Toyota at least has some new products. Seen the new Prius? A stand out jaw dropper, especially for a freaking Prius. Chrysler would kill for a boring reliable crossover like the Corolla Cross. One of the things that (whatever the slang term is now for FCA) has ZERO of is a cheap entry level car. The Maverick has been a HUGE success. Even CR recommends the Hybrid model......rare for a new American car. The refresh of the Compass will land with a thud because it still looks like a Compass, the Bronco Sport looks cool to many many eyes. The Hornet is ok looking but nothing really new so Dodge will try for the tiny niche of the bad boy compact SUV market.
Detroit Free Press Hornet review
New 2023 Dodge Hornet is sporty alternative in sea of anonymous small SUVs
The new, sporty compact Dodge Hornet SUV engineered like an Alfa Romeo has standard all-wheel drive and plenty of power, but it's heavy.
www.freep.com
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I disagree that Mazda is moving away from sportiness. Yes, they have been trying to become more premium, but they remain focused on styling and sporty driving.Mazda has actually been inching away from that performance niche and trying to move "upmarket" whatever that means. That does leave a little room for Dodge, and I think the Hornet GT and Mazda CX-30 are direct competitors. Also, while Mazdas do tend to be well put together, it's not something anyone talks about and I'm not sure it's really a priority for their buyers. We're not talking Toyota here, where their entire reputation is centered on quality and reliability (personally I think it's because they don't have much else). It's more of a side benefit.
Admittedly, their definition of sportiness is more subdued than Dodge’s. But that’s mostly because they are looking to appeal to a global audience.
Mazda never moved away from performance, they are doing upmarket performance - basically BMW/Alfa Romeo turf, but they were arguably doing it better. I think the current Mazdas are way too stiff. I'm not sure Hornet and CX-30 are direct but Hornet and Mazda 3 Turbo Hatch... well, maybe the Hornet is between those two. I haven't driven one. Compass got a bigger feel than Renegade had.Mazda has actually been inching away from that performance niche and trying to move "upmarket" whatever that means. That does leave a little room for Dodge, and I think the Hornet GT and Mazda CX-30 are direct competitors. Also, while Mazdas do tend to be well put together, it's not something anyone talks about and I'm not sure it's really a priority for their buyers. We're not talking Toyota here, where their entire reputation is centered on quality and reliability (personally I think it's because they don't have much else). It's more of a side benefit.
Toyota does have some excellent cars - Highlander, new Camry if you ignore the absurdly poor telematics, probably new Sienna - if you want comfort and reasonable handling and acceleration and economy. I wouldn't count them out. I also won't buy one due to some of their local actions.
Oops, beaten by Aldo.
True enough. I will add that Mazda has been able to sell for reasonably high prices. There's no stigma attached to Mazda. When Mazda news posts, you don't see a thousand people talking it down.Does anyone really think the quality of an Italian built new model will be a quality success? MT's test car had electronics glitches and their review was far less positive. The freep and CD "reviews" were little more than puff pieces that listed features and had little true driving impressions. I have no doubt it drives well, but a compact SUV needs to do boring things well and be reliable. The back seat and cargo area is smaller than most of its competition. Mazda has tried to capture the niche performance market for its SUVs and they remain a niche player. But at least Mazda has a rep for decent quality.....Dodge not so much. The last new car, the Dart with its Italian turbo 4 was a quality disaster at first.
Their telematics are even starting to become almost usable.
Ugh, yeah, don’t get me started on those Mazda electronics...True enough. I will add that Mazda has been able to sell for reasonably high prices. There's no stigma attached to Mazda. When Mazda news posts, you don't see a thousand people talking it down.
Their telematics are even starting to become almost usable.
The Mazda infotainment system in my Fiat Spider is absolute and utter garbage.
One of these days I might go buy a gun just so that I can put a round right through it...!
Their whole telematics design was a very narrow one specifically centered around NOT being a touch screen setup. While that freed them from keeping the screen within arm's length, it maked phone integration very rough. CarPlay/AndroidAuto does NOT work well with their hand controller, and the screen was too far away to just slap a touch layer on the front of the screen.Ugh, yeah, don’t get me started on those Mazda electronics...
The Mazda infotainment system in my Fiat Spider is absolute and utter garbage.
One of these days I might go buy a gun just so that I can put a round right through it...!
I used to love Mazdas, had a first and a third gen Mazda3. But given the choice of the CX-30/3 (Which look so much alike to me inside and outside) and the Hornet I'd prefer the Hornet. Mazda doesn't have a hybrid CX-30 yet, Stella's infotainment is second to none, pretty much, and I just like the Hornet's styling a lot more.
