Compare the2026 Volkswagen TaosVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Taos 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Taos deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Taos’ side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Hornet’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Volkswagen Taos achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Dodge Hornet has not been tested.

The Taos has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking 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 Taos and Hornet have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Taos has Rear Traffic Alert (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 Taos and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 rear parking sensors.

The Taos comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Hornet’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

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

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Taos for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen 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.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Taos uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Hornet requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Taos FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (13.2 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Taos AWD’s standard fuel tank has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 13.5 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Taos higher (7 out of 10) than the Dodge Hornet (5 to 6). This means the Taos produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Hornet every 15,000 miles.

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

The Taos stops shorter than the Hornet:

The Taos 4Motion®’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.

The Taos 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 Taos’ wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the Hornet (105.5 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The Taos SEL 4Motion® handles at .82 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Taos 4Motion®’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Hornet R/T’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The Taos’ turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Hornet GT’s (35.1 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Taos has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (7.6 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Taos to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Volkswagen Taos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 700 pounds less than the Dodge Hornet.

The Taos has 1.9 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

The front step up height for the Taos is 3.3 inches lower than the Hornet (16.5” vs. 19.8”). The Taos’ rear step up height is 3 inches lower than the Hornet’s (16.7” vs. 19.7”).

The Taos has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Hornet with its rear seat up (27.9 vs. 27 cubic feet). The Taos has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Taos easier. The Taos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 27 inches, while the Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

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

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Taos 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 Hornet’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Taos SE/SEL’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.

The Taos has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Hornet.

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

The Volkswagen Taos outsold the Dodge Hornet by over three to one during 2024.