Sure, it was a hatchback and a rightfully derided one. But while we’re on the subject of forgettable Chr圜o products of the 2000s, there was also the Dodge Caliber. At face value, it checks out: The Journey was closer to a midsize crossover, while all of the brand’s older SUVs were either bigger or the Nitro, a sort of missing link between traditional body-on-frame SUVs and crossovers. Dodge calls the Hornet its first compact crossover SUV. Can a punchy little runabout based not on a grain-fed German luxury sedan, but a lithe, Mediterranean compact with an Alfa Romeo badge satisfy the cravings of America’s Brotherhood of Muscle? We set off for the hills of western North Carolina to find out. This lean, mean, all-wheel drive crossover has big tire marks to fill. Filling the void left by those low-slung, muscular brutes is the 2023 Dodge Hornet. As the Charger and Challenger burn rubber into the sunset, dealers are making space on showroom floors for the brand’s first all-new model in a decade. This is a year of transition for Dodge.
