Amid fierce competition, Ford's 2017 Super Duty named 'Truck of Texas'

When the dust settled last week at this year's truck slugfest, held at the Longhorn River Ranch in Dripping Springs, Ford's all-new, high-tech, aluminum-bodied 2017 Super Duty was declared Truck of Texas for 2017, Nissan's overhauled 2017 Armada took home SUV of Texas honors and Volvo's XC90 continue to dazzle, snagging CUV of Texas bragging rights for the second year in a row.

Doug Scott, chief of Ford truck marketing, said that recapturing the Truck of Texas title from 2016's champ, the Nissan's Titan XD, underscored that the 2017 Super Duty lineup represents "the toughest, smartest and most capable trucks we've ever built."

Refusing to rest on its laurels, Volvo's XC90 hit the award jackpot again, repeating its CUV of Texas title.

Harold Gunn, producer of The Automotive Reporter radio show and former TAWA president, said the Truck of Texas title is valuable to the industry and is one of the three most prestigious awards a truck can earn, being right up there with Truck of the Year and Motor Trend Truck of the Year honors.

Part of the attraction of the Texas Truck Rodeo, one of the first hands-on vehicle competitions produced by a journalists group, is the access TAWA members have to manufacturers.

Being able to pick the brains of engineers and product experts is crucial as today's pickups and utility vehicles improve in quality, deliver leading-edge technology and are offered in an array of models covering nearly every purpose and budget.

The event is "a great way to know about the latest and greatest in the marketplace and evaluate them back-to-back," said Kevin McCauley, whose work appears in RoadandTrack.com.

Because Truck Rodeo is a premiere event for pickups and SUVs, the manufacturers pull out all the stops to get their newest and most anticipated vehicles there.

Which could explain why TAWA sent the Tacoma TRD Pro and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon home with the midsize pickup and off-road utility vehicle trophies.

"There are two vehicles that don't necessarily do well in Consumer Reports testing but are really in their element at events like the Texas Truck Rodeo – the venerable Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Tacoma," Quincy said.

OFF-ROAD UTILITY VEHICLE: 2017 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon