Winners in the four categories were the Ford Escape, compact SUV class; Jeep Cherokee, defending champion in the Mid-size class; and Chevy Tahoe, in the full-size class. The BMW X5 won both the luxury class and was the overall winner. The trophy and banner presentations were made to the manufacturers at a luncheon held in conjunction with the opening of the Seattle Auto Show.

NWAPA members pit the newest SUVs against each other and against the defending champions from last year in two days of grueling on and off-road and track event competition. This year’s event was held on Oct. 13 and 14, with the track testing portion taking place at Bremerton Raceway and the off-road segment at the Thurston County ORV Park west of Olympia. The event alternates between venues in Washington and Oregon each year.

“Judging by the comments we’ve received from both the manufacturers and our own members, this was our most successful SUV of the Year event ever,” commented Lary Coppola, NWAPA president. “This is a very competitive event and the fact the judging was so close in several of the categories goes to show just how much these vehicles have evolved in recent years.”

Competition was keen and the judging was very close in both the compact and luxury classes, with the Escape edging out the Mazda Tribute and the BMW besting the new Acura MDX by a mere six points each.

The NWAPA, which subscribes to the Tread Lightly philosophy of off-roading, is made up of working automotive journalists from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Northern California. Many in the group are nationally recognized writers whose work is published regularly in some of the most recognized automotive publications and web sites in the world.

Money raised from the event is used to fund journalism scholarships for prospective automotive writers at colleges in Washington and Oregon.