles: “Truck of Texas”—which is the event’s top individual honor—as well as “Full-size Pickup of Texas” and, in its range-topping Laramie Longhorn trim, recognition as “Luxury Truck of Texas.” But Ram also is being chosen by more and more customers, too.

Among the top trio of full-size pickups, the Ram is the only entry with year-to-date sales that are outperforming the industry as a whole, and that’s unlikely to change now that the brand is offering an eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers 18 mpg city/25 mpg when mated to a 305-hp Pentastar V6. And remember, that new TorqueFlite 8 transmission also is available with a HEMI that provides best-in-class fuel-efficiency ratings for V8-powered full-size pickups.

The 2013 Ram Laramie Longhorn—the first version of which debuted at the State Fair of Texas in 2010—then caters to premium buyers with features like a world-class interior that draws its design inspiration from the world of the Old West. For example, the Walnut wood trim in the Laramie Longhorn shows a unique grain pattern that was first created when ranchers started using the trees for fence posts, and allowed the wood to grow over the fences’ barbed wire.

All of which led to some high praise from Michael Herzing, president of TAWA: “The new technologies in this truck are true game changers and raise the bar for the competition. You’ve got to love how tough, capable, comfortable, and fuel-efficient this new truck is. Until we drove it, we couldn’t believe a truck this nice and capable could achieve 25 miles to a gallon like the Ram does. It blew our members away.”

2012 Texas Truck Rodeo: Jeep Grand Cherokee Is SUV of Texas

Building on Ram’s impressive performance among the pickups, another Chrysler Group division—Jeep—did just as well, numerically speaking, in the 2012 Texas Truck Rodeo. The sport-utility specialists garnered four awards at the TAWA event, as the Jeep Grand Cherokee won its third consecutive title as overall “SUV of Texas” to go with wins as “Full-size SUV of Texas” and “Full-size Luxury SUV of Texas” (when dressed-out in its Overland Summit configuration).

“Texans are passionate about their SUVs. Our members were clearly impressed with the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee once again,” said TAWA’s Herzing. “Grand Cherokee’s awards at the Rodeo speak volumes about its design, capability, and performance. Texas is Jeep country.”

Also three-peating at this year’s Rodeo was the 2013 Jeep Wrangler, once again taking home the title of “Mid-size SUV of Texas.”

2012 Texas Truck Rodeo: GM Wins Despite Chevy Shutout

It’s probably not surprising that GM earned the second-highest number of awards at the 2012 Texas Truck Rodeo, but the curious thing this time around was that the automaker did so with five crossover crowns but without any help from Chevrolet. Instead, GM’s winners included:

• 2013 GMC Acadia—This “Full-size Crossover Utility Vehicle of Texas” has benefited from surging demand this year and is now outselling its more mainstream counterpart, the Chevrolet Traverse.
• 2013 GMC Terrain—Winning the crown as “Mid-size CUV of Texas” was the Terrain, thanks in part to its new, more powerful V6 engine (and keep in mind, the standard engine here is the 32-mpg I4).
• 2013 Cadillac SRX—The SRX caps off its victory as “Mid-size Luxury CUV of Texas” by introducing Cadillac’s innovative CUE connectivity-and-control interface for the 2013 model year; notably, this was the third SRX win in the past four years.
• 2013 Buick Enclave—The trendsetting Enclave also was tuned up for 2013, with a refreshed design that introduces a new LED lighting technology to the industry, and it was recognized as both the overall “CUV of Texas” and the “Full-size Luxury CUV of Texas.”

In an odd bit of synchronicity, the two big boys on that list swapped segments as compared to last year. In 2012, the Enclave was the “Full-size CUV of Texas” and the Acadia (Denali) was the “Full-size Luxury CUV of Texas.”

2012 Texas Truck Rodeo: Four Wins for Ford

The all-new 2013 Ford Escape led an eclectic group of winners for the Blue Oval, getting the nod as 2012’s “Compact Sport Utility Vehicle of Texas”—despite not usually being known for its SUV prowess. Similarly, the 2013 Ford Explorer Sport moved out of its comfort zone to win kudos as “Mid-size Luxury SUV of Texas.”

The latter outcome is particularly interesting, as it’s a strong testament to the Blue Oval’s ability to put together a premium next-gen SUV package, even if it’s not wearing a Lincoln badge. A clear difference-maker here: The Ford Explorer Sport’s premium powertrain, featuring a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that delivers 365 hp and 350 lb.-ft. of torque.

And while the Ford F-150 didn’t make the cut, two of its variants did: The 2013 F-Series Super Duty—once again boasting best-in-class towing and payload marks—hauled off the award as “Heavy-duty Pickup Truck of Texas” and the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor—and its 6.2-liter, 411-hp V8—was the “Off-road Truck of Texas.”

2012 Texas Truck Rodeo: Single Titles for Toyota and Hyundai

Finally, at two different ends of the life-cycle spectrum, the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and 2013 Toyota Tacoma were this year’s “Compact Crossover of Texas” and “Mid-size Pickup Truck of Texas,” respectively.

For Hyundai, the Texas Truck Rodeo was a bit of an exercise in immediate gratification, since the Santa Fe Sport just went on sale as the two-row member of the all-new Santa Fe family (the three-row Santa Fe proper is coming early next year). Just don’t let its “Compact Crossover” designation mislead you: The Santa Fe Sport offers both big power—courtesy of an available 264-hp turbocharged I4 engine—and a surprisingly capacious cargo hold that can stow up to 71.5 cubic feet of gear behind its front row of seats.

The Tacoma? Although the current-generation truck has now gone eight years without a significant mechanical update, the brand has continued to mix things up with a steady stream of new appearance packages, including for 2013, a new Limited option with heated front sport seats, leather cabin accents, a rearview camera system and a healthy dose of chrome on its exterior.