The PHEV version of the Hornet certainly sounds impressive on paper, though it seems like it doesn’t translate quite as well to real life.
I got to drive the Hornet a bit, too, as well as a Tonale for a brief spin, for this past week.
Some additional thoughts:
– Ralph Gilles, Chief Design Officer for Stellantis, said during a “fireside chat” for Alfa Romeo that he’s trying to make cars smaller. He’s somewhat restricted by safety standards, but the Hornet does indeed feel smaller inside than other cars, but not necessarily in a bad way. You feel like you’re in a cocoon rather than in a mere box.
– The Tonale is almost identical to the Hornet. The major differences are that the Tonale has a bit better interior materials and a DNA system to select different driving modes – dynamic, natural and advanced. Other than that, they felt almost exactly the same.
– I’d describe the powertrain peppy and the handling on the sporty side.
– The Hornet has a nice, throaty exhaust note, but it’s a tad unpredictable when it will kick in or the hybrid electric drivetrain will kick in. Personally, I like a consistent sound.
– I couldn’t help comparing the Dodge Hornet/Alfa Romeo Tonale to a Mazda CX-30. The CX-30 I felt is roomier, has sportier handling/ride, and a more luxe interior. The Hornet has a throatier exhaust note and I felt the engine was a bit peppier.
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
That reminded me that Mazda recently announced it’ll be offering a hybrid version of the CX-50. Not unlike the Tonale and Hornet, the hybrid CX-50 uses a Toyota hybrid powerplant. (pulled from the RAV-4 if I remember correctly.)
I’ll be interested to see if and how Mazda makes the hybrid CX-50 feel different than the RAV-4.
