2023 Dodge Hornet

Until recently, Dodge was known for building outrageous high-performance muscle cars, including the Challenger and Charger, with brashly named trims—Hellcat, anyone? Dodge is still finding its footing during the transition to electrification and stricter emissions laws, with plans for electrified and turbocharged muscle yet to materialize in dealerships. The Hornet compact SUV is based on the Alfa Romeo Tonale, and is available as a plug-in hybrid. The Durango SUV soldiers on, largely unchanged from 2011 and still based on the same design as the 2011-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Most alarmingly, it lags behind more modern vehicles in crash tests. Dodge sits near Chrysler at the bottom of our used car reliability rankings.

Fitting with the brand's muscle car image, Dodge is positioning the small Hornet as a performance-oriented sporty compact SUV. It shares components with the new Alfa Romeo Tonale, itself based on the Jeep Compass. The base GT packs a 268-hp 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with a nine-speed automatic. The 2024 added R/T plug-in hybrid nets 288-hp combined, powered by a 1.3-liter turbo four-cylinder paired with a six-speed automatic that works in conjunction with its electric drive. It has a 32-mile electric-only range before transitioning to regular hybrid operation. Both versions have standard AWD. AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, AEB highway, BSW, and RCTW are standard. For 2025, paddle shifters became available on the GT and GT Plus trims as part of the Track Pack option.