We’re Driving the 2023 Dodge Hornet Soon: What Do You Want to Know?

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The 2023 Dodge Hornet brings the brand back into the small crossover fray.

There’s been all sorts of moving and shaking over in the Dodge camp over the past few months. The headline pieces of news have been the imminent demise of the Dodge Challenger and Charger, as well as an all-electric muscle car in due time. There’s another step in the process, though, and that’s the return to the crossover game with the new Hornet.

Dodge’s latest compact SUV, built in Italy on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Tonale, is hitting dealers in the coming weeks. Since it’s right around the corner, Nathan and I are testing the Hornet next week. Before we dig into it, though, what do you want to know about it?

As a quick primer, here’s what else we know about it. The 2023 Dodge Hornet is jumping into the small crossover game with two powertrains: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo GT or a 1.3-liter-backed plug-in hybrid R/T. The former is already one of the more potent options in the class, putting out 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque (per official Stellantis specs). The latter is even more powerful, managing 288 horsepower and a whopping 383 lb-ft of torque. The non-hybrid GT mates up to a 9-speed transmission, while the R/T PHEV uses a 6-speed ‘box.

Pricing for the 2023 Dodge Hornet GT kicks off at $31,590, while pricing for the R/T can rise north of $50,000 — a big ask for a compact crossover. Mind you, that is less expensive than the Alfa Romeo Tonale.

2023 Dodge Hornet GT

I’m especially curious whether this “Dodge” Hornet can succeed in the same space as its V8-powered brethren. There’s definitely a business case for the Hornet — this is a fiercely competitive segment and crossovers sell like hot cakes — but Dodge’s last gap-filling models (the Dart, Journey and Caravan) weren’t really in line with the brand’s latest performance-minded image.

We’ll have an answer to that question soon, but let us know what you’d like us to cover when we test out the Hornet next week! We will have a better look at the Hornet in a few days, followed by driving impressions (we won’t be able to talk about how it drives for a couple more weeks, so stay tuned for more updates).