The best of the best off road SUVs lined up in the parking lot of Eagles Canyon Raceway, shining and pristine at the start of the TAWA Truck Rodeo, tanks full of gas and batteries fully charged. They were ready for the onslaught, a full day of driving off-road across a rally course, over articulation pits, up hills, and through water hazards, crawling carefully when necessary and kicking up lots of dirt when possible.
In the end, each was judged on capability, comfort and confidence on the course, as each member of the Texas Auto Writers Association cast a vote for the top trucks of Texas.
Here’s what they drove, what we thought, and which ones won one of the 6 categories for SUV of Texas.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
Contender: Acura ADX, The Gateway to Luxury
The Acura ADX Impresses with its quiet ride, leather seats, and premium touches. And it’s Acura RDX mini-me good looks paired with Acura’s new interiors will leave it feeling posh for years to come. When equipped with all-wheel drive, this is a reliable and confident crossover that’s incredibly capable on dirt trails and snowy winter roads.
Dodge Durango Jailbreak: The Best Of All Worlds Is Mind-Blowing
Here’s what we love about the Dodge Durango: It draws on all the family DNA for incredible awesomeness. It takes some of its off-road engineering prowess from Jeep and its power-boosted performance from Dodge. The Jailbreak edition on the TAWA Truck Rodeo trail boasts the max power output that Dodge produces from a V8-powered SUV: 710 HP. That can mean kicking up a lot of dirt.
The Dodge Durango clearly impressed, coming in 3rd in the Full-Size SUV category.
DOUBLE WINNER, Compact SUV of Texas and Luxury SUV: Genesis GV70
The Genesis GV70 is one SUV I’d hesitate to take off-road, given its beautiful paint, elegant new wheels, and gorgeous cream-colored interior; “mud” is not its best look. But is it capable? Yes, very. With all-wheel drive, plenty of power, and a nice ground clearance, it, too, is capable on ranch roads or snowy byways.
The Genesis GV70 beat out 2nd place winner 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport (AWD) and 3rd place winner 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line 4Motion for Compact SUV and 2nd place winner 2025 Lexus LX 700h Hybrid Overtrail 3rd place winner 2025 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+ for Luxury SUV of Texas.
WINNER, Best Powertrain: Honda CR-V AWD TrailSport
The Honda CR-V AWD has been busy updating all its SUVs to the TrailSport trim, adding all-terrain tires and specific off-road drive modes in addition to AWD and hybrid power. This one might be called “off-road light,” better for dirt roads and winter weather than true off-roading, but to get to the trail head or home in a snow squall, it’s plenty capable.
The Honda CR-V Trailsport bested the Lexus LX 700 hybrid for Best Powertrain of Texas and placed second in the Compact SUV of Texas category
WINNER Mid-Size SUV: Honda Passport TrailSport
When Honda introduced the new era of Passport a few years ago, one thing was clear: This SUV was for off-grid riding. It was capable in its natural AWD state or could be modified for off-roading; either way, it would be very capable.
So Honda added a TrailSport edition of the Passport with enhancements: all-terrain tires, underbody skid plates, off-road suspension, and recovery hooks. Add to that off-road drive modes and all the goodies like extra outlets and plenty of cargo space, and a huge winner for off-road fans.
This was our pick for Mid-Size SUV of Texas; the Honda Passport Trailsport beat out 2nd place winner 2025 Toyota 4Runner and 3rd place winner 2025 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+. It also placed 3rd in the Off-Road SUV of Texas category.
WINNER, Electric SUV: Hyundai Ioniq 9
There is no better off-roader than an electric one for silently stalking wildlife and a super-light footprint on the land. Add to that the reverse charge capability of the Hyundai Ioniq 9—meaning you can carry the gear to set up camp, then power it—and serious off-roaders will soon find an EV is on their must-have list. Still, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 is better suited for light trail riding or in mildly snowy winter weather: It’s capable, but don’t go too far off the road; it’s just not meant for it.
