2024 Dodge Hornet is a mini-muscle car that's actually a crossover

2023 Dodge Hornet GT

Dodge does things differently. If this were any other brand’s new CUV, they’d be telling us about how there’s leather on the top trim, and that lane-departure warning is standard. But Dodge? The pre-drive presentation was heavy in performance stats, horsepower figures, and the various muscle-ish styling features. “Excess drives success,” said Matt McAlear, Head of Dodge Sales Operations. Dodge has tried the “mini muscle car” formula before on basically every compact since the Neon (e.g. on its Avenger, Caliber, and Dart) with varying degrees of success. Now Dodge says it’s built a CUV with Challenger Hellcat DNA. Has it succeeded?

Dodge claims the Hornet is its first all-new car in a decade. And though it may be all-new for Dodge, it’s based on the same “Small Wide 4×4 LWB” chassis as the current Jeep Compass, which debuted in 2017. At 4528 mm long, it’s roughly the same size as a Mazda CX-5. In fact, the Hornet was benchmarked against just that crossover, along with the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

What none of those cars have, I guarantee you, is a pair of functional heat-extractor vents on the hood. It’s definitely a Dodge product. The Hornet will be sold in two versions, GT and R/T. The GT uses a 2.0L turbo four-cylinder engine which makes 268 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Dodge is keen to note that these numbers are best-in-class, and good enough to scoot the Hornet to 60 mph (96 km/h) in a buzzing 6.5 seconds.

The R/T is the plug-in hybrid version, and it uses a 175-hp 1.3L gas engine in conjunction with two electric motors to make a combined 288 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. A rear-mounted electric motor contributes 121 hp to the party, and there is a smaller motor mounted between the engine and transmission that adds 44 hp. These numbers add up to more than Dodge’s quoted combined output, but I assume complicated PHEV things are the reason why. The R/T uses a 15.5-kWh 306V battery, and has an electric-only driving range of 50 km.

The R/T also has what Dodge calls “PowerShot”. When activated, it gives the driver a 15-second burst of 30 extra horsepower. This shaves 1.5 seconds off the zero-to-60-mph (-96-km/h) time: when used, it can move the Hornet to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 5.6 seconds. After use, you’ll have to wait another 15 seconds before you can try it again. The system works best on a full charge, but can be used as long as the battery is charged past 40 per cent. It’s similar to the boost system found on the Genesis GV60.

Does Dodge’s promises of a mini muscle car hold true on the road? More than you’d think! No matter which version you choose, the driving experience is notably spry, though maybe not muscular. The steering is sharp, and body roll is well-controlled thanks to standard Koni shocks. The Hornet is just plain fun to drive!

Though it packs additional power, I found the non-hybrid GT model more enjoyable overall. I did wish the GT version had a set of paddle shifters, though, as it would really suit the sporty driving experience. As it stands, only the hybrid R/T gets paddle shifters, and I think that’s a shame. The GT feels lighter, and just as fast as the more pricey R/T (unless you use the latter’s PowerShot function). To be blunt, pushing the PowerShot button isn’t exactly like the nitrous scenes in The Fast and The Furious. There’s a barely perceptible increase in acceleration and that’s about it.

See how the Dodge Hornet compares to rivals from Hyundai, Mazda, and Kia

Driving notes aside, the Hornet is a nice place to be. The quarters are definitely on the cozy side for a CUV of this exterior size, but it’s by no means cramped. The primary and secondary touch-points of the car are well-addressed, and there is thoughtful red stitching here and there to remind you of the car’s sporty attitude. My test car had very unique black Alcantara seats (Dodge was very keen to tell us it uses real, name-brand Alcantara) with perforations in them revealing a red layer below the black. It’s a very cool detail.

Ahead, you have a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster that can be configured in multiple ways. You can make the speedometer and tachometer smaller to put a nav screen in the middle, for example. There is also a 10.25-inch touchscreen center display that contains the expected things like navigation, but also can display additional gauges, and a G-meter. You won’t find that in a Hyundai Tucson. Additionally, the Hornet has available gesture control, TomTom navigation, Amazon Alexa voice assistant, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.

2023 Dodge Hornet

The exterior has plenty of muscle-car cues as well. There are the previously mentioned heat-extractor vents that remind me of the ones seen on the Hellcat Durangos and Challengers. And also the “mail-slot” grille, first used on the SRT Charger variants. Overall, the styling is very well done. I think it looks good in the typical Dodge pallet of exciting colours like Hot Tomale, Blue Steele, or Acapulco Gold, like our test unit. Dodge was clearly having fun with this car!

And I think that’s my largest takeaway from driving the Dodge Hornet. Unlike most of the other offerings in the compact CUV segment, the Hornet was built with the intent to be fun to drive and live with day-to-day. It feels nimble to drive, the interior is well-trimmed, and the various sporty touches throughout really do elevate the experience. It’s not going to be to everyone’s tastes, but for those who want a little pizzazz in their small ute, the Hornet delivers.

But when will the Hornets be delivered? The GT models are arriving in showrooms as I type this, and the R/T PHEV can be expected to arrive in early summer. The GT starts at $37,995; and the R/T at $50,495. Neither of these prices include the mandatory freight and PDI charge of $2,095. But it is also worth noting the R/T hybrid is eligible for both the $5,000 federal EV rebate; and the stackable $5,000 Quebec EV rebate for plug-in hybrids. The Hornet is a fresh take on a segment that’s usually as exciting as oatmeal, and I am buzzing with excitement for a longer drive in one.

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