Texas Auto Roundup hosted by the Texas Auto Writers Association

Texas Auto Roundup - Photo by STI

Every year the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) hosts a big gathering of new cars called the Texas Auto Roundup. All manufacturers are invited to bring some of their best and newest vehicles for automotive journalist to test drive. At the end of the day, they choose winners in different categories, including the Car of Texas.

This was our second year attending the Auto Roundup and what a year it was! We’ll be posting up ‘Quick Drive‘ reviews of some of the best cars we had the chance to drive.

Here is a list of the categories and winners for this years Auto Roundup. For the record, many of the winners were not exactly who we chose. If you disagree with a winner, leave a comment below! We like to hear what you guys think more than other journalist.

The Nissan GT-R sports car and Chrysler’s Town & Country minivan took “best of show” honors at the 2012 Texas Auto Writers Association Auto Roundup.
By resounding margins, TAWA’s writers selected the 2013 GT-R is the 2012 Car of Texas, while the 2012 Town & Country was named Family Car of Texas.

Performance figured heavily in the Car of Texas category. The legendary GT-R, making its second appearance at a TAWA event, packs 545 horsepower. The second-place finisher, the Hyundai Equus, has 429 horsepower for 2012. Subaru’s BRZ, a brand new rear-wheel-drive sports car co-developed with Toyota, came in third.

In the family category, the Ford Taurus and Nissan Quest were the next highest-scoring vehicles.

Dodge’s new Dart hit the mark with a majority of TAWA members, earning first-place finishes in three categories. (And as many TAWA members know, calamity struck Sunday evening when the Dart originally brought to the track was damaged in a freakish accident. We drove the 145-hp 2.0L. The one Chrysler had planned was a turbocharged 160-hp 1.4L.

Thank you for making the 2012 Roundup a huge success. Here are your verdicts (first-place in bold and next highest-scoring competitors):

Compact Car of Texas: 2013 Dodge Dart, 2012 Buick Verano; 2012 Hyundai Veloster

Subcompact Car of Texas: 2012 Fiat Cabrio; 2012 Chevrolet Sonic; 2012 Scion iQ (The Sonic had just one point less than the Fiat)

Mid-Size Car of Texas: 2012 Buick Regal GS; 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco; 2013 Volkswagen CC Sport Plus

Full-Size Car of Texas: 2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist; 2012 Dodge Charger SXT; 2012 Hyundai Azera

Minivan of Texas: 2012 Chrysler Town & Country; 2012 Toyota Sienna; 2012 Nissan Quest

Green Car of Texas: 2012 Chevrolet Volt; 2012 Nissan Leaf; 2012 PriusC

Performance Compact of Texas: 2013 Subaru BRZ; 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

Performance Coupe of Texas: 2013 Ford Mustang GT; 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG; 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8

Performance Sedan of Texas: 2013 Ford Taurus SHO police package; 2012 Jaguar XFR; 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8

Performance Utility Vehicle of Texas: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8; 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan; 2013 Mazda CX-5

Supercar of Texas: 2013 Nissan GT-R Black Edition; 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe; 2012 Jaguar XKR-S Coupe

Mid-Size Luxury Vehicle of Texas: 2012 Cadillac SRX AWD; 2012 Infiniti M35h; 2012 Audi A7 3.0

Full-Size Luxury Vehicle of Texas: 2012 Chrysler 300 Luxury Series (lone entry)

Best New Feature: 2013 Dodge Dart; 2012 Hyundai Veloster; 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

Best New Interior: 2013 Ford Taurus SHO; 2012 Chrysler 300; 2012 Hyundai Azera

Best Value: 2013 Dodge Dart; 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth; 2012 Hyundai Equus