2023 Dodge Hornet

Every 2023 Hornet uses the 2.0L Hurricane4 turbo four at 268 hp; the 288 hp R/T plug-in hybrid did not arrive until the 2024 model year. Strong for a compact SUV, mid-low against the SUV-wide band.

295 lb-ft is well above mainstream compact rivals such as the CR-V (179) and RAV4 (184 lb-ft).

Dodge's 6.5 s claim for the GT is quick for the compact class, where most rivals run 7.5–9 s.

Reviewers note turbo lag off the line before the 2.0L pulls strongly; punchy once on boost but not especially polished. Mid-pack refinement for the class.

The nine-speed automatic shifts quickly in normal driving but reviewers report occasional hesitant or abrupt low-speed shifts, and the 2023 GT lacked shift paddles for manual control.

2,000 lb rating is at the low end of the SUV field and typical of small crossovers.

AWD is standard on every 2023 Hornet — there is no FWD version. It is a conventional on-demand system with drive modes but no low range or dedicated terrain management.

A pavement-focused performance crossover: moderate ground clearance, no skid plates, no off-road trim or terrain management beyond basic drive modes.

For 2023 the Hornet offered a single powertrain — the 2.0L turbo with nine-speed auto and AWD on GT and GT Plus. The R/T plug-in hybrid was a 2024-model-year addition.

EPA combined 24 MPG is below most gas compact-SUV rivals, which cluster around 28–30 MPG.

Weak city figure for the class, reflecting the turbo four, standard AWD and the GT's weight.

Highway is the Hornet's best EPA number but still trails mainstream rivals by a few MPG.

A small 13.5-gallon tank and modest economy give a short total range for the segment. EPA publishes no range for gas models, so this is tank × EPA combined.

EPA's $2,800 annual estimate is on the high side for a compact SUV; EPA rates it $2,000 more over five years than the average new vehicle.

The 2.0L turbo is EPA-rated on regular, but Dodge recommends 91+ octane for full performance — premium recommended, not required.

NHTSA never published NCAP star ratings for the 2023 Hornet (its launch year); overall, frontal, side and rollover are all 'Not Rated', so no stars are credited.

IIHS never crash-tested the Hornet or its Alfa Romeo Tonale twin, so the 2023 model has no crashworthiness results and no Top Safety Pick award; untested earns no credit, though no structural concern is documented.

The 2023 Hornet GT (the only 2023 trim; the R/T PHEV arrived for 2024) comes standard with forward collision warning, AEB with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and rear parking sensors. Lane centering, surround view and park assist require the Tech Pack.

AEB with pedestrian detection is standard, but IIHS never published a Hornet front-crash-prevention result (vehicle-to-vehicle or day/night pedestrian), so real-world effectiveness is unverified.

Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection are standard on every 2023 Hornet, but both are alert-only, with no rear cross-traffic braking or safe-exit alert.

Lane departure warning with lane keep assist is standard, but sustained lane centering comes only with the Tech Pack's Active Driving Assist, and the shared Tonale system is criticised for a short hands-on timeout.

Adaptive cruise is standard and the Tech Pack adds stop-and-go with lane centering as Active Driving Assist; reviewers note the system can be foiled by direct sunlight, a rough edge against segment leaders.

No hands-free highway driving system was offered on the 2023 Hornet; Active Driving Assist is a hands-on Level 2 system.

LED headlamps with automatic high beams are standard, but IIHS never rated the Hornet's headlights so beam performance is unverified; the redesigned LED headlights only arrived for 2025.

A commanding forward view, but the sloping rear quarters limit rearward sightlines and the surround-view camera that compensates is a Tech Pack option.

Two outboard LATCH positions with top tethers, but a snug rear bench makes fitting multiple car seats, especially rear-facing, a compromise; IIHS published no LATCH rating.

Two-row, five-passenger compact crossover; the 2023 lineup (GT, GT Plus) offers no other seating layout.

Below-average front headroom for a compact SUV, consistent with its low, sporty seating position.

Adequate, mid-pack front legroom for the class.

Reasonable rear headroom on paper; reviewers found the back seat roomy for two adults.

Competitive published rear legroom, though the bench is flat and three across is snug.

Two-row SUV with no third row offered on any 2023 trim.

Narrow body limits cargo; 27 cu ft trails the CR-V/RAV4/Tucson class by up to 10 cu ft.

Maximum cargo is at the bottom of the compact-SUV class.

Conventional bins, cupholders and a small under-floor cargo well; small armrest bin and door pockets, wireless charging pad only on GT Plus, no onboard power outlet.

Well-bolstered front sport seats that reviewers found comfy on long drives, but base GT gets cloth with manual adjustment and the rear bench is flat; later Consumer Reports testing found the narrow seats tiring after a couple of hours.

