Back in February, Stellantis pulled the veil off of the new Alfa Romeo Tonale – a subcompact luxury crossover that will serve as a direct rival to the Cadillac XT4. Now the automaker has unveiled the closely related 2023 Dodge Hornet, which taps the same platform and powertrain lineup as the Tonale, but will compete in the mass-market subcompact crossover segment against the Chevy Trailblazer.
The 2023 Dodge Hornet will be offered in two trim levels from launch: GT and R/T. Under the hood of the Hornet GT will be Stellantis’ turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder engine, which is rated at 265 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Shifting is handled by the automaker’s nine-speed automatic transmission, while standard all-wheel-drive contributes to an estimated zero to 60 mph time of 6.5 seconds.
The quicker Hornet R/T, meanwhile, will feature a turbocharged 1.3L four-cylinder engine powering the front wheels, along with a single rear-axle mounted electric motor and a 15.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This plug-in hybrid setup boasts a combined maximum power output of 285 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, while an additional 25 horsepower is available via the deployable ‘PowerShot’ energy boost feature. With PowerBoost enabled, the Hornet R/T will hustle from zero to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. The PHEV powertrain can also be operated in pure electric mode for up to 25 miles and features a dedicated e-save mode for charging the battery.
Available equipment for the Hornet R/T and GT includes a Track Pack with 20-inch wheels and sport-inspired interior enhancements, dual-stage dampers with driver-selectable modes and a Level 2 semi-autonomous driver assist system. Both trims offer a standard 12.3-inch digital cockpit cluster screen and standard 10.25-inch Uconnect 5 infotainment system, as well as various standard safety assist systems such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Support and Blind Spot Detection.
Pricing for the 2023 Dodge Hornet GT is expected to start at around $29,000 when the crossover beings arriving at Dodge dealers this winter. The electrified Hornet R/T, meanhwile, will hit U.S. dealers next spring. Both trim levels will be produced alongside the Alfa Romeo Tonale at Stellantis’ Giambattista Vico Stellantis plant in Naples, Italy.
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Comments
GMINSIDENEWS- proceeds to show dodge news.
Please read the title of the article again. The 2023 Hornet is a direct competitor to the Chevrolet Trailblazer. GM Authority often posts articles pertaining to vehicles that compete with the current GM lineup.
If it upsets you, refuse to click on said articles. Problem solved.
But it isn’t a direct competitor? Lol the Horsepower and specs aren’t even comparable. Again posting dodge news on a GM site. 👍🏼
True… doesn’t the trailblazer start at 21k?
The Hornet is packing 128 more hp than the Trailblazer. The Hornet comes standard with AWD, whereas you have to pay an extra $2,000 to get AWD on the TB. The Hornet comes with a 10.25″ infotainment system, the TB comes with a 7″ ITS. The Hornet has dozens of options, whereas the TB options consist of rubber floor mats and not much else.
As a GM guy, the comparison is night and day, even though they lie within the same vehicle category.
Yeah, this vehicle is in no way competition for the Trailblazer. This is more in line with the Blazer, sort of.
Is there a hemi
This isn’t difficult.
The Hornet and Trailblazer are both compact CUV’s that are very similar in size and are produced to accomplish very similar tasks. If Dodge wants to place a 2.0L Turbo with 265hp underneath the hood of the Hornet GT vs. GM placing a 1.2L Turbo with 137hp underneath the hood of the Trailblazer LS, then that lies solely on GM. Both the GT and LS are the lowest trim levels of each vehicle, but the Dodge is packing 128hp more than the Chevy.
As a life long GM guy, it is sad to see.
No, these really aren’t comparable at all. You can’t go strictly off the size of the vehicle and say they are competitors. Imagine how ridiculous that would be with so many other vehicles.
A Dodge compact CUV and a Chevrolet compact CUV are direct competitors. I cannot make it any clearer. I don’t know if a lot of you guys are currently drunk or perhaps have some type of mental deficiency. Just because this new Hornet’s stats and options wipe the floor with the Trailblazer, that does not mean that they are not direct competitors that lie within the same vehicle category. The Hornet is 174″ long x 64″ tall and the TB is 178″ long x 65″ tall. THEY ARE DIRECT COMPETITORS IN THE SAME CLASS.
