Most powerful CUV the American Dodge Hornet PHEV is made in Italy

Written by Marco Carvajal

2024 Dodge Hornet R/T PHEV

The 2024 Dodge Hornet ventures into the growing compact utility vehicle (CUV) segment, with a new and unique concept for the Dodge brand. The PHEV Hornet offers a combination of muscular styling wrapped around best-in-class standard performance and class-exclusive performance features.

The first Hornet model released last year, the 2023 Dodge Hornet GT was not a hybrid but the new 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T I am driving is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

The new Hornet gives a lot of merit to Dodge. It is Dodge’s first-ever electrified performance vehicle and also it is the most powerful CUV currently offered in its segment. The subcompact hatchback concept has a very interesting and attractive shape that looks very stylish and masculine. Base pricing ranges from $31K to $46K.

The new Hornet offers a combination of luxury and performance design elements merged with the powertrain of a PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle). Drivers can enjoy great performance onboard the Hornet R/T with power-boosting performance and capability features that are rare and difficult to add to CUV vehicles.

According to Dodge, the Hornet R/T is the fastest PHEV Compact Crossover, with a launch time of up to 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, it is all set for racing speed.

5.65.6 Sec 0-60 Mph – Fastest CUV
288 horsepower – Most powerful CUV
383 Pound-Feet Of Torque

The new Hornet R/T uses a six-speed AISIN F21-250 PHEV automatic transmission and lets drivers shift gears easily with column-mounted paddle shifters for maximum control.

The powerful engine is a 1.3 L I4 Turbo PHEV Engine working together with a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery.

A speed booster offers a Class-Exclusive PowerShot feature, which boosts up to an additional 30 horsepower for up to 15 seconds.

AWD Standard with Torque Vectoring

Both Hornet models GT and R/T come equipped with standard all-wheel drive and a continuously adjusting torque split.

The R/T Hornet handles AWD conditioning in a more advanced way using eAWD hybrid performance that counters curves and conditions utilizing independently powered front and rear axles, maximizing efficiency, and delivering more power when needed.

Segment-Exclusive Four-Piston Brembo Fixed Caliper Brakes

When you drive the Hornet R/T Plus, you can brake like a professional racing star with top-of-the-line Brembo brakes with four-piston fixed aluminum front calipers that allow drivers to come to a complete stop from 62 to 0 mph in just 138 feet.

On the Hornet R/T Plus, you also receive brake-by-wire technology that inputs from the driver as well as throughout the vehicle, distributing optimal brake force to each wheel for a faster and most efficient stop.

The interior of the Hornet looks stylish and modern. I enjoy the Uconnect system, featuring a new 10.25-inch color touchscreen. This infotainment center seamlessly connects to your smartphone. It is responsive and customizable. It can even be angled toward the driver for better access.

Made in Italy

Proudly American, Dodge was founded as the Dodge Brothers Company machine shop by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge in the early 1900s in Detroit, Michigan.

Dodge was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies to Detroit-based automakers like Ford, which eventually became the American car brand Dodge.

The Dodge Hornet is the American child born abroad, made in Italy.

The Hornet shares architecture, most of its body, powertrain, and interior with the new and similar car, Alfa Romeo Tonale. They look a little different, especially on the front exterior, but you can see they have a similar shape and style.

Dodge and Alfa Romeo are part of Chrysler’s parent company Stellantis, which also owns Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Maserati, and several other brands, including the car brand Peugeot which is sold in other parts of the world.

The automaker Stellantis calls the Hornet “an ideal blend of American fun and European functionality.”

Both cars are built at the same Italian car factory, at the corporate parent Stellantis’ Giambattista Vico plant in Pomigliano d’Arco, in Naples, Italy.

The most powerful CUV, the American Dodge Hornet PHEV is built in Italy next to its cousin Tonale by Alfa Romeo, but the Dodge is a little bit faster and more powerful, and it also is cheaper. Both cars look similar but one could say that the Tonale is a little more stylish and feminine while the Hornet is a bit more masculine and serious.

Dodge and Alfa Romeo are sister brands owned by the same group, Stellantis. But usually, Alfa Romeo cars are more expensive and considered more luxury than Dodge.

