Ram and Jeep® Earn Top Honors At 2023 Texas Truck Rodeo

Ram 1500 Takes Top Honors As "Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas" Title Again!

Robert S. Miller November 11, 2023

2023 Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab 4x4. (Ram).

Ram and Jeep® clinched multiple top honors at the prestigious Texas Truck Rodeo, hosted by the Texas Automotive Writers Association (TAWA). Stellantis brands emerged as the frontrunners, securing an impressive nine awards, the highest tally among all manufacturers at the event.

2023 Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab 4×4. (Ram).

Ram, in particular, showcased its dominance by securing several consecutive awards, notably the coveted Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas title. The Ram 1500 (DT) not only claimed this accolade for the sixth consecutive year but also secured the Luxury Pickup Truck of Texas award for the eighth straight year. Remarkably, the Ram 1500’s allure was further underscored by topping the scoring charts with the highest personal appeal, a significant achievement in the heart of the nation’s truck capital.

Continuing their reign in the Heavy Duty category, the 2023 Ram 2500 Rebel (DJ) extended Ram’s supremacy for the seventh consecutive year by earning the title of Heavy Duty Pickup Truck of Texas.

2023 Ram 2500 Rebel Level 2 Crew Cab 4×4. (Ram).

Jeep vehicles also made a resounding impact, with the Jeep Grand Cherokee (WL) winning the Mid-Size SUV of Texas for the fifth time, showcasing its excellence in the highly competitive mid-size category. Meanwhile, the Jeep Wrangler secured its place as a perennial champion by winning the Off-Road SUV category for the ninth time. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 (JL) added to the brand’s success by topping the score charts for Best Performance.

In addition to these remarkable vehicle achievements, Stellantis’ Uconnect 5 infotainment system was recognized with the Best Feature award, further highlighting the comprehensive excellence of Stellantis brands.

Ram 1500 Limited 12.1-inch Uconnect 5 rearview backup camera. (Ram).

“Ram trucks brought their A-game again this year, winning several consecutive awards, including the Full-size Pickup Truck of Texas, and scoring the highest for overall personal appeal, which is significant because Texas is the truck capital of the US,” said Teia Collier, TAWA President.

“We also enjoyed the lineup from the Jeep brand, with several vehicles that were the stars of their categories offering incredible performance, craftsmanship and capability,” Collier added.

Here’s a list of the winners:

Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas: 2023 Ram 1500
Off-Road Pickup Truck: 2023 Ram 1500 TRX
Luxury Pickup Truck: 2023 Ram 1500 Limited
Heavy Duty Truck: 2023 Ram Heavy Duty Rebel
Highest Personal Appeal: 2023 Ram 1500
Mid-Size SUV: 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Off-Road SUV: 2024 Jeep Wrangler
Best Performance: 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392
Best Feature Award: Stellantis Uconnect 5 Nav System

The Texas Auto Writers Association, founded in 1987, remains a highly esteemed organization within the automotive industry, dedicated to promoting quality, and accuracy in automotive content creation. With this latest sweep of awards, Ram and Jeep® have reaffirmed their status as leaders in the competitive automotive landscape.

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A Archknight Nov 11, 2023 #1

It's great to see all these honors, but when is Jeep going to release the new Wagoneer S and Cherokee KM replacement? They've just been lacking with models in the segments that are most popular. I don't want an underpowered Grand Cherokee with the Pentastar or 4xe model.

The KM model isn't coming into production until 2025 from what's been said (I won't be holding out for it), so that leaves the Wagoneer S (or whatever they've decided to name it), which is supposed to hit the market next year. With the Dodge Charger production STLA Large frames hitting the internet with transmission tunnels, I have a feeling the "Wagoneer S" will end up the same way. I never believed it would be BEV only, as they haven't been profitable for anyone except Tesla and Stellantis has too many modern powertrains that would make their models more feasible.

As a model under the Wagoneer sub-brand, this would be more of a rival to the Range Rover Sport/Velar, so the new I6 engines would come into play. They said the KM replacement is going to be the mainstream (RAV4, CR-V, Equinox, etc.) competitor, so the Wagoneer model would definitely have to take up the luxury compact/midsize segment. If they use a mild hybrid, as well as 4xe and BEV variants, I see it being far more successful.

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