We are speaking about a Dodge…not an Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes GLA, Land Rover Evoque, etc..
Just because they are close to being the same size doesn’t mean they are direct competitors. It matters on more than size. It matters on powertrain, MPG’s, features, price. That like saying a golf cart and a spark are direct competitors because they are roughly the size. I’m not drunk by any means but maybe you should compare it to something that actually makes sense.
So, I guess that the Hornet will lie within its own category because Dodge decided to produce a vehicle that wipes the floor with the TB. The guy above said that the Hornet competes with the Blazer. FYI, the Blazer starts at $37k if you want AWD and is over 20″ longer. A competitor to the Hornet? Not even close. The Equinox is a little closer, but is still 6″ longer than the Hornet, costs ~$6k more than the Hornet for AWD and its base engine is the anemic 1.5L with only 170hp.
Any which way you cut it, Chevrolet loses to the Hornet:
TB LS AWD-~$3k cheaper, but has very little options and is 128hp behind the Hornet.
Equinox LS AWD-~$6k more, very little options and is 95hp behind the Hornet
Blazer 2LT AWD-~$8k more, very little options and is 40hp behind the Hornet
Just to pick your brain, what is a direct competitor to the Hornet? I’m guessing that you believe that the Ford Escape isn’t in the same category either, since it starts at $27k and packs 181hp in the lowest available trim level. The Hornet, Escape and TB are all compact CUV’s that are very similar in size,, but the Chevrolet gets stomped by both the offerings from Dodge and Ford. As a GM guy, it’s embarrassing.
What going on here is that Dodge is a performance brand now, and the Chevy crossovers are all pretty anemic.
They just don’t really compare well.
You have to go all the way up to a Blazer before you’re out of the pathetically slow range for Chevrolet.
and of course Stellantis would not fare well with a lesser vehicle because, you know Italian engineering, quality, and assembly and CUV in place of a Charger? But they did need to get intot he CUV pool before it was so full of P that everyone left it.
You don’t remember the brand article do you?
Dodge was the top mass market brand as rated by consumers. Third year in a row. Just because this is a Dodge, doesn’t mean it’s automatically on the same level as a cheap Chevy import.
Times have changed and you’re not keeping up.
No, I am keeping up. Dodge has come to the realization that people want more for their money and they have been supplying it for over a decade. For some reason GM can’t figure it out. Why buy an anemic Chevrolet CUV, when you can buy a Dodge CUV with much pore power, many more options and pay less? Will I ever buy a Dodge (or anything other than a GM)? Probably not, but their “performance first” attitude is nice to see.
With this being said, Dodge is making a strong case with their current lineup. Now, if they can just solve their reliability issues, they may move up the charts even further. Three of my friends have purchased brand new MOPAR products in the past 2 years and all of them have had transmission issues that needed to be replaced at the dealership. Unacceptable.
The Hornet is almost $10k more than the Trailblazer! And those 0-60 times for the Hornet seem slow for all that horsepower in such a small AWD vehicle. I recently rented a Trailblazer and I was very impressed. The TB is a very solid vehicle for the price and the power is just fine. If I anyone is looking for a small AWD vehicle the Trailblazer is definitely worth looking at.
The Trailblazer RS with AWD, which would be the closest competitor to the Hornet GT, starts at $28.6K. Add the larger infotainment screen to the Trailblazer and now you are at $29.4K. These vehicles are direct competitors in size and price. If the Hornet gets safety ratings that match the Trailblazer, GM might find themselves suddenly selling way fewer Trailblazers. Even the Trailblazer LS AWD starts at $25K….only $5K less than the Hornet and is still saddled with the 155-hp 1.3L…0-60 on the Trailblazer is 9.4 seconds. The Hornet is a performance car in comparison.
JFC…please be joking.
It’s kinda like comparing a 4 cyl Mustang with a Camaro SS. Yes, they are competitors but with a different engine option
The big question: why would anyone buy an Alfa Romeo Tonale now when you can get the same vehicle for less and access to a significantly more robust dealer network?
I’m sure Alfa Romeo dealerships are thrilled that this is happening.
Because they can it’s their choice to make.
