The results of the 2016 Texas Truck Rodeo are in and the big news is the all-new Ford Super Duty has recaptured the mammoth Truck of Texas traveling trophy for the Blue Oval.Truck of Texas traveling trophy

2016 Truck of Texas

Back in 1992 in response to their state's interest and nearly insatiable appetite for pickup trucks, just five years after it was founded the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) organized its first "Texas Truck Rodeo." Since that time, the rodeo has become an annual rite of fall and the nearly-big-as-Texas traveling trophy that accompanies it has become a coveted award among truck manufacturers here in the U.S.

Although held in October, as usual, unlike the previous five years, the 2016 event was held at a new venue, the Longhorn River Ranch, described by TAWA as "located in a picturesque Texas Hill Country setting west of Austin, near Dripping Springs.

2017 Ford Super Duty with the Truck of Texas award and traveling trophy

At the 26th consecutive one, more than 70 automotive journalists over a two-day period evaluated 71 trucks and SUV's. The afternoon of the second day, the results were tallied and the winners announced in the various categories. In addition to the trophy, the overall winner receives the inestimable bragging rights of being named the current "Truck of Texas."

This year, Ford was back in a big way as the all-new 2017 Super Duty took home the “Truck of Texas” award. Ford was also named Truck Line of Texas while another Blue Oval vehicle, the 2017 Ford F-150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost V-6 engine, took home the "Best Powertrain" award.

Volvo and Nissan took the final spots in the major awards with the 2017 Nissan Armada capturing the “SUV of Texas” title and the 2017 Volvo XC90 garnering the "CUV of Texas" award.

Texas Auto Writers and Doug Scott with the Truck of Texas award

Results of the 2016 Texas Truck Rodeo

Major award categories:

Truck of Texas: 2017 Ford Super Duty
SUV of Texas: 2017 Nissan Armada
CUV of Texas: 2017 Volvo XC90
Truck line of Texas: Ford Motor Co.

Individual award categories:

Pickups:
Heavy duty pickup truck: 2017 Ford Super Duty
Best commercial vehicle: 2017 Nissan Titan XD Single Cab
Luxury pickup truck: 2017 RAM 1500
Off-road pickup: 2017 RAM 2500 Power Wagon
Full-size pickup: 2017 Nissan Titan
Midsize pickup: 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro

System awards:
Best technology: Honda In-bed audio system
Best connectivity: FCA Uconnect Access
Best powertrain: 2017 Ford F-150 with 3.5 EcoBoost V-6 engine

SUV and CUV awards:
Off-road utility vehicle: 2017 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Full-size luxury SUV: 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Mid-size luxury SUV: 2017 Jaguar F-Pace
Full-size SUV: 2017 Nissan Armada
Mid-size SUV: 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Compact SUV: 2017 Jeep Cherokee
Full-size CUV: 2016 Mazda CX-9
Mid-size CUV: 2016 Nissan Murano
Compact CUV: 2016 Jeep Renegade
Luxury CUV: 2017 Volvo XC90

Ford's Doug Scott holds aloft the Truck of Texas traveling trophy

Keeping score

"This year's Texas Truck Rodeo was by far the most competitive in the most categories," TAWA President Nic Phillips said. "More than 70 member journalists put in more than the equivalent of 15 days of driving time in the competing vehicles. After careful evaluation, I believe the results of the competition show just how competitive truck and utility vehicles are today," Phillips said. "Ford's all-new 2017 Super Duty and its innovative use of advanced materials, as well as improvements in powertrain and features, thoroughly impressed our journalists," he said. "Nissan was the most overall awarded brand with five category wins, including the 2017 Nissan Armada as the SUV of Texas. Volvo defended its title as CUV of Texas with the 2017 XC90."

If you're keeping score, of the 23 vehicle categories, FCA captured 7, Nissan 5 (including 1 major award), Ford 4 (including 2 major awards), Volvo 2 (including 1 major award), Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar garnered 1 each, while GM, with no awards, found itself on the outside looking in.

Ford with its Truck of Texas traveling trophy