Tested: 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T Is the Face of a New Dodge

From the November 2023 issue of Car and Driver.

The Dodge Hornet R/T is freighted with expectations. In the post-Challenger world, we’re all looking for a sign that Dodge can find its way without supercharged V-8s and red key fobs. The Hornet is a vision of that future, infusing a dreary yet marketable form—the small crossover—with trademark lovable Dodge dumbness. The car has functional hood scoops, an ornery exhaust burble, and the hybrid version of temporary overboost, which Dodge modestly calls PowerShot. The Hornet hits 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, not too far in arrears of the 5.1 seconds required by a manual Hemi Challenger R/T. On paper, this vehicle fits neatly into the Dodge pocket-rocket succession, joining rowdy former luminaries such as the Omni GLH and the Neon SRT-4. In reality, the story is a little more complicated. Don’t break out your yellow splitter guards just yet.

For one thing, the Hornet achieves that Nissan Rogue–demolishing 60-mph time only after you pull both paddle shifters to engage PowerShot mode. According to Dodge, PowerShot unlocks an additional 30 horsepower from the rear electric motor for 15 seconds and knocks 1.5 seconds off the 60-mph time. We found that it trimmed a mere 0.2 second from the 60-mph and quarter-mile runs and a slightly more noticeable 0.3 second from the 5-to-60-mph time. PowerShot’s 15-second duration neatly covers a quarter-mile, which is dispatched in 14.2 seconds at 96 mph. The Hornet makes 288 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, figures that require engaging PowerShot, but it seems the unboosted output can’t be too far off. And all of that torque makes the R/T feel strong even when you’re not lined up at a drag-strip Christmas tree.

As for Dodge’s other performance claims, we had a hard time matching a few of them. The company says the R/T is good for 0.90 g on the skidpad, but we managed only 0.87 g, even though our test car included the Track Pack, which brings Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires and electronically controlled dampers. The Track Pack’s Brembo four-piston fixed front brake calipers contributed to a tidy 164-foot stop from 70 mph, with no fade even after multiple stops from 100 mph (which required 334 feet). That performance is even more impressive considering the R/T’s weight, which checked in at 4205 pounds. A quote often attributed to Albert Einstein seems fitting: “The wing structure of the hornet, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flight, but he does not know this and flies anyway.”

Part of the R/T’s chunkiness is due to its 12.0-kWh battery, which the EPA figures is good for 32 miles of electric range. We nearly matched that number at 75 mph too, logging 31 miles and 74 MPGe. With the battery depleted, we averaged 27 mpg overall, which is definitely better than you’d see from a wide-body Hellcat Charger. In electric mode, the Hornet—now rear-wheel drive—musters a mere 121 horses, but that’s enough to push it as high as 84 mph before the gas engine awakens. The electric side of the powertrain can go AWOL at higher speeds, depending on the battery’s state of charge and the temperature of the battery and motor, as evidenced by the Hornet’s 118-mph peak speed on our 1.5-mile straightaway. Dodge claims a 128-mph top speed, but attaining that might require the Bonneville Salt Flats and a nice tailwind. The base GT model, Dodge says, is good for 140 mph.

But we’ve got strong acceleration, respectable EV range, and an artfully crafted interior, so what’s not to like? Well, there’s the oddly jacked-up ride height, which makes the Hornet look like a wagon that’s in the process of being raised skyward on a four-post lift, but that could be easily rectified with the upcoming Direct Connection factory lowering springs. The bigger issue is right there on the window sticker. The $48,465 as-tested price poignantly reminds you that the Italian-built Hornet is a twin to the Alfa Romeo Tonale. We don’t envy the Dodge salespeople tasked with selling a $48,000 Hornet when there are cheaper all-wheel-drive three-row Durangos sitting on the same lot.

If you think the Hornet might make a lot more sense at a price closer to $30,000, you’re right, and it does. The base GT model brings a 268-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder hooked to a nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive for $32,330. With that transmission and significantly less weight, the Hornet GT should post numbers awfully close to the R/T’s. If there’s a true heir to affordable Dodge performance, it probably shouldn’t surprise us that it’s the one without a plug.