The Alfa Romeo Tonale is also a plug-in hybrid, and it is offered at a lower price than other Alfa Romeo models.

PHEV Good Range of Electric, Hybrid, and Gas Combined

The PHEV Hornet seems to be designed with power, speed, and performance as a priority, placing fuel economy and range at a second level, therefore we don’t expect it to be the most efficient car.

One of the wonderful things about PHEV and hybrid cars is the flexibility and ability to use both electric and gas energy. In the case of the Hornet, you can use just electric energy with a low range of 32 miles on a single electric charge for short-distance driving in town via a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, 77 MPGe, or you can enjoy an estimated total long driving range from 320 to 360 miles hybrid, combining electricity and gas.

The Hornet R/T automatically switches between electric and gas, and it also can operate on both types of power gas and electric when you want it or need it.

Both ranges, just the electric, and hybrid combined range in the Hornet, are not the best or the longest compared to other hybrid vehicles, but that might be due to the high performance with very fast speed and power of this CUV, which requires more energy.

Since the Dodge Hornet is a very new car model, we can expect to see a higher range in upcoming car year models.

Driving Modes

One feature that can help you save energy and also accommodate your ride to your best driving style is the ability to select four driving modes on the Dodge Hornet R/T Plus.

For your driving convenience, you can select either Sport Mode, or three different hybrid driving modes: Hybrid, Electric, and E-Save.

Pricing and Trim Models

The previous Hornet model was only available in two different trims, the 2023 Hornet GT, and the Hornet GT Plus, both only available with gasoline engines. New for 2024 we have the addition of the Hornet R/T and R/T Plus, which I am driving, with Plug-In Hybrid Technology, PHEV.

Pricing for the Hornet is balanced with its powerful performance and hybrid functionality, ranging from $31K up to $46K.

The hornet is currently available in four trim models:

2024 Hornet GT, starting at $31,400
2024 Hornet GT Plus, starting at $36,400
2024 Hornet R/T, starting at $41,400
2024 Hornet R/T Plus, starting at $46,400

There are good leasing incentives available for the new Hornet.

Among some additional features you get when purchasing the Plus models, Hands-free liftgate functionality is standard for both the Hornet R/T Plus and Hornet GT Plus.

The Hornet R/T Plus model I am test driving is fully loaded, it also includes full leather seating surfaces, an eight-way power passenger seat, ventilated front seats, a sunroof, a Harmon Kardon sound system, Four-Piston Brembo Fixed Caliper Brakes, and more features that make you feel the premium European style in this American car made in Italy.

If you like Alfa Romeo cars then you will like the Hornet too, with a more masculine touch.

Hornet History

The Hornet automobile started back in the 50s with the Hudsons, then it moved to American Motors Corp. when Hudson and Nash merged. AMC used the name Hornet on a line of compact cars back in 1970. Then Chrysler eventually acquired AMC, therefore owning the Hornet.

Pixar’s “Cars” animated movie used the car Hornet associated with Doc Hudson, the Paul Newman-voiced mentor of the headstrong Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson. Doc Hudson was animated, but it was based on a real car, the older Hudson Hornet, which had an impressive racing streak in the 1950s.

The Hornet name was resurrected by Stellantis’s ancestor, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles less than 20 years ago, back in 2006 when it unveiled a Dodge Hornet concept at the Geneva Auto Show.

The new 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T performance hybrid is the first-ever electrified performance vehicle from Dodge and it is a great first step on the brand towards building fast electric cars.

The Dodge Hornet R/T offers 32 miles of all-electric range via a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, as well as 77 MPGe and 360 miles of total range

Ready for performance lovers, you can enjoy best-in-class and class-exclusive dynamic driving features such as Koni shocks, Brembo four-piston brake calipers, dynamic torque vectoring, and more, as well as standard all-wheel drive.

The Dodge Hornet R/T is the most powerful utility vehicle in the segment with 288 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque, offering 32 miles of all-electric range via a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, as well as 77 MPGe and 360 miles of total range.

The Dodge Hornet is a Compact Utility Vehicle (CUV) that merges iconic American muscle style and Italian design, producing impressive performance and a driver-centric, dynamic driving experience with Italian European style and technology.