We’re getting a bit of a déjà vu with the 2023 Dodge Hornet. It is a small car based on an Alfa Romeo (the Tonale) with Dodge styling and marketing. The Dodge Dart was also a small car based on an Alfa Romeo (the Giulietta) with Dodge styling and marketing. The Dart didn’t go great. But we think the Hornet has a few advantages that the Dart didn’t have. It is an SUV, which is still a popular and growing segment. It has much more powerful powertrains, unlike the Dart’s underpowered turbocharged engines. And while this is even closer to its Alfa donor, Dodge promises more support for owners to spring up their Hornets, which is one way to differentiate the model and help fit the Dodge image.
In terms of design, the Hornet is a Tonale with a Dodge facelift. The front clip has been updated with a fascia similar to that of the Charger and Durango. It even gets the signature hood with vents. At the rear, the full-width taillight has been tweaked with various lighting elements and an illuminated Dodge “Rhombi” logo. The Hornet also has some admittedly very cool Hornet badging on the front fenders. The interior is also largely inherited from the Tonale, except for a few vents, some screenshots, trim colors (always black and red), and moving the home button to the dash. None of this is necessarily a bad thing, as the Alfa was quite nice in the beginning, but it’s worth mentioning.
Mechanically, the Hornet is still very similar to the Tonale, although it has slightly higher power ratings for both variants. The base model is the GT, and it gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that delivers 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It comes standard with four-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic, and Dodge claims it will go to 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds.
Above that is the R/T, which gets the plug-in hybrid turbocharged 1.3-liter four-cylinder powertrain. At the front, it has the engine and an electric motor that drives the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. At the rear, a 90 kW electric motor drives the rear wheels. Overall power is 288 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. Dodge touts the hybrid’s PowerShot launch control. It’s an overboost feature that delivers an extra 25 horsepower for 15 seconds (requires a 15-second cooldown between uses). Dodge says the 0-60 time is 6.1 seconds. The R/T also has Brembo four-piston fixed calipers at the front and Brembo calipers at the rear, dual exhausts and the Alfa’s fancy metal paddle shifters. The brakes and paddles are also available on the GT. The R/T also stands out visually with black painted trim, dual exhaust and unique badging.
All Hornets come standard with Koni frequency-selective damping shocks, which can be upgraded to electronically adjustable units. The suspension consists of MacPherson struts at the front and a three-link independent rear suspension. They also get electronic limited slip differential functions that can also provide torque vectoring.
Dodge plans to offer performance upgrades for both versions of the Hornet. The first to get upgrades is the GT with the Direct Connection GLH (Goes Like Hell) package. It features lowered suspension (by just over an inch), a cat-back exhaust, unique 20-inch wheels, black trim and GLH exterior graphics. The company didn’t give any horsepower estimates, except to say it would have a much better power-to-weight ratio than the Omni GLH that gave it its name. The R/T will also receive an upgrade kit, but it is still under development and has no name yet. We think GLH-S (allegedly Goes Like Hell S’more) would be a strong possibility.
The Hornet comes with a strong list of standard features. In terms of safety, it has automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane assistant, blind spot monitoring, reversing protection, automatic windshield wipers and parking sensors. Convenience features include a 12.3-inch instrument display, 10.25-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and the ability to pair two phones to the infotainment simultaneously. Optional features include adaptive cruise control, lane centering, driver alert, wireless phone charging, heated steering wheel and seats, hands-free power lift gate and a Harman Kardon sound system.
With this high feature set comes an arguably high price tag. The destination charge hasn’t been announced yet, but pricing for the GT starts at $29,995. The R/T starts at $39,995. Note that the actual price will be slightly higher if a destination charge is taken into account. The R/T will likely qualify for some level of tax credit due to its PHEV powertrain. Dodge will begin accepting orders for GT models on August 17, with deliveries beginning in December. The R/T will arrive next spring.
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