2024 Dodge Hornet: Sportscar / SUV fun

This small-ish SUV, the 2024 Dodge Hornet, indeed has something for everyone.

And if you’re thinking ‘Wait, didn’t the Hornet used to be a hot rod?’, you are correct. 

The Hudson Motor Car Company produced a sportscar called the Hornet in the early 1950s. The American Motor Company, or AMC, bought Hudson and manufactured a Hornet in the 1970s as a compact vehicle. (AMC also manufactured the better-known Gremlin and Pacer.)

And today, the Hornet is now a small-to-midsized SUV that still has some thrill – and some practicality – to it.

The base engine is an inline-4 turbo offering 268 horses. Standard All-Wheel Drive helps make this little kicker worthwhile, along with some relatively easy handling. 

(I say ‘little’ because for us big boys, size is relative.)

Dodge wants the Hornet to not be like other Compact SUVs, and in many ways, it is not.  But it will cost you.

I tested the GT Plus, which is a step-up from the base GT trim. This one starts just above $38K US and adds a sunroof, leather upholstery, heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, navigation, power liftgate and (one of my true joys) 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound. 

All this is in addition to what you get as standard on the base GT, which includes rain-sensing windshield wipers, rear parking sensors, forward collision warning with automatic braking, blind spot warning with rear cross-traffic alerts, and lane-keep assist. 

Go up the food chain and the performance and style options get crazy (in a good way). 

Know upfront that it can get a little cramped inside, especially the backseats. You’ll get 27 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seats up, and almost 55 cubic feet of space with the rear seats down.  Not bad, really.

Also know upfront that when it comes to the small SUV category, love is not all around as was professed in The Mary Tyler Moore show theme, also from the 1970s.

The Dodge Hornet does struggle to find love among car buyers.  More popular class-competitors include the Mazda CX-5 and the Honda CR-V, both excellent cars IMHO.  Again, do your homework before you go shopping.

October is here.  Time to get ready for Halloween?  And to start thinking about turkey and dressing for November?

Anymore, it’s never too early to prepare. The good items are snapped-up fast, and materials for your Halloween costume may be harder to find this year, especially if the longshoremen’s strike on the Eastern US coast lasts awhile.

Pick your costumes – and your turkey – and your automobile carefully.