Firm, sport-tuned ride that most 2023 reviewers called well-controlled, though busy over sharp bumps and harsh in Sport mode.

Reviewers split: some found only mild road noise, but others and Consumer Reports' instrumented test found road and wind noise above class norms at highway speed.

Dual-zone auto climate and rear vents standard; heated seats/wheel are a $495 Cold Weather Group on GT, ventilated seats and remote start only on GT Plus.

The launch-year 2023 Hornet GT (2.0L turbo, standard AWD) opened the lineup at $31,590 with destination, $740 less than the 2024 GT. MY2023 was gas-only; the R/T PHEV arrived as a 2024 model.

The well-equipped GT Plus (leather, Harman Kardon audio, larger screens) is taken as the representative trim, consistent with later years. Typical dealer stock carried options that pushed it toward ~$37–38k (one cited example stickered at $37,825).

Above the segment average. The Hornet shares its platform and 2.0L turbo with the Italian-built Alfa Romeo Tonale, recommends premium fuel, and launch-year units drew owner complaints about electrical faults, so parts and service cost more than for a RAV4 or CR-V.

Among the weakest residuals in the class. Leftover new 2023 GT Plus units were sold as much as $14,000–19,000 under sticker in 2024, which resets used values, and the nameplate was cancelled after the 2025 model year, leaving it an orphaned import.

Standard Stellantis basic coverage, the bottom of the compact-SUV segment; Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi offer 5 years.

Stellantis's 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage trails the 10 years offered by Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi.

There is no complimentary scheduled maintenance. Owners get 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance tied to the powertrain warranty and short Uconnect connected-services and SiriusXM trials.

$36,590 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (35% retained, or about $12,807) leaves about $23,784 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,900 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $29,684 in total.

2023 is the Hornet's launch year on a new Italian-built platform. Sources disagree: Consumer Reports' outlook ranges from average to below average and leans on Dodge brand history plus thin early owner data, while aggregated owner complaints cluster in the electrical system. A first model year with mixed signals belongs at the low edge of the average band.

Dodge sits mid-pack in J.D. Power's dependability studies, slightly better than average in 2022 and right at average in 2024, but in the lower half of Consumer Reports' brand rankings. That record was also earned on simple domestic RWD cars, not an imported Alfa-derived crossover.

MY2023 is covered by five NHTSA campaigns, all shared with the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Two apply only to the PHEV, not the scored gas GT: a 12V/high-voltage cable fault and a missing pedestrian-alert sound. The GT's own campaigns are a rear-camera image loss, twisting rear seat belts and a tire-placard error. The brake-pedal-collapse recall (24V752) starts with MY2024 and does not include the 2023 model, so the gas car's recall load is typical and not systemic, though high for its sales volume.

The 2023 GT, the volume and launch trim, uses the 2.0L turbo four from Stellantis' Global Medium Engine family with a 9-speed automatic and AWD. The same engine family runs in the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee and Alfa Giulia/Stelvio, where its long-term record is mixed but shows no catastrophic pattern. The Hornet application itself has no high-mileage history.

The cabin carries over the Tonale's design and soft-touch upper dash, but Dodge cut content to hit its price. Reviewers note hard plastics on the lower dash and doors, and switchgear that feels a step below the Mazda CX-50 and Honda CR-V.

These are launch-year builds from Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy. A factory tire-placard labelling recall and early owner reports of electrical and infotainment glitches and rattles point to uneven launch quality control, though there is no widespread structural fit issue.

The Hornet is serviced through Stellantis' dense nationwide Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealer network, so access is easy almost anywhere in the US. Service satisfaction at those dealers is mid-pack rather than strong.

Common GME engine service parts are widely stocked. Body, trim and chassis parts, however, are Italian-sourced and shared only with the Tonale, so lead times are longer and pricing is dealer-only. With the nameplate discontinued after low sales, aftermarket support will stay thin.

Mid-size 10.25-in Uconnect 5 screen on every 2023 trim; the 11.5-in unit only arrived for 2025.

Android-based Uconnect 5 is quick and logical with customizable home screens, but small on-screen icons — including the seat-heat/vent controls — are hard to hit while driving.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard on both 2023 trims, with dual phone profile support.

Amazon Alexa built in on all trims; native navigation is a GT Plus feature (GT gets only a TomTom trial), so most GT owners rely on phone projection.

Base six-speaker system is ordinary; the 14-speaker, 465-W Harman Kardon system is standard on GT Plus.

A configurable 12.3-in digital cluster with three information zones is standard on all trims; reviewers liked its map view.

Uconnect 5 supports infotainment and map OTA updates; no evidence of feature-adding whole-vehicle updates.

