Compare the2025 Mazda CX-70VS 2025 Dodge Hornet

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-70 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.

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 CX-70 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Hornet doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Mazda CX-70 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 CX-70 Premium has a standard Secondary Collision Reduction System, 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 CX-70 and Hornet have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the CX-70 has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (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 CX-70 and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Mazda CX-70 weighs 723 to 1483 pounds more than the Dodge Hornet. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Mazda CX-70 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.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. With 69 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Dodge.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Dodge is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 14 places higher in reliability than Dodge.

Engine

The CX-70 has more powerful engines than the Hornet:

	Horsepower	Torque
CX-70 3.3 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	280 HP	332 lbs.-ft.
CX-70 PHEV 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	323 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
CX-70 Turbo S 3.3 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	340 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
Hornet GT 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	268 HP	295 lbs.-ft.
Hornet R/T 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	288 HP	383 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the CX-70 PHEV 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Hornet GT 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	CX-70	Hornet
Zero to 60 MPH	6 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.4 sec	14.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.1 MPH	91.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-70 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Hornet running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
CX-70
	AWD	3.3 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/28 hwy
		Turbo S 3.3 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/28 hwy
Hornet
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy

The CX-70’s standard fuel tank has 7.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The CX-70 Turbo S’ standard fuel tank has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (19.6 vs. 13.5 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CX-70’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Hornet:

	CX-70	CX-70 Turbo S/PHEV	Hornet GT	Hornet R/T
Front Rotors	12.9 inches	13.7 inches	12.1 inches	13.5 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.8 inches	10.9 inches	12.1 inches

The CX-70’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 CX-70 stops shorter than the Hornet:

	CX-70	Hornet
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	177 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-70 has larger standard tires than the Hornet (265/55R19 vs. 215/60R17). The CX-70 Premium’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Hornet (275/45R21 vs. 235/40R20).

The CX-70’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 CX-70 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Hornet GT. The CX-70 Premium’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Hornet.

Suspension and Handling

The CX-70 has 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 CX-70’s wheelbase is 19 inches longer than on the Hornet (122.8 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-70 is 4.9 inches wider in the front and 5 inches wider in the rear than on the Hornet.

The CX-70 PHEV Premium Plus handles at .80 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CX-70 PHEV Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Hornet GT (26.9 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the CX-70 has a 1.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (8 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the CX-70 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CX-70 Turbo S/PHEV’s minimum ground clearance is .1 inch higher than on the Hornet GT (8.1 vs. 8 inches).

Passenger Space

The CX-70 has 43.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Hornet (141.6 vs. 98).

The CX-70 has .9 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front hip room, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, 2 inches more rear hip room and 3.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the CX-70’s rear seats recline. The Hornet’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-70 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Hornet with its rear seat up (39.6 vs. 27 cubic feet). The CX-70 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (75.3 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

The CX-70’s cargo area is larger than the Hornet’s in every dimension:

	CX-70	Hornet
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	50.1”/97.5”	31.8”/62”
Max Width	49.8”	37.5”
Min Width	43.7”	37.5”
Height	31.6”	27”

Pressing a button automatically lowers the CX-70’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Hornet doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The CX-70’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Hornet’s (3500 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Dodge Hornet is only 2000 pounds. The CX-70 offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the CX-70 uses the Dynamic 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.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the CX-70 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Hornet. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The CX-70 Premium’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Hornet doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The CX-70 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Hornet doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the CX-70 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Hornet only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Hornet’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-70 Turbo S’ standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the CX-70 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Hornet doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the CX-70 Turbo S is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Hornet’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The CX-70 Premium’s standard 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 CX-70 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Hornet. The CX-70 Premium Plus/Turbo S also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Hornet.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mazda CX-70 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Hornet.

The CX-70 Premium Plus has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Hornet doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.