2025 Dodge Hornet Model Review with Prices, Photos, & Specs
Key Features
- Starting at $29,995 MSRP*
- Choice of standard 2.0L I4 DOHC Direct-Injection Turbo Engine (268 HP / 295 lb-ft Torque) or available 1.3L I4 DOHC Direct-Injection Turbo Engine PHEV (288 HP / 383 lb-ft of Torque), standard all-wheel drive
- Available class-exclusive PowerShot and Brembo® Front Fixed Brake Calipers
- Standard 10.25-inch Uconnect® 5 Touchscreen Radio and 12.3-inch Instrument Cluster
- Keyless Enter ’n Go with Passive Entry
- Optional Harman Kardon® Premium Sound System with 14 Speakers including Subwoofer
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Available 12-way leather-trimmed heated and ventilated front seats
About the Dodge Hornet
With the Hornet, Dodge took decades of muscle car experience and applied it to the compact SUV segment to create a truly one-of-a-kind vehicle type. The Hornet is a high-tech performance machine, with a highly potent standard drivetrain, or an available plug-in hybrid drivetrain that delivers incredible acceleration. All-wheel drive comes standard, which is another huge advantage in this price range, in both the performance and the practicality departments. This is the real advantage of the Hornet, a practical-sized daily driver that can turn into a serious performance machine by just pushing down on the accelerator pedal a bit further. There is even an available Track Pack, to turn up the performance even more. All this plus a comfortable interior with some impressively advanced technology.
What the Critics Say
“Where the Hornet beats its competition, though, is in its spunky on-road demeanor. Dodge has also equipped every model with a generous list of standard features that includes a digital gauge display, the company's most up-to-date infotainment interface, and a host of driver-assistance features including automated emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection.” – Car and Driver
“The great thing about the Hornet is that you don’t need to spend more than the minimum. The base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder “Hurricane” engine makes 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. With it, the Hornet hits 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, which is already quicker than just about every competing model. It has a fat power curve, so you can step on the throttle anytime and it’ll take off.” – MotorTrend
What’s New in the 2025
The Hornet is still quite a new model, so changes for 2025 haven’t been extensive, but are exciting nonetheless. The first change is to the Track Pack, which now includes a set of steering wheel paddle shifters. And to help you better appreciate this and the other performance aspects of the Hornet, every new Hornet now comes with a day of high-performance driving instruction at the Radford Racing School, the Official High-Performance Driving School of Dodge//SRT®.
Dodge Hornet Features
Muscle Car Performance
Performance is the most obvious area where the Hornet is a huge standout in its class. The standard 2.0-liter turbocharged engine produces 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. That’s already enough for the Hornet to have a noticeable power advantage over its competitors, but there is another option. The available plug-in hybrid drivetrain produces 288 horsepower and 382 lb-ft of torque, and can get you from 0 to 60 in just 5.6 seconds. For R/T trims, there is also PowerShot, a segment-exclusive feature that gives you an additional 30 horsepower for up to 15 seconds. The plug-in hybrid is also capable of traveling up to 32 miles on electric-only power. Both drivetrains come with advanced automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive as standard equipment. Available equipment, like dual-mode suspension and the segment’s only standard Brembo brakes, serves to heighten the performance experience of the Hornet.
Practical Comfort
With the impressive performance of the Hornet, it might be easy to overlook that it’s also a comfortable and practical daily driver. The interior has a performance theme, with available Alcantara® upholstery and red contrast stitching, but available features like a power sunroof mean it’s also a pleasant place to be when you’re commuting or stopping to pick up some groceries. Speaking of groceries, they’re easy to load into the back cargo area, thanks to the available power liftgate, which can be programmed to open to a preset height to avoid potential problems in confined spaces. Adding to the practicality is the plug-in hybrid drivetrain, which packs enough all-electric range that many people will be able to do all of their normal routine driving without using any gas at all.
Advanced Technology
The drivetrain options for the Hornet make it obvious that Dodge put a heavy emphasis on advanced tech. But there’s a lot more to this tech than just exciting power numbers. To start with, the Hornet comes with Uconnect® 5 and a 10.25-inch touchscreen. This advanced infotainment operating system is responsive and easy to use in ways that competitors haven’t managed to match. And you can use this system to control the available 14-speaker Harman Kardon® Premium Audio system, giving you a superior listening experience. There are extensive standard driver aids, like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control with stop and go. And more advanced features like ParkSense®, which helps you park in both parallel and perpendicular spaces, are available.
Trims & Specs
GT
- Starting at $29,995 MSRP*
- Standard 2.0L Hurricane4 Turbo Engine with 268 Horsepower and 295 LB-FT of Torqu
- All-Wheel Drive with Torque Vectoring
- Sport Suspension
- Uconnect® 5 with 10.25-Inch Touch Screen Display
- Air Conditioning w/ Dual-Zone Temperature Control
GT Plus
- Starting at $35,985 MSRP*
- Power Sunroof
- 18-Inch x 7.5-Inch Graphite Aluminum Wheels
- Black Leather Seats
- Harman Kardon® Premium Audio
- 12.3-Inch Digital Instrument Cluster
R/T
- Starting at $41,645 MSRP*
- Plug-in hybrid drivetrain with 288 Horsepower and 383 LB-FT of Torque
- 77 MPGe combined
- Normal Duty Suspension
- Power-Folding Heated Mirrors
- Heated Steering Wheel
R/T Plus
- Starting at $47,485 MSRP*
- ParkSense® Rear Park-Assist System
- GPS Navigation
- Wireless Charging Pad
- Power Liftgate
- Adaptive Speed Controll
*MSRP excludes destination, taxes, title and registration fees. Starting at price refers to the base model, optional equipment not included. A more expensive model may be shown. Pricing and offers may change at any time without notification. To get full pricing details, see your dealer.