EVERMAN – Steep, rough, sandy hills can knock the macho clean out of a big, burly truck – not to mention the driver.

Is there anything more ignominious than clawing your way to the top of a hill only to lose traction at the crest and slide weakly back to the bottom?

Ford

Ford entered its 2008 Super Duty pickup in the Texas Truck Rodeo last Friday.

So when a General Motors Corp. vice president told me to gun his new Chevy Silverado up a slippery mini-mountain at a motocross course, I stabbed the accelerator, aimed for the sky and hoped for the best.

The black four-wheel-drive Silverado – an all-new 2007 – happily slithered and bounced up and down extreme inclines while Gary White and I shot the breeze.

We were at the Texas Truck Rodeo last Friday, staged by the Texas Auto Writers Association. The event is important enough to attract high-level auto-industry officials such as Mr. White, a GM vice president and the vehicle line executive for full-size trucks.

Moreover, Ford Motor Co. entered its all-new '08 Super Duty pickup – though we are technically prohibited by embargo from discussing it until January – and shipped in its hot new Edge crossover vehicle.

More than 60 trucks, SUVs and crossovers entered the event, all of them vying for a "Truck of Texas" or best in class award.

The striking Silverado and its GMC companion, the Sierra, were the most impressive vehicles I drove.

Dodge

The Dodge Nitro may have a rougher engine than some, but it also has good looks and a loading platform that slides out the back.

Unfortunately, GM has an embargo on driving impressions about the Silverado and Sierra until late November, so I'll need to be a little creative here.

You know, for example, that both have gotten stiffer chassis, which of course improves ride and handling. Their steering is rack and pinion, so you can assume that it is more precise.

The black Silverado I drove was a four-wheel-drive crew cab with a 5.3-liter, 325-horsepower V-8.

How good a truck would you have if you took a chassis as stiff as the frame in the Ford F-150 and slid in a motor about as responsive as the Hemi V-8 in the Ram? Pretty darn good, I guess.

The other vehicles I liked at the rodeo were the Super Duty, the new Edge, the Mitsubishi Outlander and Dodge Nitro. In my one day of driving, I managed to sample nine vehicles, which is only 15 percent of the total. I focused on all-new vehicles that will be arriving at dealerships later this year or early next year.

•I'm also supposed to be silent about the Super Duty – and it's tough for me to be silent about anything. But imagine the current very good truck with a quieter, more powerful diesel engine. Think too about a nicer interior that is almost eerily quiet for a big diesel bruiser. Ford claims the twin turbo 6.4-liter diesel – with 650 pound-feet of torque – has little if any turbo lag. Think refined brute – but you didn't hear that from me.

•The midsize Edge I drove was powered by a strong 265-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 tied to a six-speed automatic. The all-wheel-drive Edge was stylish and sophisticated, had a very nice interior and was smooth and quiet. It's bound to help Ford.

•Like the Edge, the Mitsubishi Outlander is an all-new crossover vehicle with sleek, clean good looks . Powered by a smooth new 3-liter V-6 with 220 horsepower, the Outlander handled like a car and had style to boot.

•If you think the Jeep Liberty is a girl's trucklet, check out the butched-up Dodge Nitro. Though based on the Liberty, the all-wheel-drive RT version at the Texas Truck Rodeo had 20-inch wheels and a 4-liter V-6 with 255 horsepower. The engine seemed rougher than some competitors, but the Nitro bristles with good looks and has an interesting "Load and Go" feature – a platform that slides out of the back, allowing up to 400 pounds of stuff to be loaded onto it and pushed back in.

Once again, so many trucks, so little time. Too bad I can't really shout about it.

E-mail tbox@dallasnews.com