There probably weren’t too many surprises on this one. Since it’s introduction, the ‘baby’ Range has been making waves in the luxury SUV field, augmented by awards left right and center.

Although it faced fairly stiff competition from the updated 2012 version of Honda’s popular CR-V and the latest BMW X3, in terms of design and engineering, the Evoque was judged the overall winner in the 19th annual North American Truck of the Year awards, which took place on January 9th at Cobo Hall in Detroit, just prior to the opening of this year’s North American International Auto Show.

This represents the third time that a European branded vehicle has won the title, the last was back 2003 when the Volvo XC 90 took the honors. Interestingly, the only other European SUV to ever win North American Truck of the Year was the first generation Mercedes ML back in 1998, recognized as a game changer in the segment, much as the Evoque is today.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards are administered by a group of 50 automotive journalists from both the US and Canada, with the awards financed entirely by member dues (no advertising or commercial support for automakers or auto related businesses is accepted).

See AutoGuide’s complete Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here

The 2011 Ford Explorer beat out the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee to win the North American Truck Of The Year award. The winner was announced at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, where the Chevrolet Volt was also announced as the Car of the Year.

Ford took the honors last year with their Transit Connection van in 2010 and the F-150 in 2009. The Explorer is all new for 2011, with a new car-based platform, rather than the truck chassis that underpinned the car throughout its life since its introduction in 1991. 49 journalists from the United States and Canada voted on the award.

Read Autoguide’s review of the 2011 Ford Explorer here

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In a less than surprising move the Ford F150 was named the North American Truck of the Year. It did, however, face some stiff competition, including a main rival, the Dodge Ram. The other finalist was the the diesel Mercedes ML320 blueTEC. The all new 2009 F150 is a perennial favorite and can claim the top sales numbers for any vehicle in North America for 27 straight years. It is also the top selling pickup for 32 straight years.

The Truck of the Year Award is just one of many prestigious honors the F150 has had after recently being named Motor Trend “Truck of the Year” and “Truck of Texas” by the Texas Auto Writers Association.

For 2009 the F150 has received five star front and side impact ratings from the NHTSA and is a Top Pick for the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS).

The F150 comes standard with a 5.4-liter V8 that gets 12 percent better fuel economy (in certain trims) than the previous renditions.

Official release after the jump:

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