Yes. I’m spoiled by the Uconnect 4 in my Jeep Wrangler. The thing is quick, fool-proof and seamless.
Mazda’s entire approach of giving you a touchscreen when the vehicle is not moving, and forcing you to use that rotary dial when the vehicle is in motion is fundamentally flawed. It takes your attention away from driving, which is the exact opposite of what they are trying to accomplish.
Beyond that, Mazda’s connectivity is iffy at best. My phone takes literally 7 minutes to connect to the car and load up. Streaming music is sketchy at best; I get either disconnected or indecipherable error messages. And their navigation takes way too many clicks to get anything done.
One of FCA’s best decisions was to drop Fiat’s system and focus its resources on UConnect.
Mazda’s entire approach of giving you a touchscreen when the vehicle is not moving, and forcing you to use that rotary dial when the vehicle is in motion is fundamentally flawed. It takes your attention away from driving, which is the exact opposite of what they are trying to accomplish.
Beyond that, Mazda’s connectivity is iffy at best. My phone takes literally 7 minutes to connect to the car and load up. Streaming music is sketchy at best; I get either disconnected or indecipherable error messages. And their navigation takes way too many clicks to get anything done.
One of FCA’s best decisions was to drop Fiat’s system and focus its resources on UConnect.
Yeah, Alfa ironically hung on to their bespoke system the longest, and if they had held on longer the Hornet might be stuck with it too. Which would not have been good.Yes. I’m spoiled by the Uconnect 4 in my Jeep Wrangler. The thing is quick, fool-proof and seamless.
Mazda’s entire approach of giving you a touchscreen when the vehicle is not moving, and forcing you to use that rotary dial when the vehicle is in motion is fundamentally flawed. It takes your attention away from driving, which is the exact opposite of what they are trying to accomplish.
Beyond that, Mazda’s connectivity is iffy at best. My phone takes literally 7 minutes to connect to the car and load up. Streaming music is sketchy at best; I get either disconnected or indecipherable error messages. And their navigation takes way too clicks to get anything done.
One of FCA’s best decisions was to drop Fiat’s system and focus its resources on UConnect.
Absolutely build it. Demand is there for it right now. I believe that EVs will be superior in almost every way to ICE vehicles. Once cost parity is reached (I'm seeing predictions within the next 2 to 3 years), the auto market will likely shift quickly to EVs. People can be resistant to change, but most will not choose to pay more to get an ICE vehicle that doesn't perform as well as the less expensive EV version.They can build it but given the reaction from what is presumably their target market, would you build it? A lot of people are in the "V8 Or Die" crowd right now, and wouldn't even accept a HO Hurricane6.
Either that or PHEV will become dominant. Or even HFC. If we all had PHEVs, private transportation fuel use would become much less of an issue and it would make sense to focus on industrial transportation, shipping, etc. Saying that though we still haven't cracked down on Bitcoin, which probably generates about as much CO2 as all cars combined (known bitcoin generators currently generate more CO2 than Serbia). They have coal plants dedicated to freakin’ bitcoin and the latest thing is taking nat-gas straight from the ground to private generators for more cybercash...
I honestly think the PHEVs are the dominant near-future solution. There's just so many battery components out there and I think PHEVs get more people on electric than BEVs. Actually Alex on Autos did a video on this topic that I found very convincing.Either that or PHEV will become dominant. Or even HFC. If we all had PHEVs, private transportation fuel use would become much less of an issue and it would make sense to focus on industrial transportation, shipping, etc. Saying that though we still haven't cracked down on Bitcoin, which probably generates about as much CO2 as all cars combined (known bitcoin generators currently generate more CO2 than Serbia). They have coal plants dedicated to freakin’ bitcoin and the latest thing is taking nat-gas straight from the ground to private generators for more cybercash...
As a side note, I will never believe a Youtube video... there are real scientific reports on these topics and there is a LOT of fake science with hidden assumptions and methods issues that are designed to come to a pre-ordained conclusion.
Yeah, but this isn't a YouTube video. This is Alex *****, YouTube Car Nerd. 
And apparently his last name is too close to a censor-able word to make it through.
And apparently his last name is too close to a censor-able word to make it through.
