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Auto blog

2015 Ford F-150 named Truck of Texas, Lincoln and Jeep also awarded at Truck Rodeo

The Ford Motor Company has a lot of reasons to celebrate after winning eight categories in this year's Texas Auto Writers Association's annual Truck Rodeo. Most important among them, the Blue Oval's latest 2015 Ford F-150 earned the prestigious Truck of Texas award, ending the Ram 1500's two-year winning streak. The 2015 Lincoln MKC also grabbed the honor as the CUV of Texas, and Ford was named Truck Line of Texas.
FoMoCo even took trophies for best technology with its extensive use of aluminum on its latest F-Series and best commercial vehicle for the new Transit 250. It wasn't a total sweep, though, because the Jeep Grand Cherokee grabbed the title of the SUV of Texas for the fifth straight time.
This year's event put 60 auto writers in 75 pickups, SUVs and crossovers and challenged them to find the best in a plethora of categories. All of the winners are listed below, and scroll down to read the full announcements from the Texas Auto Writers Association and Ford.

Lincoln needs a farewell address, not a new marketing plan

The trouble with Ford's Lincoln brand is that no one cares about it any more.
Not long after I heard that Mark LaNeve, chief operating officer of Ford agency Team Detroit, was moving to take over direct operations of the New York ad agency Hudson Rouge for Lincoln, I heard that JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson was ousted. The two events are connected.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus debuts with big redesign, new hybrid option

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is bigger, flashier and packs a new hybrid powertrain option. Take a look inside this two-row midsize SUV, and you’ll notice itÂ’s rocking a totally new tech interface not seen on any other Lincoln product, too. Starting with the new exterior, the Nautilus makes its entrance with a large grille — depending on the trim you select, four distinct patterns are available. No matter the trim, a new daytime running light runs horizontally through the grille and connects with the headlights. Lincoln played it safe with the sculpting along the sides, but the door handles are newly integrated and sit at the same level as the door trim itself. Electric buttons on the inside of the pulls activate them. The rear mimics the front with a full-width taillight. Hidden exhaust outlets give the rear end a clean and uninterrupted look. Both models seen in photos are rocking 22-inch wheels, but 20-inch and 21-inch wheels will also be available. A new powertrain lineup sees a change in direction toward the greener side of things. The NautilusÂ’ base engine is still a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, but Lincoln says itÂ’s a new design, the same that youÂ’d find on the updated Lincoln Corsair. It makes 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, and itÂ’s mated up with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard across the lineup, even for the base model. As for the upgrade engine, Lincoln dropped the twin-turbo V6 in favor of a hybrid option. The hybrid pairs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor and CVT. Lincoln says the total system output is 310 horsepower, and while thatÂ’s less than the 335 horses from the outgoing V6, weÂ’re not exactly heartbroken over a slight dip in power for this SUV that has almost no sporting pretenses. Lincoln tells us the hybrid system is similar to that in the Ford Maverick and Ford Escape, but features a more powerful electric motor (134 horsepower) and enhanced transmission. The utility of the Nautilus is way up versus before. Lincoln says the new Nautilus is riding on a vehicle platform not currently shared with any other Ford or Lincoln model sold here, and the idea was to end up with a much larger vehicle. With another two inches of length and two inches of width added over the outgoing model, Lincoln expanded backseat space and cargo space substantially.  Lincoln made the interior a lot more tech-forward, too.