2015 Ford F-150 named Truck of Texas, Lincoln and Jeep also awarded at Truck Rodeo

Tue, 14 Oct 2014

The Ford Motor Company has a lot of reasons to celebrate after winning eight categories in this year's Texas Auto Writers Association's annual Truck Rodeo. Most important among them, the Blue Oval's latest 2015 Ford F-150 earned the prestigious Truck of Texas award, ending the Ram 1500's two-year winning streak. The 2015 Lincoln MKC also grabbed the honor as the CUV of Texas, and Ford was named Truck Line of Texas.

FoMoCo even took trophies for best technology with its extensive use of aluminum on its latest F-Series and best commercial vehicle for the new Transit 250. It wasn't a total sweep, though, because the Jeep Grand Cherokee grabbed the title of the SUV of Texas for the fifth straight time.

This year's event put 60 auto writers in 75 pickups, SUVs and crossovers and challenged them to find the best in a plethora of categories. All of the winners are listed below, and scroll down to read the full announcements from the Texas Auto Writers Association and Ford.

Compact CUV: 2015 Honda CR-V Touring
Midsize CUV: 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium
Fullsize CUV: 2015 Kia Sedona SX
Luxury CUV: 2015 Lincoln MKC
Compact SUV: 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
Midsize SUV: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4
Fullsize SUV: 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD
Compact Luxury SUV: 2015 Range Rover Evoque 5-Door
Midsize Luxury SUV: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit EcoDiesel 4x4
Fullsize Luxury SUV: 2015 GMC Yukon Denali
Off-Road SUV: 2015 Jeep Wrangler
Midsize Pickup Truck: 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab
Fullsize Pickup Truck: 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch
Luxury Pickup Truck: 2015 Ford F-150 Platinum
Heavy Duty Pickup Truck: 2015 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn
Off-Road Pickup Truck: 2015 Ram Power Wagon
Commercial Vehicle: 2015 Ford Transit 250
Best Powertrain: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel Engine
Best Connectivity: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Uconnect Access
Best Technology: 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch high-strength military-grade aluminum body
CUV of Texas: 2015 Lincoln MKC
SUV of Texas: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Truck of Texas: 2015 Ford F-150
Truck Line of Texas: Ford

TAWA announces Texas Truck Rodeo winners!

Ford F-150 Named Truck of Texas at 2014 Texas Auto Writers Assn. Truck Rodeo

The all-new Ford F-150 was named Truck of Texas at the 2014 Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) Truck Rodeo.

"This year, the Texas Truck Rodeo had a record number of vehicles on hand for our members to evaluate,' said Michael Marrs, president of TAWA, "We want to thank all of our partners in the automotive industry as well as sponsors for making this such a great event."

Sixty auto writers drove 75 vehicles on and off road for two days (Oct. 9-10) at the Knibbe Ranch outside San Antonio to choose the prestigious Truck of Texas. This year's Texas Truck Rodeo, which was sponsored by the Steel Market Development Institute, also saw the 2015 Lincoln MKC take the CUV of Texas; the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee capture the SUV of Texas title for an unprecedented fifth straight year; and Ford being named the Truck Line of Texas.

Doug Scott, marketing manager of Ford's truck group, said, "This is a significant honor, one of the three big ones along with the Motor Trend and North American Truck of the year awards. Our entire truck team is proud and honored to win the Truck of Texas trophy."

Winning the Compact Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) title was the 2015 Honda CR-V Touring; the 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium was named the Mid-size CUV; the 2015 Kia Sedona SX was named Full-size CUV; and the 2015 Lincoln MKC was named Luxury CUV.

Stephane Cesareo, Lincoln Global Communications Manager, said, "It's been a long time since Lincoln participated in the TAWA Truck Rodeo and we will definitely keep coming back. I had never been to Texas and have really enjoyed meeting the friendly members of TAWA and seeing some of the Hill Country of Texas."

The 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk was named Compact Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV); the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 was named Mid-size SUV; the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD was named Full-size SUV; and the 2015 Range Rover Evoque 5-Door was named Compact Luxury SUV.

"We are extremely delighted and proud that for the fifth consecutive year, the respected and influential Texas auto writers have named the Jeep Grand Cherokee the SUV of Texas," said Mike Manley, president and CEO of Chrysler Group's Jeep Brand.

The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit EcoDiesel 4x4 was named Mid-size Luxury SUV; and the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali was named Full-size Luxury SUV. The 2015 Jeep Wrangler was named Off-road SUV.

Mid-size Pickup Truck title was won by the 2015 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab; and Full-size Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch. Luxury Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ford F-150 Platinum; and Heavy Duty Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn. Off-road Pickup Truck was the 2015 Ram Power Wagon.