The M-body squads had a higher skidpad rating in 1984 than the Camaro Z28 (.84 vs .81). That's with 215/70/15 tires, transverse front torsion bars, and rear leaf springs. For all the crap that young, unknowing car buffs throw at those cars today, they had very good handling and brakes for the time.I like the driving impressions. It's interesting how it can essentially be a FWD or RWD vehicle if you want. The near 50/50 weight distribution is nice too. This really looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. Just not on the dragstrip. Let's face it, no one cared if the Charger and Challenger handled well on curvy roads. This is new territory for Dodge, and Alfa might not be a bad teacher for it.
I want this, but I do NOT want the R/T Plus...essentially I'd be paying $5k for one thing I want (vented seats), one thing I do NOT want (power tailgate, hate them), and several things I never use (can't do qi charging on my phone, podcasts won't care about premium sound, and I never open my sunroof). Not sure who thought up the feature mix but they didn't have me in mind.
Today's AWD Charger Pursuit models have averaged about .85 on the skidpad (although with far less pucker factor than the M-body squads).
Just one data point here, but I think peoples' wants will change as they experience EVs more. I got a PHEV Pacifica for the gas mileage, thinking the same as you did that a PHEV made more sense for me. After I experienced ownership of a PHEV for a while, I realized that I really wanted an EV more. The light bulb moment for me was realizing that with an EV I'd leave my driveway each morning with a "full tank" - the end of fueling stations for me. If I can get an EV with 300 miles or more of range, I don't expect to ever need an away from home charging station. I would keep the PHEV for the 1 or 2 road trips I had to take each year, but I want my daily driver to be an EV.I honestly think the PHEVs are the dominant near-future solution. There's just so many battery components out there and I think PHEVs get more people on electric than BEVs. Actually Alex on Autos did a video on this topic that I found very convincing.
I'm waiting not so patiently for a compelling Mopar EV minivan, sedan, or small pickup (with an accessible bed like the Maverick). I'm watching for the Charger or Airflow, currently, because I haven't seen signals of an EV Maverick competitor. An EV Pacifica would be my first choice, but it seems likely that the minivan will be last in line for Stellantis development dollars.
The M body also rode much nicer in police trim than (at least the early) L body police cars. I had a 1989 Plymouth Gran Fury and 2007 Dodge Magnum at the same time.The M-body squads had a higher skidpad rating in 1984 than the Camaro Z28 (.84 vs .81). That's with 215/70/15 tires, transverse front torsion bars, and rear leaf springs. For all the crap that young, unknowing car buffs throw at those cars today, they had very good handling and brakes for the time.
Today's AWD Charger Pursuit models have averaged about .85 on the skidpad (although with far less pucker factor than the M-body squads).
I don't really care about the comments. I have come around to this. I know its expensive and the reliability is a big question mark but I could totally see myself buying a base GT in Hot Tamale.
Keep the stock rims as winters and get some nice ones for summer. The only thing with the base model I would miss is I can't option it with a moonroof. Everything else I want is included or part of one package I could easily add.
Keep the stock rims as winters and get some nice ones for summer. The only thing with the base model I would miss is I can't option it with a moonroof. Everything else I want is included or part of one package I could easily add.
I actually had a 2013 Dodge Dart SXT. I Believe it has the 2.4 liter engine. Was a nice little car for what it was, got good gas mileage, plenty of power for a daily driver. My biggest complaint on it was it was kinda small for me. Im 6'3", my ex wife was a foot shorter than me so it was perfect for her.Maybe so but it's been a long time, and as you pointed out, the last one was the Dart...which was also the last new model Dodge had until now. And it didn't go over well. Whether it was marketed correctly or tuned incorrectly can be argued, but it did flop. That also means the Hornet could flop too...I hope not, but it could. Frankly I liked the Dart and came THIS close to buying one...but I just can't bring myself to buy something with a trunk. Anyway, the days of the Omni GLH and the Neon SRT-4 are long gone, and the Hornet needs to bring those days back.
When me and her divorced we sold the car for the payoff because so that neither of us would be stuck with the note.
Sorry I have to disagree. The only thing jaw dropping about every Prius ever made is how totally ugly they are. The only other jaw dropping thing is how many have sold because every single owner must be blind.Toyota at least has some new products. Seen the new Prius? A stand out jaw dropper, especially for a freaking Prius.
2023 Toyota Prius First Drive: Yes, It’s Gorgeous. But Is It Good?Sorry I have to disagree. The only thing jaw dropping about every Prius ever made is how totally ugly they are. The only other jaw dropping thing is how many have sold because every single owner must be blind.
The old Prius' were indeed ugly. The new ones are really sharp.....I thing far better looking than the tubby Hornet. But looks are of course subjective.
Oh, sure they were ugly but they were and are some of the most reliable and long lasting cars around......something the haters way back when said would never happen.
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