2013 Texas Truck Rodeo

San Antonio, Texas, October 22, 2012 – Another Texas Truck Rodeo is in the bag and this year txGarage was there represented by Adam Moore. Adam had the opportunity to drive most of the 62 different vehicles entered this year and also cast his vote for Truck of Texas, SUV of Texas, and many more. Look for the full list of results below and stay tuned for some ‘Quick Drive’ reviews.

So what is the Texas Truck Rodeo? It’s an annual event held by the , now going on for 20-years, where manufacturers bring their newest trucks, SUVs, and crossovers to take on life in Texas. For the past 5 years the event has been held on the grounds on Knibbe Ranch in Spring Branch, just north of San Antonio, Texas. Here the 50 members of the TAWA are able to test many vehicles, back-to-back, on either a light off-road course, a little more involved off-road experience, or take them out on back-country roads. At the end of the 2-day event, the members then vote for many categories including Truck of Texas and SUV of Texas; two titles that are gaining recognition in the automotive world.

Keep an eye on commercials coming up in Texas as well as you’ll see some of the winning brands using this event to connect with Texas consumers.

Why is Texas so important to the truck and SUV manufacturer? Well if you don’t already know Texas makes up a huge amount of most manufacturers sales as it is, but in trucks and SUVs this is even more predominant.

And the winners are:

The ‘Truck of Texas’ bragging rights went to the 2013 Ram 1500, which features 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.

“Automotive reporters have reacted extremely favorably to the new 2013 Ram 1500, and our research tells us that resonates with truck buyers,” said Fred Diaz, president and CEO of Ram.

“Texas is Ram’s biggest market and we’ve worked relentlessly to build powerful trucks with best-in-class fuel economy and capability for our customers,” said Diaz, a favorite son of San Antonio. “The pickup market is fiercely competitive and we are proud the Texas Auto Writers have awarded Ram trucks with these coveted titles.”

The Jeep Grand Cherokee repeats as the Lone Star writers’ choice as ‘SUV of Texas.’ Jeep’s 2013 model year contenders included a new variant — the off-road fortified Trailhawk — as well as the luxurious Overland Summit.

“We are absolutely delighted that Jeep has won the prestigious ‘SUV of Texas’ award three straight years,” said Mike Manley, Jeep’s president and CEO. “Even more impressive is the fact that Jeep vehicles came out on top in every category we entered. We are grateful that the influential Texas auto writers have once again recognized the unmatched combination of benchmark capability and outstanding everyday driving dynamics that Jeep vehicles offer.

“Texas is a tremendously important SUV market and we have proven that winning TAWA awards increases showroom traffic and increases sales. Through September of this year, Jeep brand sales are up 20 percent nationally, and nearly double that in Texas.”

Buick’s 2013 Enclave was crowned ‘CUV of Texas’ while the ‘Truck Line of Texas’ went to Ram trucks.

The other winning vehicles, by category:

SUV

• Full-size sport utility vehicle: 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Mid-size sport utility vehicle: 2013 Jeep Wrangler
• Compact sport utility vehicle: 2013 Ford Escape
• Full-size luxury sport utility vehicle: 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit
• Mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle: 2013 Ford Explorer Sport

CUV

• Full-size crossover utility vehicle: 2013 GMC Acadia
• Mid-size crossover utility vehicle: 2013 GMC Terrain
• Compact crossover utility vehicle: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
• Full-size luxury crossover utility vehicle: 2013 Buick Enclave
• Mid-size luxury crossover utility vehicle: 2013 Cadillac SRX

TRUCK

• Mid-size pickup truck: 2013 Toyota Tacoma
• Full-size pickup truck: 2013 Ram 1500
• Luxury pickup truck: 2013 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
• Heavy-duty pickup truck: 2013 Ford F-250 Super Duty
• Off-road truck: 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor