What Does 'Texas Edition' Mean On Chevy And Ford Trucks?

Save for, perhaps, high school football, country music, and really big steaks, few things are more universally adored in the state of Texas than a really good pickup truck — a fact evinced by stats denoting that the Lone Star State boasts the highest truck sales by volume in the nation. Based on those stats alone, it's safe to assume manufacturers enjoy selling trucks to Texans every bit as much as Texans enjoy buying them.

So fertile has the Texas truck market become, that some automakers have sought to tempt Texans to purchase even more pickups by appealing to their love of all things Lone Star, branding certain makes and models with a "Texas Edition" badge. Chevrolet and Ford are two of the best-regarded truck makers who have featured Texas Edition pickups in their lineup, though in recent years pretty much every other truck maker around has also offered a truck with some sort of Texas-specific branding.

As with the other brands, Texas Edition badging on Ford and Chevy models signals merely that a stock vehicle is outfitted with a special, luxury-minded, and supposedly Texas-inspired trim package. If you've never actually laid eyes on a Ford or Chevy truck with the Texas Edition insignia, it might be because vehicles bearing those badges are not always available for purchase in all 50 states. Potential availability issues aside, if you're still curious about what makes a Texas Edition truck a Texas Edition truck, here's a look at what that trim level means.

If you're looking to get behind the wheel of a Chevy fit with the Texas Edition package, you should know that you can only pick one up in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, and that the package is only offered on certain builds of the long-in-production Chevy Silverado with either the LT or LTZ trim packages. Regarding the Texas-inspired upgrades you get with the package, more recent versions have featured everything from chrome wheel packages and Bose audio systems to LED cargo bed lighting and a power lock and release tailgate — not to mention luxurious features like dual-zone climate control, a 10-way power driver seat, and keyless open and start. 

As for Ford, Texas Edition packages have traditionally been offered on the best-selling F-150 or F-250. But for the past few years, they have not featured the Texas Edition badge, with Ford essentially rebranding them as King Ranch models, borrowing that name from the Texas Ranch that is currently the largest in the U.S. As opposed to the Chevys, King Ranch Fords are available all across the country, with the packages now also offered on the Explorer and Expedition. Among the luxury additions included in the 2024 package, you'll see significant horsepower upgrades, a range of safety features and driver assistance options, as well as a 12-inch touchscreen and infotainment package, among others.