There are certainly better SUVs out there. For the same price as a base Hornet, you could also have a Honda CR-V, a Toyota RAV4, a Subaru Forester (the latest model has just been revealed), or a Mazda CX-5. If you’re buying with your head, all of these cars make more sense.
But the Hornet has that X-Factor that makes it unique. It feels like a car that was built by enthusiasts, which is something the Italians do really well. Unfortunately, buying Italian is challenging because dealers are few and far between. Nothing went wrong with the Hornet during the week I had it, but it was nice to know that the nearest Dodge dealer was less than 10 miles away. And, we must point out that Dodge keeps doing well in reliability studies.
The Hornet is a bit more expensive than the SUVs mentioned earlier. The base model no longer retails for less than $30k, so Dodge’s claim about the most power for under $30k no longer stands.
If you don’t live in a cold weather state, we’d go for the base GT – 2023 models have an MSRP of $30,735 excluding destination (2024 models start at $31,400). If you live in the snow, it’s best to pay a bit more for the GT Plus and have Dodge fit all the goodies you need for the cold weather, plus a few additional luxuries.