Dodge is going through a change at the moment. The big V8 powered Challenger and Charger are gone. The Durango is probably not far behind. And that new half electric half gas Charger is still a ways away. So at the moment the only new product that Dodge has at the moment is this 2024 Hornet.
Performance
Engine – The 2024 Dodge Hornet is available with two powertrains. The base engine is a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder that produces 268 hp & 295 lb-ft of torque (200 kW & 400 Nm) which is quite a bit for a standard engine. This R/T version has more power because it is a plug-in hybrid. At the heart of the car is a little 1.3L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which produces 177 hp & 199 lb-ft of torque (132 kW & 270 Nm) on its own. There’s an electric motor aiding the engine which produces 44 hp & 39 lb-ft of torque (33 kW & 53 Nm). Then there’s another electric motor powering the rear wheels which produces 121 hp & 184 lb-ft of torque (90 kW & 250 Nm). In total, the combined system output of this Hornet R/T is 288 hp & 383 lb-ft of torque (215 kW & 519 Nm). With a curb weight of 1,878 kg (4,140 lbs), Dodge claims that this version of the Hornet can accelerate from a stop to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds.
Thanks to the instant response of the electric motors, the car provides a good kick to the backside when you put your foot down. If there’s any turbo lag with the engine or slow response from the transmission, it’s all hidden by the torque of the electric motors. There’s also an overboost function which Dodge calls Powershot. At the pull of both paddle shifters, the powertrain will deliver an additional 30 hp (22 kW) for a few seconds. Then there’s a 15 second cooldown period before the car will allow you to use that function again.
Battery & Charging – The 2024 Hornet has a 15.5 kWh battery pack supplying the electrical power. It enables the car to drive for up to 53 km (33 miles) as Dodge claims. In the real world, you should be able to achieve that quite easily as I did on one all-electric driving trip. On another trip, I managed to squeeze 57 km (35 miles) of range. Both times I had the climate control running and it involved mostly city driving with a small stint on a highway. Speaking of which, you can drive on highways without any concerns as the car will drive up to 135 km/h (84 mph) in the EV mode. Additionally, the engine will remain off even when you put your foot all the way down.
The other PHEV modes are Hybrid & E-Save. Hybrid is the same as it is in other PHEVs. If you’re light with the throttle, it will primarily use electricity to move the Hornet around. Push a bit harder on the throttle and the engine will turn on. Once the battery is depleted, the engine will automatically turn on and the 2024 Dodge Hornet will drive as though it’s a self-charging hybrid like a Toyota Prius.
E-Save has two functions. In the infotainment system, you can set it to hold the battery charge or to recharge the battery. The battery hold mode will hold the battery charge at whatever state of charge it is at the moment you change to the E-Save mode. With this function, the car will drive like a self-charging hybrid. If you set the car to recharge the battery, the engine will provide a bit of energy back into the battery in addition to providing power to the wheels. The engine will recharge the battery up to 40%, 60%, or 80% depending on what you’ve selected in the infotainment system. This mode, however, will use more fuel than the battery hold mode.
The battery can be recharged from a normal wall socket or a level 2 charger. From a wall socket, it should take about 8 hours to fully replenish the battery. From a level 2 charger, it can be recharged from 0% to 100% in about 2.5 hours. The car has a 7.4 kW onboard charger.
Fuel Economy – If you decide to drive the 2024 Dodge Hornet PHEV in the battery save mode or without a charged battery, then it should return up to 8.1 L/100km (29 MPG) in a city and on a highway. But it is possible to get better fuel economy than that as I managed to get 6.0 L/100km (39 MPG) during one trip when I left the car in the battery hold mode. My overall fuel economy for the week that I had the car on demo was 2.5 L/100km (94 MPG) but this will greatly fluctuate depending on how often the car is plugged in and how often the car is driven just on electricity.