Uconnect/Dodge app and Alexa skills offer remote start (where equipped), lock/unlock and locate, but services move to paid subscription after the trial; no digital key.

USB-A/USB-C in both rows; 15-W wireless charging only on GT Plus and no household outlet.

Passive keyless entry and push-button start standard; remote start and the hands-free liftgate come with GT Plus or options.

HD rear camera and four rear sensors standard; 360-degree camera and 12-sensor setup require the Tech Pack.

No head-up display offered on any 2023 Hornet trim.

Rear doors and LATCH are fine for forward-facing seats, but rear-facing infant seats crowd the front row and the narrow 27-cu-ft hold limits stroller-plus-groceries runs.

Strong standard ADAS (AEB with pedestrian/cyclist detection, BSM, RCTA, adaptive cruise, rear-seat reminder) but neither NHTSA nor IIHS crash-tested the 2023 Hornet.

Rear vents, USB ports and a fold-down armrest help, but a firm ride, flat rear bench and small cargo hold make longer family trips a squeeze.

Compact footprint, quick steering and a mostly smooth nine-speed suit traffic, but the turbo hesitates pulling away from a stop and the firm ride wears over bad pavement.

24 mpg combined is below the compact-SUV norm, where hybrids reach the high 30s; the 2023 Hornet had no hybrid or PHEV option.

Short 178-in length and a ~38-ft turning circle make it easy to park; thick pillars and an optional-only 360 camera hold it back slightly.

Modest 2,000-lb tow rating and small cargo hold; usable for a small utility trailer only.

Brand-new, Italian-built platform in its launch year with no fleet track record and several early recalls.

No onboard AC power or work provisions; accessories limited to roof bars, hitch and mats.

Standard adaptive cruise and supportive front seats help, but ~324-mile range from a 13.5-gal tank and above-average road noise limit it as a tourer.

Standard AWD and a generous 8.0-in ground clearance handle gravel and snow roads; no off-road hardware.

Split-folding rear seat with pass-through and a small under-floor well, but a narrow load bay and only 54.7 cu ft max limit bulky gear.

Among the sharpest-handling mainstream compact SUVs: minimal body lean, well-controlled body motions and a rear-biased AWD feel.

Quick 13.6:1 rack with natural, slightly heavy weighting; reviewers single it out as a highlight.

Firm, easily modulated pedal and fade-free stops; Brembo front calipers available with the Track Pack.

Strong midrange from the 268-hp turbo four and a mostly quick nine-speed, but a pronounced hesitation pulling away from a stop and an occasional hard low-speed shift.

Turbo four is inoffensive at cruise but sounds coarser than Mazda's when worked; reviewers disagreed on its character.

Mid-pack turning circle for a compact SUV.

Driver-canted dash and a good forward view, but limited adjustment on base GT cloth seats, an easily mis-bumped shifter and small touch controls compromise ergonomics.

Genuinely entertaining for a mainstream compact SUV: quick, sharp-steering and eager, with launch hesitation the main spoiler.

The $31.6k GT comes with AWD, a 268-hp turbo four, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital cluster and dual-zone climate as standard. That is competitive for the price, but heated seats sit in a $495 Cold Weather Group and the fuller driver-assist and surround-view suite costs $2,245 extra (Tech Pack Plus).

Class-leading power and standard AWD at about $31.6k is a solid performance-per-dollar case. Reviewers still criticized cabin quality and rear-seat space for the money, and the $36.6k GT Plus overlaps better-finished CX-5, Tucson and CR-V trims.

MY2023 offered just two trims (GT, GT Plus) on one powertrain (2.0T AWD), with Blacktop, Track Pack, Tech Pack Plus and Cold Weather options. There was no FWD entry trim and no hybrid; the R/T PHEV only arrived for 2024.

In its launch year the Hornet sold only 9,314 US units in calendar 2023, a sliver of CR-V/RAV4 volume (~400k), and it topped lists of the slowest-selling US vehicles. Unsold 2023 inventory was still on dealer lots in late 2024.

Dodge's muscle-car image carries over awkwardly to a rebadged Italian compact crossover. Brand perception among crossover shoppers is neutral at best.

Launch pricing held near sticker briefly, but slow sales soon brought very large discounts on 2023 inventory. Leftover GT Plus units were advertised $14,000–19,000 under MSRP in 2024, so buyers rarely paid full price.

2023 was the first model year of an all-new generation on the current Tonale platform with Uconnect 5. In hindsight the nameplate lasted only three model years, so it never received a refresh and became an orphan.

Reviews were mixed. Critics praised the punchy 268-hp turbo and sharp handling but criticized the price, cabin materials and rear-seat space. It was not a comparison-test winner or a major award recipient.