After the sad news of Dodge discontinuing both the Challenger & the Charger, at the same time, they broke out news that a new Hornet was going to make a comeback. Getting as excited as a teenager getting hits on TikTok, we were ready for a new generation of muscle. The problem is, in today’s world, what the customer really wants versus what they’ll actually buy are two different things; so, then we shouldn’t have been all that surprised when Dodge’s remake of the Hornet was to be in crossover form.

But hey, this is Dodge after all, this is not going to be your average soccer mom, Starbucks gulping, grocery getter, now, is it?

Starting out the door at $31,180, the Hornet wastes no time with some puerile entry-level performer; hell no, straight from the get-go, it comes standard with a 268-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, 295 lbs-ft of torque, and all-wheel drive. Showing you, you don’t need to spend all your allowance in one place. But if do feel like blowing your wad, the Hornet has many options to offer, like a GT Plus model, a Tech Package, a GT Blacktop Package, and a Track Package (which oddly enough isn’t available online, rude.) Start clicking away at the options list and we soon find that a reasonably priced compact crossover climbs to a staggering $43,320, good grief. And there is even a more expensive Plug-In Hybrid to come.

The Hornet’s DNA strives mostly from its Italian roots with sharing many of its mechanical under pinning’s and interior parts with the Alfa Romeo Tonale. When in Rome, we make a crossover, and this Hornet dials up the spices. There is no hiding that Dodge is advertising the eagerness its saucy, fiery side with a bulbous sport button protruding from the steering wheel. They want their owners to enjoy driving, even if it is behind the wheel of a crossover.  Pressing that ‘Sport” button the digital gauges to their dance and the Hornet will spring off its feet from 0-60 mph in less than 6.5-seconds.

Driving the Hornet like we just robbed a bank, you get that Italian sense of driver connectivity. The power curve is high, and the turbo is always there waiting for you to stomp on the accelerator. The 9-speed transmission is sharp and to the point with smooth responses. The Track Package on our Hornet gave it electronically adjustable dampers that would stiffen up the suspension and feel like a low sunk sports car without any of the uncomfortable drawbacks. Even under normal driving, the suspension felt like a luxury vehicle, soaking up the roughness of the outside world.

But there is an underlining problem; everything is all well and happy while utilizing the Sport mode option. Under normal driving conditions, the Hornet feels like an untrained puppy that just wants to go outside and play. At low speeds the transmission tends to behave aggressively when thumping between first and second gear. The turbocharger, generally on high alert in Sport mode, but in normal traffic, it’s as if it got bored and went to take a nap.

Considering many of the interior components have been shared from the Tonale, the inside is a relatively nice place to be whether you’re sporting for the entry-level GT or went for the glory on the GT Plus Track Pack. Our example carrying that aforementioned package promoted the interior with sport amplified red and black seats that almost looked like the fabric was pulsating. Overall fit and finish felt decently on par to its price with soft touch materials on the important bits and carried an overall high level of comfort for being a sub-compact crossover.

However, through all the glitz and glamor, there were so many tiny frustrating things that started to add up. Things like the cupholder placement in front of the center console, making it difficult to access both an item in the cupholder and the center console itself. Then there’s the wireless charging pad that doesn’t fit the latest oversized phone dimension without finagling it into an awkward angle, at least it kept us from accessing our phone while driving. The 10.25-inch touch screen display is the perfect size for the vehicle, it offers wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity and is well within the drivers reach and easy to navigate; however, the software is still slightly glitchy with delayed responses to inputs and the Frame Per Second ratio on the back-up camera struggles to keep pace when reversing.

The Hornet sits at an odd place amongst the competition; Dodge doesn’t really advertise the Hornet competing against the Kia Sportage or Nissan Rogue, and that’s mostly due to the performance aspect. They do claim they are targeting the Mazda CX-5; but even I am a little skeptical about that. The Hornets interior dimension falls more in line to the smaller Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona, and Volkswagen Taos. And even though the Hornet’s sub-crossover interior findings are on par with its competitors featuring a small back seat that’s cumbersome to access and a trunk capacity big enough for barely a grocery run, its performance still outweighs the Volkswagen, Mazda and certain models of the Hyundai Kona.

Which puts the Hornet between a rock and a hard place. The high-performance Hyundai Kona N is the cheapest and most powerful with pricing around $36,000, but it is smaller, has less fuel economy and looks like a running shoe. The Mazda CX-30 Turbo is $5000 cheaper with pricing around $38,000, has slightly better fuel economy but requires premium fuel for maximum horsepower performance and it isn’t nearly as handsomely well packaged or as fun-to-drive as the Hornet. Our Hornet with its premium price and average fuel economy of 23.3-mpg’s is like dating someone attractive with a nicely toned body, they’re handy when you need them to carry precious cargo, but also carries high endurance that can take you for a fun ride. Even if it means they’re going to drain your bank account once a month.