Transmission – The standard 2.0L turbo engine is paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission while this 1.3L turbo engine and hybrid powertrain uses a 6-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to the torque fill of the electric motors, shifts are incredibly smooth. Changing gears is performed quickly as well. The gear changes are not as quick as those of a dual-clutch transmission but for a car like this, the changes are more than adequate. And using the Alfa Romeo paddle shifters on the steering column is always satisfying. Yes, this car’s twin is the Alfa Romeo Tonale.
Braking – The Dodge Hornet can slow down quickly thanks to the Brembo 4-piston front calipers which provide the majority of the stopping force. The Hornet has a brake-by-wire system which means that the brake pedal actuates an electric motor and the ECU provides the appropriate braking force to the calipers. The brake pedal feels normal under normal driving conditions but it can feel devoid of feel under harder or emergency braking situations.
The braking system also recuperates some energy. The car does not have a one-pedal driving mode and the regenerative braking cannot be adjusted on the fly. It does change when the car is switched to Sport mode with more regen being applied when your foot is off the throttle pedal. Additionally, the car automatically applies more regen braking force when driving down a steep hill, even in the normal drive mode.
Handling – The 2024 Dodge Hornet is equipped with standard AWD whether it’s the plug-in hybrid or non-hybrid variant. However, this PHEV does not use a traditional AWD system. The engine sends its power to the front wheel while one of the electric motors powers the back two wheels. Yes, this Dodge Hornet has an eAWD system just like many hybrid Toyota vehicles. There will always be a small charge in the battery, even if it displays 0%, in order for the eAWD system to function all the time.
Around twists and turns, the Dodge Hornet is a pretty fun little crossover. It doesn’t provide quite the same level of enjoyment as the Mazda CX-30, but it is definitely more entertaining to drive than something like the Toyota Corolla Cross or Hyundai Kona. You can option the Hornet R/T with the Track Pack which adds dual mode adaptive suspension. These dampers firm up in Sport mode but they don’t completely get rid of body roll through corners. Steering is precise but like many other electro-assisted steering racks, there isn’t much feel as to what the front tires are doing. However, it does provide a little bit more feel than some other compact crossover SUVs in this class.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – The ride quality of the 2024 Hornet is not too bad. Most potholes and manhole covers are absorbed by the suspension without the ride feeling too jarry. However, you will feel the shunt of each pothole the tires drive over.
Interior Space – The Dodge Hornet is roughly the same size as the Hyundai Kona. For my 6’4” height, there is ample headroom and legroom in the front seats. Visibility is good out the front, side and blind zone. But the rear window and rear seat headrests impede the view out the back.
In the rear seats, I fit snuggly behind my tall driving position. My knees are digging a bit into the back of the front seat but thankfully, it’s made out of soft leather instead of hard plastic. Headroom however, is not so good for my above average height. In those back seats, there are a couple of air vents and a couple of USB ports for device charging. There’s also a trunk pass-through when you fold down the center armrest.
Speaking of the trunk, it’s on the narrow side. This plug-in hybrid version has 648 L (22.9 cu-ft) whereas the non-hybrid version has 764 L (27 cu-ft). With the rear seats folded, this PHEV has 1,430 L (50.5 cu-ft) whereas the non-hybrid has a bit more at 1,549 L (54.7 cu-ft). Under the trunk floor, there’s a small cubby for the charging cable but you will not find a spare wheel in this PHEV.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – When being driven around whilst only using electricity, the Dodge Hornet is a little bit quieter than some of the more traditional compact crossovers it competes against. Most of the noise that intrudes into the cabin is road noise from the tires but it’s not overly intrusive. When the engine turns on, the transition is seamless and under normal driving conditions, it’s not obnoxiously loud.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2024 Dodge Hornet is more expensive than the direct size competitors, such as the Kia Seltos or Mazda CX-30, but it’s roughly the price as slightly bigger competitors such as the Ford Escape or Kia Sportage. The non-hybrid Hornet starts at $41,220 CAD ($31,400 USD). This plug-in hybrid version starts at $55,745 CAD ($41,400 USD) with the R/T Plus starting at $61,745 CAD ($46,745 USD).
