Latest Shelby snake charms Texas Auto Writers, claims Car of Texas honors

The ready-to-rumble Mustang, which bears the name of the late Texas native and racecar builder/driver Carroll Shelby, wowed members of the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) who converged on the Texas Motor Speedway earlier this week to evaluate another impressive crop of cars and crossover vehicles for TAWA's annual Auto Roundup.

The limited edition, diet-restricted 526-horsepower Shelby GT350R has an official starting price tag of $61,295 and a boatload of performance gear to ensure plenty of hot laps - and praise from hard-bitten reporters like G.R. Whale, who has reported on cars and trucks for over 25 years.

Watch and listen as journalist and TAWA member Natan Tazelaar takes the manic Mustang out on to the track: http://bit.ly/1T3eNZ4 and follow along as the Mustang Shelby GT350R and Dodge Viper (Supercar of Texas) take on TMS's twists and turns: http://bit.ly/1VLklaW

Chrysler's stylish and reinvented Pacifica minivan drove away with TAWA's "Family Car of Texas" title as well as top honors in the minivan and best new interior categories.

The Pacifica offers terrific handling for a minivan and it's got a good turning radius, said the Austin-based writer who also praised the Pacifica's adult-friendly interior and extremely comfortable seats.

Radio veteran Harold Gunn, host of The Automotive Reporter and former president of TAWA, said the Pacifica earned the Family Car of Texas title because it's "perfectly executed from bumper to bumper."

Information, safety and entertainment systems that integrate mobile devices are as crucial as fuel economy or horsepower to many consumers and can be a deal-breaker in deciding which vehicles make the short shopping list.

"Technology gets more sophisticated every year with cameras and radar-based safety systems," said Steve Wheeler, whose work appears in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana newspaper The Advocate.

Michael Garfield, a broadcast veteran known as the "High-Tech Texan," pointed to Chevy's new "Teen Driver" system, available on the 2016 Malibu, that allows parents to access the in-car display and see the maximum speed the car reached, how many miles the car traveled and the logs departure and arrival times.

Sue Mead, a writer and off-road racer, said the winning vehicles in the TAWA Auto Roundup show that even though the largest and fastest-growing segment of the market is compact crossovers, it's clear that American buyers want a wide range of offerings.