Dodge Hornet R/T Review: The Perfect Small Hybrid for the Daily Commute

Dodge is marketing the new Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid electric crossover as something that is a blast to drive, and it is a ton of fun to drive (as that segment goes). However, that ad campaign doesn’t really address the fact that it is a fantastic daily commuter vehicle – with all of the latest interior tech, an incredible electric regen system and a very comfortable, convenient cabin layout. I spent a week making my 17-mile commute and on those trips, I didn’t use a drop of gasoline until I intentionally run it in Hybrid Sport mode to test the regen system, and since Dodge likes to market it as a performance vehicle, I drove it like a performance vehicle and still got solid range figures.

The hottest topic when discussing the Dodge Hornet R/T online relates to all-electric range and whether or not the regen system charges the drive battery enough to really matter, so I will address these points first.

Regen Rates and All-Electric Range

When my Dodge Hornet R/T with the Track Pack and Blacktop package arrived, it did so later in the day. Another person had the vehicle before me and sent it back without charging it at all, so the company asked if I wanted to wait a few hours for it to charge or if I would take it with a “dead battery”. I was interested in driving the plug-in hybrid Hornet with no range to see how it performed, and I had some time-sensitive errands to run, so I told them to go ahead and bring it without charging.

When the Hot Tamale Dodge Hornet R/T arrived, it literally had 0 miles of electric range, and I immediately headed out to run an errand. My destination was 8 miles away, so it was 16 miles there and back. I left with 0 miles of range, drove the Hornet R/T hard in Hybrid Sport mode, including an array of pulls with the PowerShot system, and when I got home from that drive, I had 7 miles of electric range. Based on that, I gained a little less than a half-mile of electric range for every mile of hard driving in Hybrid Sport mode.

Next, after having the Dodge Hornet R/T plugged in for a number of hours (unfortunately I didn’t keep track of exact charging time), I headed out for my 17-mile commute, again driving hard in Hybrid Sport mode. That first day, I drove there with the air condition blasting and the Harman Kardon sound system blasting, then drove home that night with the windows and sunroof open while enjoying the premium sound system, of course with all of my interior and exterior lights on. During the course of that 34-mile drive in Hybrid Sport mode, I gained 16 miles of range – again leading to a little less than a half-mile of electric range gained for every mile driven in Hybrid Sport mode.

It should be noted that my area (Oakland County, Michigan) is very flat, so the Hornet R/T didn’t have to burn energy driving up hills, but it didn’t get to benefit from the steady regen properties when coasting down hills. Even with that in mind, I found that the Hybrid Sport mode will add right around a half mile of EV range for every mile driven – so in theory, every 65-70 miles of driving with the gasoline engine running will lead to a full charge of the EV drive battery. None of the other plug-in hybrids I have tested have had such an efficient regen system for the drive battery. On that day of using the Hybrid Sport mode, I was getting 32 miles per gallon.

After using the Hybrid Sport for the first day with the Dodge Hornet R/T PHEV, I spent the next four days making my 34-mile daily commute in Electric drive mode. Each day, I set out with 31 miles of range on the fully-charged battery and I got home with either 0 or 1 mile remaining, but the gasoline engine never came on at the end of those drives (there is a gauge option that shows the split between gasoline power and electric power). It should be noted that in a few situations where I applied full throttle in all-electric mode, such as merging into heavy, fast-moving traffic, the Hornet did switch to Hybrid mode to make use of the full complement of available power. Other than that, the system always stayed in Electric mode, even when accelerating with 90% throttle, but normal keeping up with normal stop-and-go traffic never required more than 50% throttle in Electric mode.

Based on my experiences with the Dodge Hornet R/T, anyone who drives less than miles round-trip will never really need to use gas for the daily commute. Of course, if you have access to a charging station at work, you will be able to recharge during the day and go ~34 miles each way without using the gasoline engine.

Comfortable and Fun to Drive

My Dodge Hornet R/T test vehicle was equipped with the R/T Blacktop and Track Pack bundle, so it was outfitted with the sporty black Altancara (synthetic suede) with red accents. Those seats have a suede-covered base cushion and deep suede-covered bolsters that keep you firmly in place during stints of spirited cornering, and they look pretty cool with center accents that make the seat look like it glowing red. More importantly, those deep bolsters are wide enough to accommodate the vast majority of body types and the cushioning is soft enough to be comfortable when sitting in traffic.

Furthering the level of modern comfort in my Dodge Hornet R/T test vehicle was the full spread of available technology, including a 12.3-inch configurable digital gauge cluster, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, plenty of different power points for cell phones and the aforementioned Harman Kardon sound system. The digital gauge cluster offers a wide variety of readout options, and the video below shows the options available in the center section. There are also a handful of options for the right side gauge area, including economy numbers, boost pressure and sound system “now playing”.

The infotainment screen offers full control through touchscreen controls for every application, including navigation, HVAC, the sound system, vehicle information and more. Several of the apps work with the controls on the steering wheel and another small panels next to the shifter on the center console, along with voice commands for some other applications, such as the navigation system. This system also has wireless Android Auto, allowing me to seamlessly use my phone to listen to Spotify and to use my phone nav system through the vehicle infotainment screen. Really, the UConnect 5 system is wonderfully user friendly, with a nice mix of digital controls, hard controls and voice controls for all of the most commonly used features.

The Hornet R/T also has a wireless charging pad along with an array of USB and USB-C ports, so everyone in the vehicle can charge their phones at the same time (provided that they have the right cable – there is only room to charge one phone at a time on the wireless pad).

As a regular user of Android Auto, I really don’t have any complaints about the interior of the Dodge Hornet R/T in terms of tech functionality. I got in each day, set my phone on the wireless charger, Android Auto loaded on the screen and let me pick my destination – providing me with the quicker route – then the music started and I headed on my way. During the drive, I used the steering wheel controls to change the track and volume level, enjoying the huge sunroof on cool nights while driving home while making use of the crystal clear sound quality of the HK speaker system. I expect that Apple CarPlay offers similar ease of use as Android Auto, allowing for similar phone-vehicle integration for iPhone users.

Finally, my Dodge Hornet R/T test vehicle was equipped with the Active Driving Assist System, which is a mild autonomous cruise control setup. When you set the cruise control with the Active Driving Assist System, the vehicle controls not just throttle and braking, but it seems the Hornet centered in the lane, so it essentially does most of the work of driving. It isn’t quite self-driving, but it is close. The system is best used on the highway, and even if you run into traffic, the system will bring the vehicle to a stop then get back moving once traffic moves. All the driver has to do is keep his or her hands on the steering wheel and the system handles most of the other driving duties.

If you are looking for a small SUV with all-electric driving capabilities for the daily commute and you drive less than 35 miles a day, the Dodge Hornet R/T is ideal. The interior is comfortable and packed with all of the technology that you could want in a vehicle in this class, and while it offers all-electric driving, the gasoline engine removes any concern of range anxiety while also providing extra power to bolster the fun-to-drive factor.