With all the hype surrounding Dodge’s Hellcat V8—perhaps the defining characteristic of the entire Stellantis portfolio in the minds of most enthusiasts—it’s easy to forget that once upon a time the company had an equally strong fleet of inexpensive compact performance machines sitting in its showrooms.
As a company that had largely led the domestic charge towards entry-level turbo fun in the 1980s, when Chrysler boomeranged back to its forced induction roots in the early 2000s it felt like a return to form. Despite the history, it was still a bold move: most American automakers had shied away from boosting their affordable fare throughout the previous decade, and the market for a truly quick, yet modestly proportioned (and priced) hot rod was a bit of an unknown.
Fortunately for Dodge, which assumed the compact turbo mantle for the conglomerate, it turned out that buyers were ready to try something new. The Dodge SRT-4 (the moniker assigned to a hi-po version of the pleasantly balanced Neon platform) quickly became a terror on the streets, opening the doors for not just follow-on SRT and R/T models from the brand, but also kick-starting a cross-town movement at General Motors to supercharge/turbocharge its own cheap-and-cheerful family members.
Flash-forward to 2024, and the situation for domestic car companies is surprisingly similar. Chevrolet and Ford have abandoned any prospects of street fun at the lower end of their respective lineups, preferring to focus on trucks and SUVs, leaving Dodge to once again strike off on its own with a small but mighty machine.
The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T PHEV is in many ways the spiritual successor of its early SRT efforts, but it also brings with it some striking differences that could stand in the way of the same grassroots embrace that those models enjoyed. On top of those challenges, you can throw in more than a little pressure on the Hornet from the mothership now that the V8 is on its way out, forcing Dodge’s muscle division to forge its own uncertain turbocharged future absent the eight-cylinder armour that has been its calling card for nearly two decades.
The same, but different: Dodge Hornet R/T and its SRT-4 predecessors
Part of what made the Dodge SRT-4 so exciting when it arrived in 2003 was the way its turbocharged, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine transformed what had been a fun but underpowered front-wheel drive sedan into a legitimately engaging experience. Based on a SEMA concept, the SRT-4 package offered between 215 (2002) and 230 (2004-2005) horsepower, and its lightweight design made it the fastest Dodge on the lot after the Viper supercar.
Whether that says more about the emptiness of the company’s high performance cupboards in those days than it does about the potency of the SRT-4’s drivetrain is up for debate, but what can’t be denied is the effect that the sedan’s popularity had on the company’s product planning. A couple years after the vehicle had been retired, its engine was transplanted under the hood of the Caliber hatchback that replaced it. The beefier-looking Caliber SRT-4 also delivered a whopping 285 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque, huge numbers for a front-puller and a substantial upgrade over what its predecessor had brought to the table.
The Dodge Hornet, like the Caliber, trends towards crossover status but presents most accurately as a tall-riding hatch. It also makes nearly the same amount of power as Dodge’s previous effort, checking in with 288 ponies on tap—only this time, that output is wrung from a smaller 1.3-liter four-cylinder turbo. The Hornet R/T has a clear advantage in the torque department, however, with 383 lb-ft providing nearly 120 additional notches of twist with the pedal down.
That extra torque is tied directly to one of two major differences between the Caliber of old and the stinging insect of today. Dodge has reached across the Atlantic to borrow from corporate partner Alfa Romeo’s engineering acumen, lifting not just the Hornet’s platform (from the Alfa Romeo Tonale), but also a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It’s the Dodge’s pair of electric motors that gussy up the grunt, especially off the line, and its all-wheel-drive system significantly improves traction versus the Caliber SRT-4’s front-wheel peel.
Dodge Hornet R/T performance: A “good time” on paper, a “quick time” on the street
Although they share the same general shape, size, and turbocharged credo, time behind the wheel reveals the limits of the Hornet’s conceptual lineage. In the year 2024, few have the patience for the kind of shoulder socket damage induced by dumping nearly 400 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels, which is where the Hornet R/T PHEV’s all-wheel-drive system steps in to attenuate any wheelspin action.
