Compare the2024 Dodge HornetVS 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan.

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Hornet and the Tiguan 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, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

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

The Hornet’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (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 Tiguan’s 360-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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.

The Hornet GT’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 84 more horsepower (268 vs. 184) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Hornet R/T’s standard 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 104 more horsepower (288 vs. 184) and 162 lbs.-ft. more torque (383 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Dodge Hornet is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

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

On the EPA test cycle the Hornet running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

The Hornet R/T can travel with zero emissions for 33 miles. The Tiguan 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan.

The Hornet stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

The Hornet GT’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tiguan S’ standard 65 series tires.

The Hornet has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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 Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Hornet R/T handles at .84 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Hornet R/T executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (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 Tiguan (8.1 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Hornet to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Hornet is 8.1 inches shorter than the Tiguan, making the Hornet easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Hornet has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (27 vs. 12 cubic feet).

The Hornet’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

The Hornet has a higher standard payload capacity than the Tiguan (1195 vs. 1014 lbs.).

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 Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

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 Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 Tiguan SE/SEL.