2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale and Dodge Hornet GT: Small-SUV debuts should have been postponed

2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale eAWD vs. 2024 Dodge Hornet GT AWD: Is Stellantis back in the game with some small SUVs?

Price: $52,790 as tested for the Tonale; $41,060 for the Hornet.

Conventional wisdom: The Tonale is judged by Motor Trend to be “a plug-in hybrid that makes sense” with “exciting performance and handling, loaded with high-tech and luxury features,” but complains that the “lane centering needs refinement,” it’s “expensive for a compact SUV,” and the “tall, narrow design impacts cargo space.”

Consumer Reports smacked down the Hornet like a picnic pest, liking only its “quick acceleration.” Lows included “stiff ride, loud cabin, unintuitive controls, awkward driving position, cheap interior, hampered visibility.”

Marketer’s pitch: “On a whole new level.” (Tonale) “The streets aren’t ready.” (Hornet)

Reality: A whole new lower level; these are barely street-ready.

What’s new: The small SUVs/tall hatchbacks from very different divisions of Stellantis are all new. They have enough distinctiveness between them, but still, there are enough similarities that I decided to pair them in one review.

Competition: Lexus UX, Mini Countryman, BMW X1, Buick Encore GX for the Tonale; Mitsubishi Outlander and Subaru Forester for the Hornet.

Up to speed: The Tonale moves pretty well for a small plug-in. Its 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine is aided by an electric motor that kicks out 285 horses; 0-60 happens in 5.7 seconds, according to Motor Trend.

The Hornet GT is powered by 268-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine; 0-60 is an even faster 5.5 seconds.

When the Tonale is running in EV mode, it’ll switch on the engine to assist for full power, but hang on to your fillings, because it can be a rough ride.

Hesitation: Speaking of rough rides, both vehicles had their share of bumps. The Hornet would take a few seconds to engage Drive or Reverse many times.

In the Tonale, a message about the collision warning system being shut off was accompanied by the vehicle — throttle fully opened and Mr. Driver’s Seat ready to roll — coming to a momentary standstill. Lucky I wasn’t pulling into traffic.

Shifty: The shifter has a nice feel, and rowing the gears is fun. In fact, it’s the surest way to iron out the jerky nature of the power train in the Tonale.

The steering wheel paddles are big and fixed in place, so they don’t spin with the wheel; when the others spin with the wheel, finding second can be tough while pulling out.

On the road: The Tonale handles nicely, much better than the larger Stelvio SUV I tested years ago. It’s almost to Giulia level handling; the cornering is that fun.

The Hornet handling was very nice, but not quite on the same level.

Highway travel in both is a little rough. The Hornet transmitted bumps hard enough that the handling became “adventurous” until I put it in Sport mode; then, it was nicely controlled.

Driver’s Seat: The interior of the Tonale is Alfa-level inviting, leather and suede giving it a sharp, very Italian style. But it looks awfully hard to clean. A touch of carbon fiber on the dash adds to the luxury feel.

The Hornet takes a less-is-more approach, with simple leather seats.

Turin, we have a problem: I wasn’t too focused on the space and comfort; I had bigger worries during my tests.

The Tonale was my first encounter with a malfunction in the electronic gauges. I had the speedometer and all the other information disappear for about 12-15 miles, a truly disconcerting experience. I started to complain to an industry insider, and he re-un-assured me he’s seen that problem in a variety of brands.

Friends and stuff: The rear seat in both vehicles is comfortable enough for corner passengers, though there’s not a lot of room to spread out. The seat itself is comfortable.

Middle passengers will be snug but not miserable. A small hump helps; a way-back console does not.

Cargo space is 27 cubic feet with the rear seat up and 50.5 when it’s folded.

Play some tunes: The sound system in both versions plays your favorite songs well, with plenty of clarity and true sound, about an A-.

Operation is fairly simple, with a volume roller on the console and an easy touchscreen.

Keeping warm and cool: Toggles control the heat and cooling. And they do it very well — sort of. I had the Tonale for some cold days, and the heat would blast with the temperature set to 69. But then, after some driving, it would just chill out for a bit. The Hornet was steadier.

Circular vents in the corners are easy to adjust.

Fuel economy: I had a tough time capturing a reliable read on the fuel consumption, as the numbers go off when the motor is running. But the Tonale seemed to be around 45 mpg, which it certainly could be, depending on how much you plug it in.

The Hornet averaged around 27 mpg in a highway-heavy test, which is respectable for a small SUV.

Where they are built: Pomigliano, Italy

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the reliability to be a 2 out of 5. After the two weeks’ worth of troubles, that feels generous, especially for the Tonale, it but matches the other models from Alfa and Dodge.

In the end: I was concerned about nearly every one of the safety features on the Tonale from the moment it malfunctioned on Day 2. It may have been a fluke, but hard pass.

The Hornet performed better, but it’s still a close relative of the Tonale.