(October 31, 2011) SAN ANTONIO — Ford trucks and crossovers have earned top honors at the 2011 Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) Truck Rodeo, including the 2012 Ford F-150 being named Truck of Texas — the most prestigious award. The Jeep Grand Cherokee for the second straight year was named the Sport Untility Vehicle of Texas.
 
“Texan consumers put their trust in TAWA’s automotive journalists. After lining up vehicles from major auto manufacturers, our members determined Ford simply had the best trucks and crossover,” said Mike Herzing, president of TAWA. “But the real winners here are Texas’ truck buyers. Ford delivers the trucks that fit their lifestyles.”
 
Ford also swept seven additional categories for its trucks, crossovers and EcoBoost engine technology.
 
“These honors show Ford trucks still reign supreme in Texas, and it is rewarding to see that the truck-savvy Texas auto writers appreciate just how innovative our F-Series pickups are,” said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. “These awards validate what our customers have been telling us about our ‘Built Ford Tough’ F-150, and we are honored by their recognition of the strength of our truck lineup as well as our crossovers and EcoBoost engines.”
 
A total of 48 vehicles were entered in the rodeo and evaluated by the 57 registered TAWA members. TAWA is one of the largest associations of auto writers in the U.S. TAWA members also named Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology Best Vehicle Feature.

Winners included:

Truck of Texas:  2012 Ford F150

Sport Utility Vehicle of Texas:  2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Crossover Utility Vehicle of Texas:  2012 Ford Edge

Truck Line of Texas:  2012 Ford lineup of trucks.

Outstanding Feature of Texas: Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology.

Full-Sized Pickup Truck: First Place, 2012 Ford F-150; Second Place, 2012 Ram 1500; Third Place, Chevrolet 1500 & Toyota Tundra (tie)

Mid-Sized Pickup: First Place, 2012 Nissan Frontier; Second Place, 2012 Toyota Tacoma. 

Luxury Pickup: First Place, 2012 Ford F-150 Platinum EcoBoost; Second Place, 2012 Ram 2500 Mega Cab Laramie Longhorn; Third Place, 2012 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 HD Crew Cab.

Heavy Duty Pickup: First Place, 2012 Ford F-250 King Ranch; Second Place, 2012 Ram 2500 Power Wagon; Third Place, 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD.

Full-Sized Sport Utility Vehicle: First Place, 2012 Dodge Durango; Second Place, 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee; Third Place, 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe.

Full-Sized Luxury SUV: First Place, Jeep Grand Cherokee; Second Place, Range Rover Epoque; Mercedes Benz GL350BTC

Mid-Sized Sport Utility Vehicle: First Place, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited; Second Place, 2012 Toyota 4Runner; Third Place, 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Mid-Sized Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle: First Place, Toyota 4Runner

Compact Sport Utility: First Place, 2012 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X; Second Place, 2012 Jeep Compass; Third Place, 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan.

Full-Sized Crossover Utility Vehicle: First Place, 2012 Buick Enclave;

Mid-Sized Crossover Utility Vehicle: First Place, 2012 Ford Edge Limited with EcoBoost engine; Second Place 2012 Dodge Journey; Third Place, 2012 Chevrolet Equinox 

Compact Crossover Utility Vehicle: First Place, 2012 Toyota Rav4; Second Place, Kia Soul!

Full-Sized Luxury Crossover Utility Vehicle: First Place, 2012 GMC Acadia Denali; Second Place, 2012 Mercedes-Benz R350 Blue TEC.

Mid-Sized Luxury Crossover: 2012 Cadillac SRX Premium.