Compare the2024 Hyundai TucsonVS 2024 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Tucson have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Dodge Hornet doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Tucson and Hornet have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Tucson has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Hornet’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Tucson and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Tucson achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Hornet has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Tucson comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Hornet’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Hornet. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Hornet ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Tucson’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Hornet’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Dodge doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Hornet.

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 Tucson’s reliability 27 points higher than the Hornet.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 8th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 10 places higher in reliability than Dodge.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Tucson uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Hornet requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Tucson has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (14.3 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Tucson higher (7 out of 10) than the Dodge Hornet (6 to 7). This means the Tucson produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Hornet every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Tucson’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Hornet:

The Tucson stops shorter than the Hornet:

For better traction, the Tucson has larger tires than the Hornet (235/65R17 vs. 215/60R17).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson’s wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the Hornet (108.5 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Hornet.

The Tucson Limited AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Tucson has a 2.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (8.3 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Tucson to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Tucson’s minimum ground clearance is .2 inch higher than on the Hornet GT (8.3 vs. 8.1 inches).

The Hyundai Tucson may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 450 pounds less than the Dodge Hornet.

The front grille of the Tucson uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Hornet doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Tucson has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 3.3 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more rear hip room and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Tucson’s rear seats recline. The Hornet’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Hornet with its rear seat up (38.7 vs. 27 cubic feet). The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (74.8 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Hornet doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Tucson uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Hornet doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Tucson has a higher standard payload capacity than the Hornet (1280 vs. 1195 lbs.).

Both the Tucson and the Hornet offer available heated front seats. The Tucson Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Hornet.

The Tucson Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Hornet’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Tucson is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Hornet doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Tucson owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Tucson will cost $5 to $1290 less than the Hornet over a five-year period.

The Tucson will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Tucson will retain 52.49% to 54.46% of its original price after five years, while the Hornet only retains 51.34% to 51.35%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Tucson will be $635 to $6522 less than for the Dodge Hornet.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Tucson, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Hornet isn't recommended.

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Dodge Hornet by almost 23 to one during 2023.