Compare the2025 Audi Q3VS 2025 Dodge Hornet

The Q3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Hornet doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q3 and Hornet have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q3 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Hornet’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Audi Q3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Hornet doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Q3 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Hornet doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Q3 and Hornet have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q3 has Automatic Brake Activation (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 Q3 and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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.

The Q3 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-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 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Q3’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Hornet’s (12 vs. 5 years).

The Audi Q3’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Hornet’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

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 Q3’s reliability 11 points higher than the Hornet.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Q3 second among small premium suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Hornet isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. With 59 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Dodge.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 2 places higher in reliability than Dodge.

On the EPA test cycle the Q3 40 TFSI gets better fuel mileage than the Hornet GT running its gasoline engine (22 city/29 hwy vs. 21 city/29 hwy).

The Q3 has 4.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (15.9 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Q3 has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (15.9 vs. 13.5 gallons).

For better stopping power the Q3’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Hornet:

The Q3’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Hornet are solid, not vented.

The Q3 stops much shorter than the Hornet:

For better traction, the Q3 has larger standard tires than the Hornet (235/55R18 vs. 215/60R17). The Q3’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Hornet (255/45R19 vs. 235/40R20).

The Q3’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Hornet GT’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q3 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Hornet GT.

The Q3 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Hornet doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q3’s wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the Hornet (105.5 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The Q3 handles at .91 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q3 has .8 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front shoulder room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Q3’s rear seats recline. The Hornet’s rear seats don’t recline.

The front step up height for the Q3 is 2.3 inches lower than the Hornet (17.5” vs. 19.8”). The Q3’s rear step up height is 1.7 inches lower than the Hornet’s (18” vs. 19.7”).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Q3 easier. The Q3’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

The Q3’s cargo area is larger than the Hornet’s in every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Q3. The Hornet doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q3 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Hornet doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Q3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Hornet offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Q3 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q3 will retain 56.3% to 56.96% of its original price after five years, while the Hornet only retains 51.34% to 51.35%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi Q3, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Hornet isn't recommended.

The Audi Q3 outsold the Dodge Hornet by over two to one during 2023.