CHATHAM, Mass. – From the brand which brought the venomous bite of its ground-shaking V10 Viper sports car comes a smaller, more efficient, but no less nasty offering, the Dodge Hornet GT Plus.
In its second year, the all-wheel drive Hornet aims at the performance edge of compact sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) thanks to a powertrain and platform tuned for driving enjoyment without sacrificing comfort and fuel economy.
Powertrain creates a buzz
Dodge’s Hurricane4 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine motivates the Hornet GT. Featuring direct fuel injection, double overhead camshafts, 16 valves and engine stop/start technology, Hornet drivers have 268 horsepower and 295 pounds-feet of torque under the power of their right foot.
This power flows through a nine-speed automatic transmission into the standard all-wheel-drive system and translates into excellent performance and efficiency. According to Car and Driver magazine’s testing, the Hornet GT Plus can go from 0-60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds (matching Dodge’s claims).
I loved the quick acceleration of the Hornet during my week behind the wheel, using it and the refined platform to attack some of the twisty roads on both sides of the Cape Cod peninsula.
And despite my heavy right foot, I squeezed out 25 miles per gallon in overall driving, besting the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s rating of 24 mpg (21 urban, 29 highway). My results along with the verve experienced while driving makes for a very enjoyable experience.
A well-engineered platform
Dodge talks about “driving dynamics” when it discusses the engineering of the Hornet GT Plus’s platform, trying to achieve class-leading performance features like suspension, braking, steering and handling. I will not get into a finite judgment of all small SUVs within these parameters (there are several good ones) but will attest to the Hornet’s capabilities to provide a reassuring, fun-to-drive vehicle. The engineers have done a solid job.
The all-around independent suspension includes MacPherson-type struts up front with a three-link Chapman strut and stabilizer bar in the rear. Koni® frequency-selective damping shock absorbers work on all four corners to improve both handling and ride characteristics.
The power electric steering offers a quick 2.28 turns lock-to-lock and a 37.95 foot turning circle.
The standard four-wheel disc antilock-brake system (ABS) incorporates all-speed traction control, electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and brake assist. On the GT Plus it includes 12.8-inch rotors up front, 10.94 ones in the rear. (Optional on the GT Plus, but not included on the test vehicle, are Brembo red painted four-piston fixed front calipers and floating rear performance ones. The rotors included with the Brembo system are 13.53-inches front, 12.08 rear.)
The 18×7.5-inch Abyss alloy wheels wear 225/55R18 all-season tires.
The pieces all work very well together, providing the kind of handling finesse Dodge claims for the Hornet GT Plus.
Nice array of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)
Automatic emergency braking (AEB) leads off the Hornet GT Plus’s list of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). The AEB detects pedestrians or cyclists and delivers a visual and acoustic warning as well as bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.
Other standard ADAS include blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic path alert, lane-support, ParkSense® rear park assist, ParkView® rearview camera, traffic-sign recognition, full-speed, adaptive cruise control and front-collision warning.
Technology fills comfortable cabin
The Dodge Hornet GT Plus’s cabin is filled with technology to further enhance the driving experience. The leather covered seats are electrically adjustable up front (three-person memory for the driver’s seat) as well as being heated, as is the leather-covered steering wheel.
Speaking of heat, a dual-zone automatic digital climate-control system is controlled by an intuitive, easy to find set of dash-mounted buttons and controls.
More than 22 inches of screens adorn the Hornet’s interior. Behind the steering wheel is a 12.3-inch customizable digital cluster collection with three separate information zones.
The heart of the Uconnect 5 infotainment system is the 10.25-inch LCD touchscreen at the top center of the dash. The screen includes duplicate and additional controls for the seats, climate-control system as well as vehicle information.
Uconnect 5 includes (excellent) wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto connection to appropriate smartphones, SiriusXM satellite radio, streaming Bluetooth connectivity as well as Amazon Alexa functionality with Alexa-enabled devices, including the ability to start the car, lock/unlock doors and more.
The sounds of Uconnect 5 in the Dodge Hornet GT Plus are courtesy of a 14-speaker, 465-Watt Harman Kardon premium sound system.
Rain-sensitive automatic windshield wipers, wireless charging pad for mobile devices, automatic high beams, hands-free power liftgate, and a powered moonroof are all part of the Hornet GT Plus package.
More than buzz words sum up this Dodge experience
There are four variants of Hornets in Dodge’s hive for 2024. The base Hornet GT comes in at $31,400, the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Hornet R/T at $41,400 and the top-of-the-range PHEV Hornet R/T Plus at $46,745.
The Hornet GT Plus I sampled had a $36,400 base price. To it, Dodge added the optional ($1,995) GT Blacktop Package which included the 18-inch wheels and 225/55 tires, gloss-black mirror caps, dark “Hornet” badge, dark “GT” badge and gloss-black window moldings. The Bayou Blue exterior paint added another $495, and the destination charge $1,595 bringing the total to $40,485.
The price is very competitive in the upper range of the compact/subcompact SUV segment. If you are in the market for a small, quick and frugal five-seater with a bent towards the performance side of motoring, the Dodge Hornet family might be worth a look.
