Compare the2025 Honda CR-VVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. 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 CR-V 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 Honda CR-V 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s 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 Honda CR-V 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.

Both the CR-V 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, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Honda CR-V 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.

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 Honda CR-V Hybrid’s reliability 25 points higher than the Hornet and the Honda CR-V is rated 31 points higher than the Hornet.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 120 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is rated below average.

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

The CR-V has 2.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (14 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The CR-V has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Hornet doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

The CR-V stops much shorter than the Hornet:

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Hornet (235/60R18 vs. 215/60R17).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CR-V’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the Hornet (106.3 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Hornet.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CR-V’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Hornet R/T’s (37.3 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The CR-V’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Hornet GT’s (37.3 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CR-V has a 2.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (8.2 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the CR-V to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CR-V’s minimum ground clearance is .2 inch higher than on the Hornet GT (8.2 vs. 8 inches).

The Honda CR-V may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Dodge Hornet.

The front grille of the CR-V 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 CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Hornet doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid is quieter than the Hornet GT:

The CR-V has 8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Hornet (106 vs. 98).

The CR-V has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 3 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

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

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Hornet with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 27 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V easier. The CR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28 inches, while the Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

The CR-V’s cargo area is larger than the Hornet’s in every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the CR-V. The Hornet doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The CR-V EX-L/Sport-L/Sport Touring’s standard easy entry system 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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the CR-V 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 CR-V 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 CR-V owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the CR-V will cost $570 to $1300 less than the Hornet over a five-year period.

The CR-V will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the CR-V will retain 57.72% to 58.67% of its original price after five years, while the Hornet only retains 51.34% to 51.35%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Hornet isn't recommended.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its April 2024 issue and they ranked the Honda CR-V EX-L AWD two places higher than the Dodge Hornet GT.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “5Best Trucks/10Best” for 2025 and 5 more times in the last 24 years. The Hornet has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Hornet has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Dodge Hornet by almost 20 to one during 2024.