2025 Dodge Hornet

You wouldn't expect the first new Dodge in a decade to come from Italy, but here we are. Maybe that's a hyperbolic leap, but the 2025 Dodge Hornet, which shares mechanical roots with the Alfa Romeo Tonale, has injected some vigor into the Dodge brand ahead of its very electric future. It's an odd thing to say about a subcompact SUV for a brand with a long history of six- and eight-cylinder muscle cars. But it's not without precedent. Buyers who remember the compact Neon SRT-4 from the early 2000s know that Dodge can do high performance in a small package. The Hornet looks to revive that streak. 

Edmunds spotlight: Hornet has enough style and sting for now

The 2025 Hornet will mark the third year of production for the new model. Mild styling updates often accompany this juncture — slight front-end tweaks, new headlights — but we suspect Dodge will leave well enough alone. The Hornet's svelte shape is a good look, reminiscent of its Ford Escape and Mazda CX-30 rivals, and doesn't appear in need of an urgent refresh. The Hornet is well sorted on performance, too. The GT trim can dash from zero to 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds with its 268-horsepower turbo four-cylinder engine. The R/T trim can cover the same distance in 5.6 seconds using the PowerShot feature, which uncorks short bursts of 30 horsepower more from its four-cylinder and electric motor combo. It can also travel up to 33 miles on battery power alone. We could see some options, such as adaptive cruise control, become standard items as manufacturers race to offer more value through driver assistance features. An optional, software-enabled power upgrade also makes sense, a modern electric take on Dodge's popular Scat Pack power upgrades for the Charger and Challenger. 

Competitors to consider

The Hornet is a tween, slightly larger and more powerful than subcompacts like the Hyundai Kona, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Mazda CX-30, but not quite as versatile as bigger compacts like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Among those two groups, only a handful also offer a plug-in hybrid model: the Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sorento and RAV4 Prime. None really offers the Hornet's distinct blend of performance and efficiency, though. 

The Hornet is still fresh enough that we don't expect notable changes for 2025. But we wouldn't rule out a bit of extra safety or speed.