{"id":69268,"date":"2023-03-22T15:49:30","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T19:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=69268"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:19:52","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:19:52","slug":"2023-dodge-hornet-gt-first-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/reviews\/2023\/03\/2023-dodge-hornet-gt-first-drive.html","title":{"rendered":"2023 Dodge Hornet GT First Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My day driving the 2023 Dodge Hornet around Asheville, North\nCarolina, began with an R\/T Track Pack model, which blew my mind with the\nimpressive combination of performance and hybrid function, but the second half\nof my day was spent in a GT Plus model. My 2023 Hornet GT Plus test vehicle was\noutfitted in Blu Bayou with the Blacktop package, adding the black badging,\nblack mirror caps and black 18-inch wheels on the outside. Inside, my Hornet GT\nhad the black leather seats with red contrasting trim, which is the standard\nlook for the GT Plus package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are two key areas where the Hornet GT shown here differed from the R\/T in which I started my day with the new Dodge compact crossover. The first being the drivetrain and the second being the handling attributes of the new Hornet without the optional Track Pack package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hornet GT Power in Action<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The GT is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that offers 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, with the power being channeled to all four wheels by means of a 9-speed automatic and a traditional all-wheel-drive system. For reference, the R\/T is a plug-in hybrid model that has a turbocharged 1.3-liter engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels, while the rear wheels are powered by an electric motor. With the Hornet GT using a traditional front-wheel-drive-based system, it has an acceleration feel like other front-drive CUVs. This system only sends power to the rear wheels as needed, so when you are cruising down the highway, it is functioning as a front-wheel-drive vehicle to improve fuel economy. The Hornet GT quickly reminds you that it is front-wheel-drive when you attempt a hard launch from a stop, as the turbocharged engine will spin the front tires for a brief instant until the all-wheel-drive system transfers some power to the rear wheels for added grip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That bit of wheelspin helps to emphasize how quickly the\nturbocharged 2.0-liter engine roars up into the powerband, with the 9-speed\ngearbox shifting quickly, helping the compact Hornet sprint from a stop to 60\nmiles per hour in just 6.5 seconds with a sporty tone from the exhaust system.\nHowever, when you are not pushing the Hornet hard, the transmission gets from\ngear to gear smoothly, with the turbocharged engine quietly doing its job as\nefficiently as possible. When the need arises to suddenly put all of the\navailable power to the ground, putting the throttle to the floor gets the\ntransmission to jump down several gears, engine speed soars, boost levels peak\nand the Hornet GT climbs up over triple digits in a hurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While this model isn\u2019t quite as powerful as the R\/T PHEV, the\nGT is about 400 pounds lighter, so with the quick-shifting transmission, it\nfeels just as sporty as the hybrid \u2013 albeit with a distinct front-drive feel.\nIn fact, when pushing the Hornet GT to its limits in tight turns, it feels\nlighter on its toes and a bit more nimble, even without the added advantages of\nthe R\/T Track Pack \u2013 which is the second key difference between my first two\nHornet test vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sporty Handling is Standard<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The Blu Bayou 2023 Hornet GT shown here does not have the Track Pack like the R\/T I drove earlier in the day. That package adds Brembo brakes, adjustable dampers and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport performance tires, improving every area of handling. Of course, GT buyers can add the Track Pack and get the premium handling goodies, but even with the standard mechanical features, the Hornet GT offers a higher fun-to-drive factor than the competitors in the segment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The main reason that the 2023 Dodge Hornet GT handles so well\nis the Koni sport-tuned dampers, offering the perfect mix of ride quality and\nhandling. This suspension setup isn\u2019t quite as stiff as the Track Pack dampers,\nbut they still do a nice job of keeping the car planted when carving through\nthe corners while offering a slightly smoother ride. I would say that it is\nobvious that the suspension of the Hornet GT is intended to offer a sporty\nride, especially compared to the dull, numb handling of the competitors, but\nunlike some sport models that lose ride quality, there is no compromise in\ncomfort with the new compact Dodge. The Hornet is also surprisingly quiet when\nyou are cruising down the open road, so the standard suspension system really\ndoes a nice job of keeping any imperfections in the road surface out of the\ncabin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As for the braking system, the standard disc brake package\nthat comes on all non-Track Pack Dodge Hornet models features big 12-inch rotors\nup front, leading to solid stopping power during stints of spirited driving.\nEven during repeated hard stops on a twisty North Carolina country road, there\nwas no pedal fade or other signs of the standard brakes being overworked or\noverheating, even when I was driving the Hornet much harder than the average\nbuyer would ever consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you really want the best possible performance out of your\n2023 Dodge Hornet GT Plus, you should seriously consider the Track Pack, but\nthat is not essential for the turbocharged CUV to offer loads of fun-to-drive\nfactor. The quick-revving engine and the quick-shifting transmission work\ntogether to allow the Hornet GT great acceleration from a dig and through the\nmid-range, while the standard Koni suspension setup offers a combination of\nhandling and ride quality that is unrivaled by the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Dodge Hornet GT and GT Plus are the first models that\nwill reach dealerships, with the first wave of deliveries planned for this\nmonth. This means that anyone interested in test driving a new Hornet will be\nable to experience the vehicle discussed here very soon. If you are considering\na compact crossover and you want something that is actually fun to drive, the\nDodge Hornet is really the only option in the segment. When you add in the\nstandard 10.25-inch infotainment system, standard leather on most models and a\nsurprisingly roomy cabin for a vehicle with such a small exterior footprint,\nthe 2023 Dodge Hornet is the most engaging and enjoyable option in the booming\nsegment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My day driving the 2023 Dodge Hornet around Asheville, North Carolina, began with an R\/T Track Pack model, which blew my mind with the impressive combination of performance and hybrid function, but the second half of my day was spent in a GT Plus model. My 2023 Hornet GT Plus test vehicle was outfitted in Blu Bayou with the Blacktop package, adding the black badging, black mirror caps and black 18-inch wheels on the outside. Inside, my Hornet GT had the black leather seats with red contrasting trim, which is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":69280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2626],"tags":[2998],"class_list":["post-69268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-hornet"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/HornetGTFirstDrive_Feature.jpg","social_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/HornetGTFirstDrive_Social.jpg","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69268"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69268"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69405,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69268\/revisions\/69405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}