2023 Dodge Hornet vs 2024 Honda Passport

The 2023 Dodge Hornet showcased a front end that unmistakably displayed Dodge's muscle-car styling cues, including a wide, aggressive "raccoon mask" face, a bulging hood, dual extractors, and the classic Dodge "mail slot" beneath the illuminated Rhombi logo. From the rear, the Hornet's taillights spanned the vehicle's width, ensuring it was easily recognizable. However, from the side and rear quarter, the Hornet bore a resemblance to the Porsche Macan or Cayenne, which lent it a more premium feel, thanks to its Alfa Romeo Tonale underpinnings. The standard silver 17-inch wheels appeared cheap from afar, but the Blacktop and Track Pack packages offered more appealing wheel options and performance enhancements. The Hornet also continued Dodge's tradition of offering vibrant exterior colors, with seven options available.

Inside, the Hornet featured standard red stitching accents and a flat-bottomed steering wheel, emphasizing its performance roots. The base GT trim came with black cloth seats, while the GT Plus offered eight-way power-adjustable black or red perforated leather seats. The Track Pack added Alcantara seats with red accents. The sunroof was available only on the GT Plus trim. Overall, the interior design and features aimed to balance performance and family-friendly functionality.

The 2024 Honda Passport retained much of its previous design, with only minor updates since 2022, such as a more upright grille and squared-off corners. The Passport's design remained consistent with Honda's previous-generation models. Honda kept the trim levels simple with three options: EX-L, TrailSport, and Black Edition. Unlike some competitors, the Passport included leather seats, a power moonroof, identical touchscreens, and all-wheel drive (AWD) on every trim level. The TrailSport trim, designed for ruggedness, featured all-terrain tires, roof rails, and LED fog lights.

While the TrailSport looked rugged, it lacked some off-road capabilities, such as metal skid plates and recovery points. However, its approach and departure angles were more aggressive than those of the Subaru Outback Wilderness. Inside, the Passport featured old-school physical controls and an 8-inch touchscreen. The TrailSport trim included black leather upholstery with orange contrast stitching and an orange "TrailSport" emblem. The interior was simple and unassuming, with a mix of resilient plastics and softer materials, emphasizing a utilitarian design.

The 2023 Dodge Hornet boasted impressive performance stats, with its Hurricane 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine producing 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. This power output surpassed most competitors, including the Chevy Trailblazer, Honda HR-V, and Hyundai Kona. The Hornet's Sport mode enhanced throttle response, steering, and upshifts, achieving a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds. While the base Hornet GT exhibited peppy acceleration from a standstill, it experienced some lag when accelerating from cruising speeds. The Hornet R/T's hybrid powertrain improved pickup pace.

In contrast, the 2024 Honda Passport featured a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine, delivering 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. Managed by a nine-speed automatic transmission, the Passport offered smooth and unobtrusive gear shifts. However, peak torque was achieved at 4,700 RPM, requiring higher revs for quick acceleration. The Passport's fuel economy was rated at 19 mpg city, 24 highway, and 21 combined. The TrailSport trim included mechanical changes for off-road capability, such as wider tracks, all-terrain tires, and tuned suspension. All Passports came with Honda's torque-vectoring iVTM4 AWD system and a traction-management system with various settings.

The 2023 Dodge Hornet's GT Plus trim featured comfortable leather seats with four-way powered lumbar adjustment and memory settings. The Track Pack offered Alcantara seats with similar features. The driver-oriented cockpit layout favored the driver, with screen positioning and control placements enhancing the driving experience. However, the A-pillar's angle occasionally obstructed the view of traffic from the right.

The 2024 Honda Passport excelled in cargo space, offering 41.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 77.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The rear seats folded flush with the trunk floor, making it easy to load long items. The Passport comfortably accommodated five adults, with ample rear-seat legroom and numerous cupholders. The front center console bin was redesigned for more storage, and the cupholders were repositioned for better accessibility.

The 2023 Dodge Hornet featured a driver-focused digital gauge cluster measuring 12.3 inches, larger than the 10.25-inch center display. The Uconnect 5 system was intuitive and easy to use, with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM, dual-phone Bluetooth connectivity, and Amazon Alexa connectivity. The GT Plus trim added a 14-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, wireless charging pad, and navigation.

The 2024 Honda Passport's 8-inch touchscreen felt small for its spacious cabin. Standard features included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and a wireless charging pad. The system's turn-by-turn directions could be intrusive, and the seven-speaker audio system on the TrailSport trim was underwhelming. The Black Edition offered a 10-speaker audio system, but audiophiles might prefer other options.

The 2023 Dodge Hornet came standard with advanced driver-assistance features, including blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, a rear backup camera, and rear park-assist. The Tech Pack added front, side, and rear park-assist, driver-attention monitoring, and a 360-degree surround-view camera. The Hornet had not yet been evaluated by IIHS or NHTSA.

The 2024 Honda Passport included forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic monitoring, and adaptive cruise control as standard. However, the Passport received mixed crash test ratings, with IIHS giving it "Acceptable" and "Marginal" ratings in certain tests, and NHTSA awarding it five stars overall but four stars in frontal and rollover tests.