Car Review: Dodge Hornet connects some dots

Stephanie Shomin, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·3 min read

Feb. 4—There's a new Dodge Hornet in town and it follows a storied past, with international buyouts and mergers involving Chrysler, FCA and Peugeot resulting in mega giant auto maker Stellantis, a Netherland-based corporation, now on top. The new conglomerate is celebrating its third year in the global market and its models include Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati and Ram.

Instead of marketing a new brand, Stellantis decided to resurrect the 1970s era Hornet, an American Motors production car that fell off in 1977. In its second year, the Hornet fills a gap with its small hatchback frame and is basically a re-badged Alfa Romeo Tonale. Go figure.

For 2024, the Hornet adds an R/T performance model with engine choices to suit your need for speed. It also adds a launch control of sorts that, well, boosts power for a short time. It won't throw you back in the seat, but there is a modest gain in oomph.

The base GT is powered by a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder that develops 268 horsepower. Mated with a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, the Hornet reached the 60 mile per hour mark in a reported 6.6 seconds.

Our R/T test car is the brand's first plug-in hybrid. Powered by a turbocharged 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor, they combine to produce 288 ponies. The R/T is geared with a six-speed tranny and all-wheel drive. In our independent testing, the Hornet reached 60 mph in 5.4 seconds with PowerShot engaged.

To activate this feature, the car must be in Sport mode followed by pulling back on both oversize paddle shifters. Once engaged, the Hornet gets a 15 second power boost. Don't expect the same result as high-end performance cars with this feature, and you won't be disappointed.

If your daily commute is around 30-miles, the fully charged 12 kWh battery pack will keep you away from gas stations. A Level 2 charger will replenish the battery in about 2.5 hours while household current will take 6-7 hours. We averaged 27 miles per gallon with the gasoline engine. Rivals' Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 do better.

The Hornet is a stylish looking hatchback from any angle and the standard equipment list is above average for this segment, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment touch screen display for climate, entertainment and phone settings. Driver assist standard features include adaptive speed control, blind sport monitors, lane keep assist, pedestrian/cyclist emergency braking, forward collision warning, electronic brake control, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights.

Our R/T Track package ($3,590) included Alcantara non-vented seats with red accent striping, R/T badging, 20-inch black alloys with all-season paws, dual mode suspension, steel door sills, power lumbar and seat adjustments for driver and passenger. A Tech Package ($2,345) adds parallel/perpendicular parking assist, active driving assist and surround views cameras.

Seating up front is roomy. Rear seat passengers, however, are cramped in comparison with rivals, and cargo room is stingy.

The low $30s GT model with standard features can be in your driveway for less than the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Our fully loaded R/T hybrid tipped the scales at just under $50 large, giving pause to some.

Contact independent automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at editor@ptd.net.