Compare the2025 Subaru ImprezaVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza 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 Impreza 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.

Both the Impreza 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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 Impreza’s reliability 59 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 Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 118 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is rated below average.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Hornet doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

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

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

The Impreza has 5.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Impreza has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 13.5 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Impreza higher (6 out of 10) than the Dodge Hornet (5 to 6). This means the Impreza produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Hornet every 15,000 miles.

The Impreza 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.

The Impreza’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 Impreza stops shorter than the Hornet:

The Impreza’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 a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the Hornet (105.1 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The Impreza RS handles at .81 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Hornet R/T’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The Impreza’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Hornet GT’s (34.8 feet vs. 38 feet).

The Subaru Impreza may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 800 pounds less than the Dodge Hornet.

The front grille of the Impreza 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 Impreza has 2.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Hornet (100.5 vs. 98).

The Impreza has 1 inch more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

The Impreza has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (56 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

The engine in the Impreza 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Dodge. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 39% lower rating, Dodge is ranked 26th.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Impreza 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 Impreza’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 Impreza’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.

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

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Dodge Hornet by 52% during 2024.