Pickup Makers Hope To Rope A Win At The Texas Truck Rodeo

By Sue Mead

Each October, the 40-plus members of the Texas Auto Writers Association gather the latest herd of full-size pickups, SUVs and crossovers to compete in the Texas Truck Rodeo, with one earning the title of "Truck of Texas." The trucks are tested on- and off-road for two days before the jury votes for its favorite rig.

“There’s nothing else like it,” say all the pickup truck makers who lined up their latest models at the Knibbe Ranch, in the hill country on the outskirts of San Antonio.

The 2009 event kicked off Friday, but after a day of 97-degree temperatures the competition got even hotter, when the manufacturers handed over the keys to a field of automotive writers and evaluators hailing from Texas and across the country.

Here’s what the automakers had to say:

• “Texas is Ground Zero for trucks,” said Mark Fields, Ford's vice president of North American operations.
   
• “It’s huge and there’s nothing like it,” said Tim Gallagher, a Nissan spokesperson.
   
• “We’re here to show off our trucks to the TAWA members and compare ours to the competition,” said Craig Eppling, head of GM’s communications office in Texas.
   
• “A win would mean a lot to us,” said Frank Bianchi, communications manager for Gulf States Toyota.
   
• ”We’re here to win,” said Mike Cairns, vehicle line executive for Dodge Ram pickups.

This year, TAWA members drove 17 new vehicles head-to-head along a challenging dirt track, up and over rocky shelves and through water crossings and mud. After driving all of them, they voted for their favorite in each category.

Stay tuned. When the final votes are tallied, we’ll report back on the 2009 Truck of Texas, the 2009 Truck Line of Texas, the 2009 Outstanding Feature for new pickups and more.

The Contenders (with MSRP as equipped and fuel economy):

Full-Size Pickup Trucks
- 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 4 x 4 ($52,520.00); (13/18 city/hwy)
- 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 4WD 1500 Ext. Cab ($41,118); NA
- 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid 2WD 1500 Crew cab ($39,270); (22/22)
- 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Supercab ($46, 020); (14/18)
- 2010 Toyota Tundra Crew Max 4WD 4.6L ($43,405); (15/20)

Mid-Size Pickup Trucks
- 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab TRX4 ($36,160); (14/19)
- 2010 Nissan Frontier ($32, 755); (14/19)

Luxury Pickup Trucks
- 2010 Ford F-150 King Ranch SuperCrew ($48,875); (15/21)

Heavy Duty Pickup Trucks
- 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 (NA); (NA)
- 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat Crew cab ($53,350) (NA)
- 2010 Ford F-350 Super Duty ($60,035); (NA)
- 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD (NA); (NA)

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