Everyone needs a car to go to the grocery store (and everywhere else). Among some of the arguably cooler cars I own is an all purpose grocery getter. Something I won't obsess over. It has usually been something small and inexpensive- starting with Chevy Aveos 20 years ago, Corolla, Subaru Impreza, etc. With kids at home driving- I buy 2 or 3 of them depending on the deal I find. This year it is the Hornet. The worst selling car in America! Which is awesome...for being able to steal them from the dealership. The Hornet is actually an Alfa Romeo Tonale built in Italy. It got off to a rough start in the Hybrid model with some early issues- but the gas only versions I have avoided those. It is actually a really nice and loaded Italian built car (don't laugh at that): All the normal stuff, plus All Wheel Drive and a engine with about 100 more hp that its competitors, heated and cooled seats, the auto-drive stuff, much better than its competitors interior, etc. So why does it not sell? Have you ever heard of or seen one?? Right. Dodge put almost ZERO effort in marketing this. It also costs more than many of its rivals. The MSRP for mine is $41k. The Alfa version of exactly the same car is $45k. I purchased this for $25k... brand new. Heck of a deal! Toyota and Honda make cars in this segment that are known for reliability over all else. That is great- but they are in no way a Drivers car, which the Hornet aspires to be. That is not what people are chasing after in the grocery getter market, and I suspect Stellantis won't continue to sell the Dodge version of this car in the US. I've included a couple comparison images between the Hornet and Tonale.
- 268 HP
- 2.0 4 Liter Turbo
- Curb Weight 3,715 lbs
- 0-60 6.5 Seconds
- Top Speed of 140 MPH