That’s all well and good if you’re seeking to match the vehicle’s posted 5.6-second sprint to 100 km/h, but it’s less of a plus should you actually care about how the Dodge drives. With the right foot flat there’s simply nothing exciting about how the Hornet accumulates forward momentum, with little in the way of audible drama from the exhaust or intervention from g-forces to let you know you’re buzzing along at a brisk pace.
This remains true even with the Hornet R/T’s “PowerShot” feature engaged, which adds another 30 horsepower into the mix from the rear electric motor for as long as 15 seconds. Pulling both steering wheel paddle shifters at the same time activates the system, but I was hard pressed to identify any meaningful difference made in the automobile’s attitude.
Handling presents a similar conundrum. Despite its modest dimensions, its plug-in hybrid battery means the Hornet weighs in at just under 2,000 kilos (1,875 kg or 4,134 pounds), making it nearly as heavy as the full-size Dodge Charger R/T. That’s not a recipe for cornering character that approaches communion with the road, and while the hatchback acquits itself just fine on the mountain blacktop I used to test its mettle, at no point did I yearn for a return visit later in the week.
In regular driving, the Hornet’s 12.0-kWh battery provides up to 53 kilometres of electric-only driving, a modest but still usable figure limited by the space constraints of the Dodge’s packaging. I found the vehicle capable of matching that metric as long as I was gentle with the accelerator, and overall fuel economy showed as 4.8 L/100 km (much of that with the power pack empty and cruising on the highway). Less impressive was the vehicle’s inability to let me know when it was switching back and forth from electric to gas power, with the dashboard display often lagging a few seconds behind the telltale whirr of the activated engine.
2024 Dodge Hornet R/T pricing: You’ll spend big to raid the hive
The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T feels more civilized than raucous, and this extends to its interior. Leather and suede-like inserts add a touch of class to its small car cabin, and seat bolsters ensure you won’t fall over yourself attempting to rally-hero your way home. The cockpit feel of the canted dashboard and infotainment screen are fitting given the vehicle’s performance pretensions, and there’s little about the materials or design of the cabin that comes across as “cheap.” It’s certainly a massive step up above the “squint and it’s ok” quality of the original SRT-4 family.
Of course, given the R/T model’s massive $55,000 starting price, all of the above should be expected. Tick the box for the R/T Plus, and you’re looking at a spend of more than $60,000 for what is essentially a small crossover with almost no brand recognition compared to other similarly-stickered hatchbacks.
This is problematic for Dodge for a multitude of reasons. When the SRT-4 cycle began there were no direct competitors to its turbocharged reign, and even the Caliber was really only up against the slow-selling Chevrolet HHR SS during its glory days.
Not so the Hornet. The R/T skips over the entry-level entirely and finds itself priced well above the uncomfortable province of well-established hatchback kingpins like the Volkswagen Golf R and the Honda Civic Type R – neither of which are burdened by the mass of a battery pack, with both maintaining a manual gearbox to target those few enthusiasts left who still care about making a mechanical connection with their ride.
If the Hornet were a true thrill ride, this wouldn’t present much of a problem. But for a vehicle that plays out more as a technical exercise than a cohesive product, it’s hard to identify who the R/T model is targeted at: EV-curious enthusiasts not ready to take the full battery plunge? Commuters who want to cut loose at the end of the day, but not muss their hair in the process? Golf R owners who really want that extra inch of ground clearance?
For $10,000 less, buyers can sidestep much of the above confusion and opt for the Hornet GT, a model that leaves the hybrid hardware (and 250 kilograms of curb weight) at home in favour of a 268 horsepower turbocharged gas engine. Say, aren’t those numbers nearly a match for the Caliber SRT-4? And isn’t its pricing at least a little closer to the realm of what Volkswagen Golf GTI buyers are paying for their own hot hatch fix? Spending time with the Hornet R/T had me feeling like Dodge’s ongoing tale of compact turbo fun might best be told by the next-step-down on the pricing and performance ladder.
Pros
✔ Competent performance and handling
✔ 50+ km of electric range
✔ Quality interior with sporty touches
Cons
✘ PHEV upgrade is overpriced
✘ Lack of excitement
✘ Hornet GT offers much better value
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