Commercial Vehicle was the 2015 Ford Transit 250. Other winners were Best Connectivity, Chrysler Group's Uconnect Access; Best Powertrain, Chrysler Group 3.0-liter V-6 Eco Diesel Engine; and Best Technology, 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch high- strength military-grade aluminum body.

The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) was founded in 1987, with a mission to promote quality and accuracy in automotive journalism and disseminate information about the industry through news related print, online and broadcast media. For more information, please visit www.texasautowriters.org. TAWA's communication are powered by PR Newswire.

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ALL-NEW FORD F-150 EARNS TRUCK OF TEXAS TITLE AT TAWA TEXAS TRUCK RODEO; FORD HONORED WITH FIVE ADDITIONAL AWARDS

The 2015 Ford F-150, the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever, is named Truck of Texas, the most prestigious award presented by the Texas Auto Writers Association at its annual Truck Rodeo

All-new 2015 Ford Transit awarded Commercial Vehicle of Texas

In the heart of the country's largest truck market, Ford Motor Company also ropes in Truck Line of Texas, in recognition of the breadth, features, capability and durability of America's best-selling truck lineup

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 13, 2014 – Ford trucks earned top honors at the 2014 Texas Auto Writers Association Truck Rodeo, with the all-new 2015 Ford F-150 being named Truck of Texas – the most prestigious award.

"TAWA members represent the voice of truck buyers in Texas, America's largest truck market," said Mike Marrs, president of TAWA. "After exhaustively testing 75 vehicles from 18 brands, the all-new Ford F-150 is our clear choice for Truck of Texas."

Including this win, 9 of the last twelve Truck of Texas honorees have been Ford F-Series Trucks.

In designing the backbone of the all-new F-150, the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever, Ford engineers improved its signature, fully boxed ladder frame. The frame is all-new, with more high-strength steel than ever – making it stronger and lighter. High-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy – already in use in aerospace, commercial transportation, energy and other rugged industries – is used throughout the F-150 body for the first time, improving dent and ding resistance while saving up to 700 pounds of weight.

The new F-150 is the most fuel-efficient F-150 ever, thanks to the dramatic improvements in weight and advanced engine technology. Every model, every engine and every customer benefits from this weight savings. This means the 2015 F-150 can tow up to 1,100 more pounds, haul up to 530 more pounds and will have better fuel economy ratings than the current F-150 lineup, projected to be in the range of at least 5 percent and as much as 20 percent higher than current models, depending on the model. (EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings are not yet available and will likely be announced in November.)

"TAWA members are among the first to experience the all-new F-150's breakthrough innovations and best-in-class capabilities, features that will help our hardworking customers improve their productivity," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas. "It is an honor to again be named Truck of Texas. We are committed to continuously improving America's favorite trucks."

Evaluations at TAWA Truck Rodeo are just the latest testing the all-new F-150 has undergone. When it arrives in showrooms later this year, the 2015 F-150 will have endured the equivalent of more than 10 million miles of torture testing to ensure it meets or exceeds Built Ford Tough standards.

In addition to an all-new 2.7-liter EcoBoost® engine, the new F-150 offers customers a complete lineup of powertrains to allow them to tailor the truck to best meet their needs. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine returns, an all-new normally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 debuts and there is an improved 5.0-liter V8.

F-150 is part of the Ford F-Series lineup. Now in its 66th year, F-Series has been the best-selling truck in America for 37 consecutive years and the best-selling vehicle in America for 32 consecutive years.

Also taking home TAWA honors is the 2015 Ford Transit, named Commercial Vehicle of Texas.

The all-new Transit replaces America's best-selling van for 35 years, Ford E-Series. Transit offers a maximum cargo capacity of up to 487 cubic feet – 75 percent more than the largest E-Series. When equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, the van delivers as much as 46 percent better fuel efficiency than E-Series with the 6.8-liter V10 premium engine, along with more payload. Transit equipped with the standard 3.7-liter V6 has up to 19 percent better fuel efficiency than E-Series with its standard 4.6-liter V8 engine.

"Transit delivers it all – better fuel economy, more capability, the largest number of technology choices, and the most innovative and diversified offering of configurations in a full-size van," said Hinrichs. "We're honored TAWA members also have recognized Transit as a game changer for our hardworking commercial vehicle customers."

Here's the full list of Ford vehicles winning top honors in their categories at TAWA Truck Rodeo:

Truck of Texas: 2015 Ford F-150
Truck Line of Texas: Ford Motor Company
Luxury Pickup Truck of Texas: 2015 Ford F-150 Platinum
Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas: 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch
Commercial Vehicle of Texas: 2015 Ford Transit
Best Technology Feature: 2015 Ford F-150 high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy

By Chris Bruce