Hot Wheels

Champ Tommy Kendall takes the best new cars in Texas for a spin

The Texas automotive press gathered once again at Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth to evaluate the latest cars and choose the best. The annual TAWA Texas Auto Roundup is like an auto show where you can drive the display models — and put them through their paces on the road and racetrack.

This year, the competition was particularly tough and the voting among journalists exceedingly close.

Mercedes-Benz and their performance division AMG brought champion driving ace Tommy Kendall to take passengers on scorching quick laps in the super exclusive Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 Coupe Black Series (Kendall also happens to personally own one), but it wasn't quite enough to take the supercar title away from the sexy 2013 SRT Viper GTS Coupe, making its much-awaited return to production.

But it's not all about supercars, of course. The Ford Fusion took home the prize for Family Car of Texas and Mid-size Car of Texas, and the Cadillac ATS won the Performance Sedan category.

A great addition this year was a fully functioning electric car charge station by eVgo, to support the growing number of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, like the 2013 Ford C-Max, Smart Electric Drive and Chevrolet Volt.

Here is the full breakdown of the Texas Auto Roundup voting results:

Sub-compact Car: 2013 Fiat 500 Turbo, the tamer version of the ridiculously cool 500 Abarth CultureMap named 2012 Hot Hatch of the Year
Compact Car: 2013 Buick Verano Turbo
Performance Compact: 2013 Scion FR-S, which CultureMap named 2012 Performance Car of the Year
Mid-Size Car: 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium, the hybrid version CultureMap named 2012 Smart Energy Car of the Year
Full-Size Car: 2014 Chevrolet Impala
Mid-Size Luxury Car: 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport
Full-Size Luxury Car: 2013 Cadillac XTS Platinum Collection AWD
Performance Coupe: 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT 392
Performance Sedan: 2013 Cadillac ATS , our pick for 2012 CultureMap Car of the Year
Minivan: 2013 Chrysler Town & Country Limited
Activity Vehicle: 2013 Dodge Journey Crew
Performance Utility: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
Supercar: 2013 SRT Viper GTS Coupe
Green Vehicle: 2013 Chevrolet Volt
Best New Feature: Ford Hands-Free Lift Gate
Best New Interior: 2013 Chrysler 300C John Varvatos Luxury Edition
Best Value: 2013 Ford Focus ST
Family Car of Texas: 2013 Ford Fusion
Car of Texas: 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Chevy Impala

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Chevy Impala

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Head of the class

2 Dallas-area universities rank among Texas' 10 best for 2027

University of Dallas/Facebook

The University of Dallas is the 6th best university in Texas.

With early application season in full swing, two Dallas-area universities are racking up new accolades on a new list of the 10 best Texas colleges for 2027.

The University of Dallas and University of Texas at Dallas respectively ranked as the 6th and 10th best Texas universities in WalletHub's annual "College & University Rankings" report, proving DFW students don't have to travel out of state to earn a top-notch degree.

Across town in Fort Worth, Texas Christian University ranked 7th statewide.

WalletHub analyzed 738 colleges and universities in the U.S. using 30 relevant metrics, including factors like student-faculty ratios, graduation rates, and many more. Universities were ranked nationally, regionally, and across seven key dimensions: student selectivity; cost and financing; faculty resources; campus safety; campus experience; educational outcomes; and career outcomes.

Rice University in Houston claimed the top spot as Texas' No. 1 university for 2027. The Southern Ivy also ranked No. 11 nationwide.

In addition to its high statewide rating and its top rank among local schools, The University of Dallas ranked No. 34 in the regional comparison of best universities in the South, and appeared 174th nationally. Across the seven main categories, the university performed best for its campus safety (No. 158), faculty resources (No. 168), and student selectivity (No. 189).

UD ranked outside the top 200 in the national categories for campus experience (No. 229), education outcomes (No. 286), career outcomes (No. 325), and cost and financing (No. 461).

Meanwhile, UT Dallas ranked 56th regionally and 266th nationally. UTD's educational outcomes rank among the top 200 nationally, landing 177th, and it ranked just outside the top 200 for its student selectivity.

This is how the report ranked UTD in the five remaining categories out of all 738 schools:

No. 268 – Career outcomes
No. 299 – Cost and financing
No. 348 – Campus safety
No. 734 – Faculty resources
No. 518 – Campus experience

Elsewhere in Dallas-Fort Worth, Southern Methdodist University ranked 288th nationally, Southwestern Adventist University in Keene ranked 454th, the University of North Texas came in 484th, and The University of Texas at Arlington ranked right behind as No. 486.

The DFW schools, including their graduate and online programs, have earned heaps of national and worldwide praise this year from prestigious educational reviewing authorities U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review.

These are WalletHub's top 10 best colleges and universities in Texas for 2027:

No. 1 – Rice University
No. 2 – Trinity University
No. 3 – The University of Texas at Austin
No. 4 – Texas A&M University-College Station
No. 5 – Southwestern University
No. 6 – University of Dallas
No. 7 – Austin College
No. 8 – Texas Christian University
No. 9 – LeTourneau University
No. 10 – The University of Texas at Dallas

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