The Hyundai Ioniq 9 bested the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited 4xe as Electric SUV of Texas
Contender: The Made-Over Hyundai Palisade XRT
This is the Hyundai Palisade for off-roading families: The XRT Pro. Fully redesigned for 2026, the Palisade XRT is off-road ready with all the specs: all-terrain tires, tow hooks, and off-road drive modes (though if you really want to drive off-road, you should have skid plates installed; it’s not equipped with those). This AWD off-road spec of the 3-row family favorite is capable on most off-road courses and can easily conquer most obstacles.
WINNER, Off-Road SUV: Ineos Grenadier Station Wagon
New to the off-road market is the Ineos Grenadier, a bespoke line of off-roaders that are making friends and fans everywhere they go. Powered by a BMW engine and the dreams of its founder, Sir Jim Ratcliff, Grenadier is designed to, at the very least, off what many other off-roaders can do at their peak. It takes inspiration from vintage Land Rover Defenders, visually and fundamentally, from the exterior and interior styling down to the ball-style steering and a solid front axle.
The Station Wagon trim, which was on the trail at this year’s Truck Rodeo, is a fully adept off-roader and capable on trails that other SUVs will shy away from. Still, it’s not as capable a sibling, the Trailmaster, which is fortified with more off-road features; last year it took home the prize for Off Road SUV of Texas.
The Ineos Grenadier won over 2nd place 2025 Toyota 4Runner and 3rd place 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite
Contender, Best Electric SUV: Jeep Wagoneer S, a Silent Off-Roader
This is just the first electric Jeep from the brand that basically invented modern off-roading, so expect there to be a lot of news coming from the brand in the near future. The first all-electric model, the Wagoneer S, is not as capable as the Trailhawk will be when it makes its debut; it will be truly designed for rock crawling and hill-climbing.
Still, the Jeep Wagoneer S brings everything we know and love from the Jeep Grand Cherokee, including all wheel drive and high ground clearance, giving it an edge on the off-road trail.
This is our pick for Electric SUV of Texas; it took 2nd place as Electric SUV of Texas.
Contender: Kia Telluride SX Prestige X-Pro Takes On the Trail
Knowing that it could do more, and watching Kia Telluride fans add all-terrain tires and skid plates to take their SUVs off-road, the company created the X-Pro to go the distance on the trail. It adds all-terrain tires, a trial-tuned suspension, tow mode, 5,500 lbs. of tow capacity, and a higher ground clearance. Plus, it looks really great, as if it were born for this. Maybe it was.
Contender: Kia Sportage X-Pro
Kia just gave the Sportage a makeover, and not only is it modern and sophisticated, but it also plays up the model’s capability off-road. The X-Pro model, which was driven at the Truck Rodeo, feels right at home on the trail with off-road focused features like all-terrain tires, lockable all wheel drive for even more traction, and terrain drive modes.
Contender: Lexus TX 500h Delivers Lots of Luxe
This AWD 3-row SUV delivers all the comforts and conveniences luxury car buyers expect, plus plenty of space for gear. The Lexus TX 500h is a fairly large SUV, but it carries the hybrid power and AWD systems that Toyota and Lexus are known for, notching it up on the confidence monitor, too. Still, it’s better suited for light trail riding, such as dirt roads, or, of course, messy winter weather.
Contender: The Lexus LX 700h Is an Off-Road Boss
Not long ago, we tested all of Toyota and Lexus off-roaders—so those with 4WD intended for rugged trails, and this one really impressed. Not only did it amble over every obstacle like a vacuum over dust bunnies, but the Lexus LX 700h absorbed each bump and gully like a champ. It was the easiest and most comfortable ride of the day, and when we didn’t need most of its off-road features (though many of the other trucks we tested did need them).
This is our choice for Luxury SUV of Texas; and while it didn’t win, it was a runner up here as well as in the full-size SUV category.
