Compare the2024 Dodge HornetVS 2024 Volkswagen Taos

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Hornet are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Taos doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Dodge Hornet has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Taos doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Hornet has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Taos doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Hornet. But it costs extra on the Taos.

The Hornet offers an optional 360° Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Taos only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Hornet’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Taos doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Hornet and the Taos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

Dodge’s powertrain warranty covers the Hornet 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Taos. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Taos ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Hornet’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Taos’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 4 times as many Dodge dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Hornet’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Hornet has a standard 700-amp battery. The Taos’ 640-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Hornet’s reliability 24 points higher than the Taos.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 109 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 31st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge above average in long-term dependability. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Dodge 6 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Hornet GT’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 110 more horsepower (268 vs. 158) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 184) than the Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Hornet R/T’s standard 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 130 more horsepower (288 vs. 158) and 199 lbs.-ft. more torque (383 vs. 184) than the Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Dodge Hornet is faster than the Volkswagen Taos:

On the EPA test cycle the Hornet running on electricity gets better mileage than the Taos:

On the EPA test cycle the Hornet R/T 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Taos 4Motion (29 city/29 hwy vs. 24 city/32 hwy).

The Hornet R/T can travel with zero emissions for 33 miles. The Taos can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Hornet R/T’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Taos doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Hornet has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Taos doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Dodge Hornet, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Taos.

For better stopping power the Hornet R/T’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Taos:

The Hornet stops much shorter than the Taos:

For better traction, the Hornet’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Taos (235/40R20 vs. 225/45R19).

The Hornet’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Taos 4Motion’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Hornet offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Taos’ largest wheels are only 19-inches.

For superior ride and handling, the Dodge Hornet has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Taos 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Hornet has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Hornet flat and controlled during cornering. The Taos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Hornet offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Taos’ suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Hornet is .4 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Taos.

The Hornet R/T handles at .87 G’s, while the Taos SEL pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Hornet R/T executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Taos SEL (26.5 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Hornet GT has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (8.1 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Hornet to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Hornet has 1.6 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more rear legroom than the Taos.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Hornet’s liftgate can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Hornet also offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or just by kicking your foot under the back bumper. The Taos doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

The Hornet has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Taos has no towing capacity.

The Hornet has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Taos (1195 vs. 948 lbs.).

The Hornet has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Taos (1245 vs. 948 lbs.).

The Hornet uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Taos uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

When two different drivers share the Hornet, the optional memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and radio stations. The Taos doesn’t offer a memory system.

If the windows are left open on the Hornet the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Taos can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Hornet’s standard Keyless Enter-N-Go allow you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. KESSY Push-Button Start standard on the Taos only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle. KESSY Push-Button Start is not available on the Taos SE/SEL.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Hornet has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Taos only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Hornet’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Volkswagen charges extra for heated mirrors on the Taos.

The Hornet has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Taos SE/SEL.

Both the Hornet and the Taos offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Hornet has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Taos doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Hornet’s optional ParkSense Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Taos doesn’t offer an automated parking system.