Gadgets – For the higher price tag, the 2024 Dodge Hornet can be equipped with a lot of convenience features. On this R/T model, the seats are covered in perforated alcantara with red accents and are heated in the front. The R/T Plus trim adds leather upholstery with the addition of ventilated front seats. There’s also a heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, a wireless phone charging pad, a power sunroof, surround view cameras, a 10.25” infotainment touchscreen with Uconnect 5 system, a 12.3” customizable driver display, and an available 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.
This car also makes use of its parking sensors by not only alerting the driver to obstacles around the car but they can be used for the car to park itself. However, unlike some other systems in other vehicles, this car requires other vehicles around it in order to know where to park. It cannot read the lines on the asphalt and then park between them like a Lexus RX or BMW i5 for example.
Interior Design – The Dodge Hornet shares the same platform with the equally new Alfa Romeo Tonale. Both cars look similar with both sharing a lot of the same controls and designs. This Hornet has the aluminum column mounted paddle shifters, an Alfa Romeo steering wheel, and the same physical climate controls. The only item that feels like a traditional Dodge product is the gear selector which doesn’t feel as premium as the rest of the cabin. Most of the materials are plastic but apart from the panels on the lower portions of the cabin, they are soft to the touch.
Exterior Design – Much like the interior, the exterior has the same rough shape as the Alfa Tonale. But the details are very much Dodge. It has standard LED headlights with unique LED daytime running lights, the Dodge logo is illuminated around back, and the red Brembo calipers stand out behind the black 20” wheels. It’s a unique design and I particularly like the names of the colours. This red is called “Hot Tamale”. There’s also “Grey Cray”, “8 Ball”, “Q Ball” , and “Acapulco Gold” among a few others.
Safety – The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T comes equipped with a full suite of advanced driver & safety aids. The only options that can be fitted to it is the Tech package which includes drowsy driver detection, intelligent speed assist, front, side, & rear park assist, surround view cameras and active driving assist system. In Canada, this package costs $2,345 CAD.
Warranty – The 2024 Dodge Hornet is covered like any other Dodge product. It is covered by a 3 year / 60,000 km basic warranty and a 5 year / 100,000 km powertrain warranty. The battery is covered by an 8 year / 160,000 km warranty. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For information on American warranty, click here.
Now this wouldn’t be a completely honest review if I didn’t mention the two minor issues I experienced with this car while I had it on demo. Firstly, the tire pressure sensor light came on but the sensor kept displaying the correct tire pressures. Secondly, a few days later while starting up the car, the check engine light came on and Sport mode stopped working. The rest of the car functioned properly. These are not major issues in my eyes but definitely an inconvenience.
Conclusion – Overall, the 2024 Dodge Hornet is a bit more like a European car, which it is based on, rather than a traditional Dodge product we’ve grown accustomed to. It is quick in a straight line but it’s also pretty fun around corners for what it is, it’s efficient, and it has a pretty nice interior too. As for the reliability, I can only comment on what I’ve experienced. Although having a check engine light come on and a tire pressure warning light, these were minor issues. But it is still an inconvenience to have to take the car back to a dealership for fixing.
Having said all that, the Dodge Hornet PHEV is expensive. You’d be getting better value for your money by getting the Ford Escape PHEV or even the Toyota Rav4 Prime. But as for the non-hybrid version of the Hornet, it has a higher starting price than most of its direct size competitors but you’re getting a much more powerful base engine. So it comes down to what you need more. A powerful and decently fun to drive compact crossover SUV or one that is just good as a point A to B daily commuter for less money?
Thank you to Dodge Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Dodge.ca
2024 Dodge Hornet R/T PHEV Gallery