Contender: The Lexus GX 550 Is the One To Beat
Defending its title as midsize SUV of Texas, the Lexus GX 550 is one of our favorite off-roaders on the market right now. Yes, it’s luxurious, with its designers thinking of almost every detail possible, but it’s incredibly capable, with its engineers ensuring every key system is as capable as possible.
The result? A fan favorite for off-roaders just got a lot better, plus it still has 3-row passenger capacity and good cargo space behind the middle row (behind the 3rd row, not so great, but that’s not the competition here).
Proving that even though it took the top honors last year it’s still a strong contender and a solid choice, the GX was a runner-up in both the Mid-Size SUV and Luxury SUV categories.
Contender: Adventure-Infused Mitsubishi Outlander Trail Edition
Every year, the Mitsubishi Outlander takes home prizes, and our guess is this one will too: The Outlander is an incredibly robust and resilient SUV, popular for its modification possibilities and its capability on the trail. So Mitsubishi gave it a muscle-makeover, adding all-terrain tires, fender flares, and a roof rack, in addition to an anti-glare sticker on the hood, unique badges, and sporty black details that also make the best-looking Outlander of the bunch. Plus, the stickers on the Thule cargo basket can be bought with the car.
This is our pick for Sub-Compact of Texas.
WINNER Full-Size SUV: The New Nissan Armada Pro-4X
There’s nothing like a full-size SUV with 4WD that can haul all the gear and all the butts up the mountain, but that’s exactly what the Nissan Armada Pro-4X is designed to do. Equipped with all the off-road goodies, including 4WD, all-terrain tires, tow hooks, and off-road modes, it also has the most unique camera system that allows you a full panoramic screen view of the road ahead and around the Armada. The Armada has long been known for its capability on dirt and sand, and with the 2025 model redesign, it’s even more so.
This is our choice for Off-Road SUV of Texas; it beat the 2nd place winner 2025 Lexus LX 700h Hybrid Overtrail and 3rd place winner 2026 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak
Contender: Toyota Land Cruiser Takes Heritage On the Trail
There’s no drive event ever where the Toyota Land Cruiser isn’t the star of the show. It’s incredibly fun and proficient on any off-road trail, designed for all the places its owners might take it, from sand dunes to rock walls and everything in between. Its heritage style and rugged feel inside give it an authentic feel, too, adding to an impressive experience.
Contender: Toyota Grand Highlander Lets Everyone Ride Along
Like the Lexus TX, the 3-row family-focused Toyota Grand Highlander is competent on most light trails and in messy winter weather, and that’s really it’s sweet spot: getting the kids home from camp or school. Still, it surprises with its capability for speed on the trail and just how capable its AWD system is; you’ll never feel like you need to pray for it to get you out of a sticky situation because it’ll just do it. That’s one of the charms of Toyota’s engineering.
Contender: Off-Road Fan Fave, Toyota 4Runner
We’ve loved the Toyota 4Runner for so long for its damn-the-mud-pits attitude and plow-through-it-all capability. For 2025, the 4Runner was redesigned with more power from a smaller, more efficient engine. The 4Runner also boasts Toyota’s TRD off-road engineering excellence and multiple trims that run from capable to formidable.
This awesome SUV took 2nd place as Mid-Size SUV and Off-Road SUV of Texas
Contender: VW Tiguan Has the Trail Easily in Hand
Redesigned for 2025, the VW Tiguan is now more elegant, more tech-filled, boasts a more modern design, and is still a staple for the outdoorsy set. You’ll see on all the roads where weather and terrain can be a challenge, regularly filled with ski gear to hit the slopes or hiking gear for the trail. It’s been a go-to for these folks for years and with good reason: it’s roomy, reliable, and capable, delivering both confidence and a great experience.
While the Tiguan didn’t win, it did place 3rd in the Compact SUV of Texas category
While not every SUV that competed at the Texas Auto Writers Association Truck Rodeo was a winner, that doesn’t mean they aren’t all great cars. Each brings its own strength and charm, and even just being considered for this competition means they have the off-road chops to be in the running. For that alone, the soccer mom in me thinks, they all deserve a prize.
