The annual Texas Truck Rodeo was held this past weekend by the Texas Auto Writers Association. The Lone Star State’s finest auto journalists got behind the wheel of the latest trucks, SUVs, and crossovers to determine which vehicles would be crowned the best in Texas for 2009. There are a total of 18 truck/SUV/CUV-related categories, and like 2008, the Blue Oval made a strong statement, taking eight awards.Last year’s Truck of Texas winner was initially muddled; it originally looked like both Ford and Dodge had laid claim to the award. Upon closer examination of both brands’ press releases, it was revealed that Dodge had won the Full-Size Pickup Truck award with their 2009 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 and Ford was indeed the Truck of Texas winner with their 2009 F-150. This year, the 2010 Ford F-150 has been selected as the Truck of Texas.
Continuing to make shockwaves in the truck community is the specialized 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCab, which took this year’s Full-Size Pickup Truck award previously owned by the aforementioned 2009 Dodge Ram Laramie 4x4. Dodge fans need not fret however, as the brand-new 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 succeeds the 2009 Ford F-350 Cabela’s Edition as the 2009 Heavy-Duty Pickup Truck of Texas.Other notable winners include the all-new 2010 Toyota 4Runner Trail Edition in the Midsize SUV segment (replacing the long-lived Ford Explorer) and the 2010 Subaru Outback in the Compact CUV segment. The Outback, recently named our 2010 Sport/Utility of the Year, displaces the 2009 Subaru Forester, our 2009 Sport/Utility of the Year.The 2009 winners are listed below:
| 2009 Texas Truck Rodeo Winners |
| Category | 2009 Winner | 2008 Winner |
| Truck of Texas | 2010 Ford F-150 | 2009 Ford F-150 |
| SUV of Texas | 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC | 2008 Ford Expedition King Ranch |
| CUV of Texas | 2010 Cadillac SRX 2.8-liter Turbo | 2009 Ford Flex |
| Truck Line of Texas | Ford | Ford |
| Outstanding Feature | Ford Work Solutions | Dodge RamBox |
| Full-Size Pickup Truck | 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCab | 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 |
| Midsize Pickup Truck | 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab TRX4 | 2009 Toyota Tacoma D-Cab 4x4 |
| Luxury Pickup Truck | 2010 Ford F-150 King Ranch SuperCrew | 2009 Ford F-150 King Ranch |
| Heavy-Duty Pickup Truck | 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 | 2009 Ford F-350 Cabela’s Edition |
| Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle | 2010 Ford Expedition King Ranch | 2009 GMC 2WD Yukon Hybrid |
| Midsize Sport Utility Vehicle | 2010 Toyota 4Runner Trail Edition | 2008 Ford Explorer |
| Compact Sport Utility Vehicle | 2010 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4 | 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara XSport |
| Full-Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle | 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC | 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid |
| Midsize Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle | 2010 Lexus RX 450h | 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC |
| Luxury Crossover Utility Vehicle | 2010 Cadillac SRX 2.8-liter Turbo | 2008 Lincoln MKX |
| Compact Crossover Utility Vehicle | 2010 Subaru Outback | 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X |
| Midsize Crossover Utility Vehicle | 2010 Lincoln MKX | 2009 Mazda CX-9 |
| Full-Size Crossover Utility Vehicle | 2010 Ford Flex EcoBoost | 2009 Ford Flex |
Source: Texas Auto Writers Association