We drive the 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T and find out how good it is.

Dodge has always had a sense of humor and they have brought us some pretty wild cars along the way, but that’s more difficult today when we are desperately trying to save the planet. But instead of giving us another boring crossover Dodge has given us what is essentially a dodgified Alfo Romeo Tonale and that’s a very good start.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:25 Exterior
2:37 Cargo Space
3:08 Under The Hood
4:14 Pricing
4:28 Rear Seat
4:59 Interior And Tech
9:21 Driving
18:02 Verdict

It’s a pretty car with compact proportions and for comparison is smaller than the RAV4, its wheelbase is 2 inches shorter, and it's 4 inches shorter in height as well as being nearly 200 pounds lighter. To add a little aggression Dodge adds functional hood scoops and a narrow but aggressive Dodge branded face.

Plenty of options

My tester had the Blacktop Package ($1,595) that adds black badges gloss-black side window moldings and mirror caps. It also has the Track Pack ($2,595) which includes 20-inch black wheels, with 235/40 all-season tires, red Brembo brake calipers on all four wheels, Black Alcantara seats with red accents, aluminum door sills, and sports leather steering wheel.

Finally, the Tech Pack ($2,245) includes Intelligent Speed Assist, Active Driving Assist, Surround View Cameras, Drowsy Driver Detection, and ParkSense.

Sports Suspension

The front suspension is a four-wheel independent McPherson system with Koni FSD shock absorbers, adaptive-damping dual-stage valve shock absorbers with selectable modes (auto, sport, compliant ride, Sport mode with firm, and maximum handling, which is included with Track Pack)

At the rear you get Chapman suspension with a rear stabilizer bar, Koni FSD shock absorbers, and the same adaptive-damping dual-stage shock absorbers as the front.

Under the hood 

In the GT model, you get a 2.0-liter inline-4, with 268 hp and 295 lb-ft driven through a 9-speed auto @ 3000 rpm. In this hybrid R/T model, you get a turbocharged and intercooled 16-valve 1.3-liter inline-4 with 177 hp and 199 lb-ft. Plus 2 AC motors and you get a total output of 288 hp and 383 lb-ft Driven through a 6-speed automatic/direct-drive transmission.  

Those numbers are using Powershot, which is the electric equivalent of nitrous, the rear motor gives you 30 hp more for 15 seconds when you pull back on both paddle shifters.  12.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and 7.4-kW onboard charger). All electric range is 32 miles up to 84 miles per hour and Combined: 29 mpg, Combined Gasoline + Electricity: 77 MPGe.

2024 Dodge Hornet R/T Numbers

BASE PRICE: $44,995
PRICE AS TESTED: $52,405
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door crossover
ENGINE: 1.3 liter turbocharged SOHC 16-valve inline-4 + 2 electric motors
COMBINED POWER: 288 hp
COMBINED TORQUE: 383 ft-lbs
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic
0-60 MPH: 5.6 sec
CURB WEIGHT: 4,200 lb
CARGO CAPACITY: 23 ft³, 54.7 ft³ with seat area
MPG COMBINED: 29 mpg
COMBINED GAS  ELECTRIC: 77 MPGe
EV RANGE: 32 miles
OUR OBSERVED FUEL ECONOMY: 29.9 mpg
PROS: Quicker than expected, great handling, sporty interior
CONS: Pricey, Powershot is a bit of a gimmick