Ram and Jeep_® brand vehicles prove to be top contenders

When you hear about a rodeo in a place called Dripping Springs, Texas, it’s more likely to invoke images of this kind of beast:

Not this kind:

But recently, the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) hosted the Texas Truck Rodeo in Dripping Springs, Texas, and FCA US brand vehicles rode away with some of the top awards. In fact, Jeep_® brand vehicles and Ram trucks drove over the competition to take the most awards of any manufacturer present.

Three Ram trucks powered over the competition in six categories:

• Luxury Pickup Truck – 2017 Ram 1500 Longhorn
• Highest Number of Drives – 2017 Ram 1500 Rebel
• Off-Road Pickup Truck – 2017 Ram Power Wagon
• Highest Exterior Score Overall – 2017 Ram Power Wagon
• Highest Performance Score Overall – 2017 Ram Power Wagon
• Highest Personal Appeal Score Overall – 2017 Ram Power Wagon

“Ram’s debut of the 2017 2500 Power Wagon set new benchmarks in our scoring system with the highest figures in the exterior, performance and personal appeal dimensions across all vehicles in the competition,” said Nic Phillips, TAWA president. “That’s a most impressive feat given all the vehicles we had on hand. And the fact that Ram chose the Texas Truck Rodeo for the first ever media drives and evaluations of its most extreme off-road trucks speaks to the seriousness of our competition.”

Not to be left in the dust, Jeep brand vehicles scored some accolades of their own:

• Compact CUV – 2016 Jeep Renegade
• Compact SUV – 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
• Midsize SUV – 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk
• Off-Road SUV – 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

And last, but certainly not least, for the techies among us, FCA Uconnect won for Best Connectivity.