Not the point I was trying to make. Just saying that badge engineering like this doesn’t do either brand (but especially Alfa Romeo) any favors.
Ehdit0r: I agree, but probably around 90% of the car buyers out there are nothing like us on here. Most know little to nothing about cars, brands, etc. That’s why Toyota sells so many vehicles. So I don’t believe this will do squat against Alfa (and we sure know the Alfa sales people will never share this with potential customers). I can see the Dodge sales people bragging about it to help get more money, but in the end it’s all just sales numbers and when this chip shortage is over and inventories go back up, every dealer will become the prostitute they really are deep down inside.
Why did people buy a Cadillac Cimarron when they could have bought a Chevy Cavalier
Same reason for buying a Buick over a Chevy I suppose.
Pricing on this is way to high. With a 2.0 turbo, fuel mileage is going to make it non-competitive. Highly unlikely this will be competitive from a sales perspective considering most Dodge customers are searching out cheap transportation.
Funny that this article pops up now. Just last night I was reading several articles online about this new Hornet. It’s still a crossover, so probably wouldn’t be on my short list, but I will say it’s much better looking than most crossovers and SUV’s. From the articles I was reading, it seems some will have fully painted molding around the wheels/bottom. That along with the better looks will give this vehicle a huge advantage. I’d be more interested in the PHEV model, but at 25 miles on EV only is just not enough. All Volvo PHEV’s are now between 35 and 40 miles pure EV. Even the quite old Ford Escape with the PHEV is around 35 miles.
Anyhow, looking forward to it coming out and actually seeing one. We all know Dodge and Chrysler certainly need product.
The name Hornet has been over used by now.
Its bland…..but at least it’s got the Alfa Romeo/Fiat reliability to compensate for that….
Are you for real. Alfa Romeo and Fiat are crap cars. Don’t ever buy one.
Looks interesting, until u realize it’s a dumb dodge
If they have any sense the 2.0 will require 87 octane. Maybe it does? I recall the Dart 1.4T needing premium
What…. It comes standard with a 295 horsepower 2.0L engine. How would this remotely be considered a direct competitor. It’s direct competition might be the Cadillac XT4.
The Hornet GT is the lowest trim level available and starts at ~$28k. The XT4 Luxury is the lowest trim level and starts at ~$40k for AWD. Not even close, bud.
seems a Cadillac, GM Chevrolet or Buick… at least 95 % equal
“Under the hood of the Hornet GT will be Stellantis’ turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder engine, which is rated at 265 horsepower and 295 pound-feet”
Ok.
“plug-in hybrid setup boasts a combined maximum power output of 285 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, while an additional 25 horsepower is available via the deployable ‘PowerShot’ energy boost feature.”
Nice.
“will compete in the mass-market subcompact crossover segment against the Chevy Trailblazer.”
Ha ha ha! Good one.
They will do well with the GT model, but $40k for the RT and God knows what they will be asking for the GLH…those trims will be niche imo.
IMO, the Hornet will compete with XT4/5, Buick Envision, Chevrolet Equinox.
Certain/limited people will appeal to the Hornet itself, mainly thirtysomething year olds and not younger due to its large size. Those thirtysomething people may not go in debt in the 40k range with today’s inflation. I could be wrong but the Hornet is too big when Ford, Audi, and Subaru, have the the sweet size with over 300 hp already competent in the market.
At this point, no one cares about the reliability or maintenance cost of the Hornet, it’s all about vanity while hauling the kids in a zoom zoom marketing commercials to sell the Hornet.
Who cares if they buy first gen junk to say I have fast CUV….
It doesn’t take a C student to compare the differences between the Hornet and other CUV classes but it does take an A student to know the differences…
I see this as more of a competitor to the Equinox or Terrain, not the Trailblazer. The Jeep Renegade is more of a competitor to the Trailblazer. That being said, if this is a competitor to the Equinox or Terrain, it blows the ‘Nox out of the water. Better powertrain options, similar pricing, more horsepower, and a way better interior. The Hornet RT with its Hybrid option and the GLH are both very tempting for a compact CUV…more worthy of a performance tag than the Equinox RS.
Is there a hemi?
People won’t like this but price points are much better than the blazer . It will sell units ..